Collection: Bagni (Italy)
Alvino Bagni (1919–2009) was born in Lastra a Signa, Tuscany, and developed an interest in ceramics from a young age. He learned from the artist Torello Santini before working at Arnaldo Pugi’s ceramics factory in nearby Ponte a Signa. After the Second World War, Pugi helped him establish his own workshop, where Bagni worked alongside family members, including his wife Gina.
The 1950s and 1960s were particularly important to the development of Ceramiche Bagni. Collaborations with companies including Raymor and Rosenthal connected the Tuscan workshop with international design markets. Bagni brought traditional ceramic craftsmanship into dialogue with modern forms, developing work recognised for its artistic quality and innovative techniques.
His approach united material, form and decoration rather than treating ceramics as simply functional objects. One documented example is the Pi-Dou vase, designed in the late 1970s after a visit to the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Its intersecting tubular forms drew inspiration from the building’s exposed architectural pipework, demonstrating Bagni’s willingness to translate contemporary visual culture into ceramic design.
Following the closure of the original manufactory in 1990, Bagni founded Nuove Forme, retiring a few years later. His legacy continues through surviving vintage ceramics and contemporary re-editions of his designs, including Tacchini’s revival of Pi-Dou, which brings renewed attention to the sculptural possibilities of his work.
Read more about Alvino Bagni here, and his Pi-Dou design here.
