On July 22, the new Board of Directors of the Fondazione Museo Archivio Richard Ginori della Manifattura di Doccia was officially established.
The President, appointed by the Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli, is lawyer Marco Corsini (Milan, 1956), Deputy Attorney General at the State Attorney General&rsquo;s Office, specializing in public contracts in general and public works in particular. The other members of the board are Dr. Elisabetta Berti (professional journalist and art historian) and Andrea Cosentino (curator and art critic), appointed by the Ministry of Culture, Professor Gianni Pozzi (lecturer at the Academies of Florence and Brera and visiting professor at Beijing University of Technology), and Dr. Maurizio Toccafondi (President of the Societ&agrave; di Mutuo Soccorso Richard Ginori, previously director of the Regional Directorate for Cultural and Landscape Heritage of Tuscany), confirmed for a second term respectively by the Municipality of Sesto Fiorentino and the Tuscany Region. The Board will hold office for four years.
In a very collaborative atmosphere, the Board and the Founders' Assembly approved the Foundation&rsquo;s financial statements, confirming its financial health and the correctness of the previous management. The same continuity characterizes the first decisions taken by the Board, which approved the project for a new exhibition of the Museo Ginori collections at the MIC - Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche in Faenza and the creation of the English version of the museoginori.org website.
&ldquo;I am happy,&rdquo; declared the new president Marco Corsini, &ldquo;to lead a cultural institution of such high historical, artistic, and social value, which must be kept alive and vibrant. My priority will be to encourage the swift completion of the renovation works of the Museo Ginori headquarters in order to achieve the goal hoped for by all, namely the reopening of the museum to the public as soon as possible. I thank all the people who, during the period of uncertainty that now ends, have kept the foundation alive with care and dedication.&rdquo;

Fondazione Ginori: the new Board of Directors

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&ldquo;Seven years after the acquisition of the Museo Ginori by the Italian State, the renovation work on the building that houses it is beginning. Since my appointment, I have followed this dossier with great attention, and now I welcome with satisfaction the start of the construction site. The allocation I provided in the Strategic Plan for Major Cultural Projects is a sign of the renewed focus on this internationally significant institution.&rdquo; With these words, the Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, welcomed the start of the renovation works of the Museo Ginori, closed since May 2014 following the bankruptcy of Richard-Ginori and, since 2017, state-owned, entrusted to the Tuscany Regional Directorate of National Museums of the Ministry of Culture until the end of the works.
For the first phase of the renovation interventions (expected to last 462 calendar days consecutively), the CIPE (Interministerial Committee for Economic Planning) allocated 1.9 million euros, charged to the Development and Cohesion Fund 2007-2013. An additional funding, supported by the Strategic Plan for Major Cultural Projects with 5.5 million euros, will enable the complete restoration of the building, severely damaged during the years of abandonment prior to acquisition by the Italian State, through restoration and conservative rehabilitation, building and systems upgrades (also aimed at compliance with safety, fire prevention, and seismic regulations), and the redistribution of internal spaces according to new functional and museological requirements.
&ldquo;The purchase by the State of the Richard Ginori corporate museum and all its artistic and archival collections,&rdquo; explained Stefano Casciu, Regional Director of the Tuscany National Museums, &ldquo;carried out through a complex administrative operation involving the Tuscany Museum Network (now the Regional Directorate) and the former Superintendence for Monuments of Florence, directed by Alessandra Marino, marked a turning point in a long process aimed at saving from decay and acquiring for the public heritage a museum complex of exceptional cultural, artistic, historical, and social interest. The Tuscany Regional Directorate of National Museums, supported by the central offices of the Ministry of Culture, has consistently carried out over these years the various technical and administrative phases necessary to finally reach the start of renovation works, from which will emerge the new layout designed in collaboration with the Fondazione Ginori. I am therefore proud, and grateful to all my collaborators, for the long and difficult journey undertaken so far towards the reopening of the magnificent Museo Ginori.&rdquo;
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The concept of the new museum setup is entrusted to the Fondazione Ginori, which coordinates the scientific and cultural activities of the museum.
&ldquo;The Museo Ginori &ndash; Tomaso Montanari, President of the Fondazione Ginori explains &ndash; survived the bankruptcy of Richard-Ginori thanks to an extraordinary popular movement that was able to transform its love for this memory chest into a highly effective means of persuasion that convinced the State to invest in the future of the museum and the territory. The Foundation is pleased to finally witness the start of the renovation and expresses its gratitude to Minister Sangiuliano and the Tuscany Regional Directorate of National Museums, which is responsible for coordinating the work. In agreement with the Ministry of Culture, we are working to prepare the installation project, in order to minimize the time before the opening of the new Museo Ginori.&rdquo;

Historical photograph of the Ginori Museum.

