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common denominator of morality. The work of each must be read, aside from his strong sense of
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citizen of Florence was fused into one single work.” . individualism, also from the real working conditions
In this delicate and difficult condition, Marcello under which Fantoni found himself: his was an actual
Fantoni readied himself to begin working again. His factory, and he felt entirely responsible for it and for his
workshop on Via Lanzi was unexpectedly spared by the fifty employees. The factory took up all his energy, and
bombing, but the process that brought his activity back with a good entrepreneurial spirit, Fantoni preferred to
to life was long and difficult.Once the first critical years launch his “products”mainly abroad,where he knew he
had past, and with the city and the entire nation getting could obtain greater success, above all economic.
back to living again, his work did not hesitate to For this reason, Fantoni greeted with great
produce its first important fruit. The principal forces enthusiasm, in 1953, the opportunity to take his first
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behind the commercial comeback of his activity were trip to the United States . In Fantoni’s recollections of
the foreign buyers, mainly the North Americans. The that first trip and stay in America, a sense of wonder
store on Via della Vigna continued to be a fundamental unveiled itself right form the beginning, in New York.
intermediary for the exposure and the buying of The brilliant lights, the dynamism, the wealth so
Fantoni ceramics. The running of the shop was ostentatious and promised to everyone who possessed
entrusted to Fantoni’s mother, sister and his wife, talent and desire, which in Italy in the years after the
Piccarda, to whom Marcello was married in December war, could only be glimpsed at, here manifested itself in
of 1947. an alluring vision full of promise. Perfectly aware of his
The ever growing request for ceramics by the own worth and the wealthy that he could accumulate
United States’ buyers, together with the sales success of if, perhaps just for ten years time, he could set up work
the boutique on Via della Vigna, made the production across the ocean:Fantoni thought seriously about going
increase rapidly – and consequently also the number of to live in America. But, he confesses, that it was a
employees- at Fantoni’s company.At the beginning of thought that he abandoned quickly. He gave up the
the 1950’s he already had fifty employees who were idea principally for two reasons. The first was
modeling ceramics, as always under the careful and economic: it was true that he could have earned a lot
scrupulous supervision of the Master, the sole designer more, but, it was also true that the American tax system
of the models and the true soul and guide of the entire of those years would have consumed half of his profits.
production. As we have already been able to see, The second reason, certainly the decisive one, was of a
Fantoni chose young people of his own age, new to the sentimental nature: Fantoni realized that abandoning
ceramic trade, for his collaborators. He was obligated to Florence meant losing that privileged position that
make this choice because he knew that having gives an artist of his level direct contact with the source
practiced the trade in a different workshop would, in of his inspiration. This would certainly have caused a
some fashion, be an obstacle for the employee in transformation in his production from a purely artistic
following to the letter Fantoni’s design guidelines. On dimension ( which in Florence he had always
the contrary, the purity with which the apprentice maintained even though his company had reach a
approached and learned his ceramic modeling and considerable dimension) to a more industrial one. In
decoration techniques was exactly as Fantoni had other words, his artistic sense would have been greatly
conceived them. This assured him a homogeneous limited, adopting stylistic choices which, answering to a
result completely reflecting his stylistic choices. more commercial logic, would have compromised his
The factory work, in those years, occupied all of so sought after autonomy and inventive research, which
his time, and it was often protracted beyond closing had always been a characteristic of Fantoni’s artistic
hours. This is the principle reason why, Fantoni admits, journey ever since his years at Porta Romana.
he wasn’t able, in those years, to patronize the cultural Therefore, he preferred to abandon the idea of moving
circles and the city’s meeting places along with the his business to the United States while still maintaining
other Florentine artists. A rather paradoxical situation that privileged commercial relationship with the
followed: Fantoni, by then famous on the national and Americans, that has always guaranteed a constant and
international markets, was much less known in the considerable sales success.
Florentine artistic circles in those years. Except for the Fantoni’s factory continued to be active, with a
continual exhibition of his ceramics in his shop Via considerable number of employees, until the middle of
della Vigna, there was not one show, dedicated entirely the 60’s. The union’s introduction into the factory,
to him, organized in Florence until the beginning of
the 70’s .The decision to remain outside of these circles 4 In 1953 the mayor of Florence, Giorgio La Pira, commissioned
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Fantoni to make a bust of Lucio Quinzio Cincinnato, to donate to
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Marcello Fantoni’s first personal exhibition was organized in October the United States city Cincinnati, Ohio. Marcello Fantoni
1973 by Umberto Canti in his art gallery “Il Mirteto”,on via Maggio. accompanied his work to the United States, taking advantage of the
Being a retrospective show,it included the exhibition of works dating occasion to start a long voyage that would take him to visit the
from the beginning of his career to his most recent works. country’s more important – and commercially active- cities.

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