Umberto Zannoni Biography
Born in Faenza on 5 October 1926, he graduated from the local Institute of Art as a student of Anselmo Bucci and Domenico Rambelli in 1945. Subsequently he taught for a short period at the Institute of Ceramic Art in Sesto Fiorentino and was later called to the position of artistic director in the "Vecchia Lodi" factory. In 1950, together with Carlo Zauli, Averardo Giovannini and Renato Zama, he took over the artistic ceramics laboratory "Studio Ceramico Morelli" previously owned by Mario Morelli, in via della Croce 6 in Faenza and founded the ceramic factory "Ca' Pirota" and a few years later, in 1954, having left the company, he founded his own laboratory in Borgo Durbecco in Faenza where, in addition to the works he himself designed, he created, with the collaboration of Goffredo Gazzotti, some works designed by Angelo Biancini. In 1951 he participated with some works in the Faenza competition, obtaining first prize. Also in Faenza in 1955 he obtained the Gaetano Ballardini prize. In 1956 his work was exhibited in a solo exhibition of ceramics at the Galleria Fontanella Borghese in Rome. Between 1956 and 1959 he taught decoration at the Art Institute of Faenza and since 1964 he has been director of the State Art Institute of Reggio Emilia. In 1964 Uberto Zannoni closed his career as a ceramist and dedicated himself only to teaching. He died in 2012