Built in 1965 based on a design by architect Pier Niccol&ograve; Berardi, who had envisioned it as a perfect container to preserve the jewels of the Ginori collection following the closure of the historic Manifattura di Doccia headquarters (1957), the building housing the Museo Ginori is an important example of rationalist architecture, whose forms and spatial layout closely recall the Santa Maria Novella train station in Florence, on whose design Berardi had worked thirty years earlier alongside the master Giovanni Michelucci.
Today, the internal layout of the museum respects the original plan drafted by Berardi, except for some modifications made during construction and in the following years, especially in the ground floor rooms. The renovation work, in terms of architecture, form, and choice of materials, will continue in line with what was foreseen by the original project, without altering the rationalist language with which the building was conceived.

The satisfaction of the Tuscany Region and the Municipality of Sesto Fiorentino

&ldquo;At Ginori &ndash; explained Eugenio Giani, President of the Tuscany Region &ndash; art and work have intertwined for three centuries, creating a story of excellence entirely Tuscan that is recognized worldwide. The Doccia manufactory products are synonymous with style and beauty, and the start of the museum&rsquo;s renovation works, which will display these pieces in their natural home in Sesto Fiorentino, is a very important moment for all of Tuscany. The Region is actively committed to the reopening and full valorization of this heritage, convinced that Museo Ginori will assume the leading role it deserves in Tuscany&rsquo;s museum offerings, benefiting visitors from all over the world, as well as the local community.&rdquo;
&nbsp;&ldquo;Ten years after its closure, which took place in May 2014 amid great uncertainty about its future&rdquo; &ndash; commented Lorenzo Falchi, Mayor of Sesto Fiorentino &ndash; the new life of Museo Ginori finally truly begins. In the following years, thanks to the constant work of all the institutions involved, but above all thanks to the response of Sesto and its citizens who never gave up in front of that closed gate, important efforts were made, with economic investment from the Ministry and the shared commitment with the Municipality and the Region to establish the Foundation. The administrative process was very complex, but finally a new chapter truly opens.&rdquo;

Museo Ginori towards reopening: renovation works begin

The Fondazione Museo Archivio Richard Ginori della Manifattura di Doccia and the Department of History, Geography, Archaeology, Art and Performance (SAGAS) of the University of Florence have signed a collaboration agreement to carry out joint study and research activities on the works of the Museo Ginori collection and to organize educational initiatives aimed at students.
The agreement also provides for the activation of curricular internships, dissemination and communication projects, and the creation of exhibitions, which will be held at Palazzo Marucelli-Fenzi (Via San Gallo 10, Florence), the SAGAS headquarters.

Collaboration agreement signed between the Museo Ginori and the SAGAS Department of the University of Florence

On the occasion of its 32nd edition, the Biennale Internazionale dell&rsquo;Antiquariato di Firenze funded the restoration&nbsp;of eight wax models from the 18th-century collections of the Museo Ginori and documented the remarkable results in the volume Collezionismo &lsquo;a uso della fabbrica&rsquo;.&nbsp;
Among the models restored, particular attention is due to the group depicting&nbsp;Apollo and Marsyas, based on&nbsp;a work by the Florentine sculptor&nbsp;Giovan Battista Foggini&nbsp;and made from a mold taken in 1748 by his son Vincenzo. The intervention allowed the recovery of the integrity of the work, which was in a fragmented and &ldquo;collapsed&rdquo; state due to exposure to a heat source.&nbsp; &nbsp; The restoration campaign was coordinated by the Direzione regionale musei della Toscana with the scientific collaboration of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, which since 2021 has been engaged in a general survey on the conservation status of the works at the Museo Ginori. The eight models were assigned to the care of the project director Giulia Basilissi and restorers Maria Grazia Cordua and Francesca Rossi.&nbsp;

The Florence International Biennial Antiques Fair funds the restoration of eight wax models from the Museo Ginori

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The design of the new logo distills the outline of the rationalist building that houses the museum and that of the tall water tank of the Ginori production plant behind it. The stylized star that crowns it is taken from those present in the coat of arms of the Ginori family, widely used also as a mark of the manufactory. The stencil typefaces recall the &ldquo;a stampino&rdquo; decoration, characteristic of the early phase of activity of the Manifattura di Doccia, when the use of pre-cut stencil also allowed less experienced workers to decorate the precious porcelains.
Alongside blue and gold, recurring in the decorative patterns, the colors that characterize the visual identity of the Museo Ginori also include red, which refers to the struggles of the workers&rsquo; movement that played such a significant role in the history of the Manifattura.
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Typographic characters inspired by the ancient "stampino" technique

Typography inspired by the ancient technique of "stamp" decoration

18th-century plate with "stampino" decoration

18th-century plate decorated "a stampino"

The outline of the logo and that of the building housing the Museum

The shape of the logo is the same as that of the building housing the Museo Ginori

Museo Ginori presents its new visual identity

An inclusive governance that enhances the role of associations and the local area; a new logo that tells the museum's history, present, and future; a website born from a significant investment in digitization and innovation; and a garden, finally returned to the local community: this is how the new Museo Ginori presented itself during a press conference held at the Ministry of Culture, in Rome, in the presence of the Minister, Dario Franceschini, the President of the Tuscany Region, Eugenio Giani, the Mayor of Sesto Fiorentino, Lorenzo Falchi, and the President of the Fondazione Ginori, Tomaso Montanari.

&ldquo;The heritage of the Museo Ginori &ndash; explained Tomaso Montanari &ndash; brings together some of the pinnacles of Italian art history with the history of the labor movement. While the Ministry of Culture continues the challenging restoration of the building, the Foundation begins to carry out its task and to tell this story, which has few parallels in the world. For this reason, it has equipped itself with a staff that has allowed it to inventory the collection and has created the logo and the visual identity of the Museum, as well as a beautiful, accessible, and sustainable website. This is the public debut of a Foundation that wants to keep production and redistribution of knowledge linked at every step with the broadest participation of the citizens. The Social Committee, a true innovation within cultural foundations, will concretely implement this mission.&rdquo;
&ldquo;After the establishment of the Fondazione Museo Archivio Richard Ginori della Manifattura di Doccia in 2019, I experience this further step with great emotion &ndash; declared Eugenio Giani, President of the Tuscany Region &ndash; The safeguarding and enhancement of such an exceptional and unique collection, which boasts a history full of very important figures in the fields of art, craftsmanship, and industrial production, represents above all a historic event. But it is also a cultural act of profound civility: Ginori&rsquo;s artifacts have become art and as such are eternal, alive, and contemporary, so long as they are able to tell their story. What will be accomplished thanks to the new project and the activities presented today is a great operation through which Tuscany will have another opportunity to speak to the world.&rdquo;
&ldquo;For our city &ndash; explained Lorenzo Falchi, Mayor of Sesto Fiorentino &ndash; Ginori and its museum represent a place of identity, of history, a crossroads for many generations of Sesto residents, of artists who with their hands created unique and extraordinarily beautiful works. With the birth of the Foundation, together with the Ministry of Culture and the Tuscany Region, we have secured this invaluable heritage, binding it to our territory and starting a path of rebirth that today marks a fundamental milestone.&rdquo;

Stefano Casciu, Lorenzo Falchi, Eugenio Giani, Datio Franceschini, and Tomaso Montanari.

Governance, visual identity, and website: the Museo Ginori tells its story

The Fondazione Ginori and <a href="http://www.opificiodellepietredure.it/">the Opificio delle Pietre Dure</a> have signed a collaboration agreement aimed at promoting and developing joint activities in research, training, dissemination, and the mutual transfer of knowledge, especially in the field of conservation of ceramic and plastic materials as well as paper materials. The ambitious goal stated in the agreement is to "establish a &lsquo;hub&rsquo; of reference and consultancy for all entities operating at the regional and national levels that face the issue of conservation and restoration of works in ceramics, plaster, and wax."
The two historic Tuscan institutions share common origins and traditions as they were both founded as manufactories: the Opificio delle Pietre Dure was established in 1588 by Ferdinando I de&rsquo; Medici as a court manufactory specialized in the processing of hard stones. Today, the OPD is an Institute of the Ministry of Culture endowed with special autonomy, carrying out research and training activities in the field of conservation and restoration. It is organized into eleven different restoration sectors, a scientific laboratory, and two transversal consultancy services. The Opificio also hosts the Advanced Training and Study School (SAFS), which awards a diploma equivalent to a Master&rsquo;s degree in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage.

Museo Ginori and Opificio delle Pietre Dure: collaboration agreement signed

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Fondazione Ginori: the new Board of Directors

On July 22, the new Board of Directors of the Fondazione Museo Archivio Richard Ginori della Manifattura di Doccia was established. The President is Marco Corsini, appointed by the Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli.

Museo Ginori towards reopening: renovation works begin

The renovation of the building, closed since May 2014 following the bankruptcy of Richard-Ginori, begins. The work is coordinated by the Regional Directorate for National Museums of Tuscany.

Collaboration agreement signed between the Museo Ginori and the SAGAS Department of the University of Florence

The collaboration agreement provides for study and research activities on the museum's works and training initiatives aimed at students.

The Florence International Biennial Antiques Fair funds the restoration of eight wax models from the Museo Ginori

On the occasion of its 32nd edition, the Biennale Internazionale dell’Antiquariato di Firenze financed the restoration campaign of eight wax models from the 18th-century collections of the Museo Ginori.

Museo Ginori presents its new visual identity

Designed by Muttnik, a graphic studio from Florence, the new logo of the Museo Ginori is the result of a careful synthesis of its history, its artistic and artisanal tradition, and the inseparable bond that connects it to the manufactory and the territory.

Governance, visual identity, and website: the Museo Ginori tells its story

Minister Dario Franceschini, the President of the Tuscany Region Eugenio Giani, the Mayor of Sesto Fiorentino Lorenzo Falchi, and the President of the Fondazione Ginori Tomaso Montanari presented the mission and identity of the museum.

Museo Ginori and Opificio delle Pietre Dure: collaboration agreement signed

The Fondazione Ginori and the Opificio delle Pietre Dure have signed a collaboration agreement aimed at promoting and developing joint activities in research, training, dissemination, and mutual knowledge transfer in the field of conservation.

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