Faenza, flood devastates archives and collections of historic Bottega Gatti

An art heritage destroyed by the flood that hit Faenza in early May: it is that of thehistorical archive of Bottega Gatti, a ceramics workshop opened in 1928 by Riccardo Gatti. The flooding of the Lamone River mainly affected the neighborhood of Borgo Durbecco, on the outskirts of the city, and divided from the historic center by the river itself: Borgo Durbecco, where the Bottega Gatti’s warehouse is located, was submerged, while the city center was spared. In the district, the situation was described as critical, so much so that rescuers had to move with rubber boats, and several areas were isolated. The rains lasted continuously for three days, from May 1 to 3, dropping 104.6 mm of water on the city (in the entire month of January, the rainiest this year, a peak of 89.8 was recorded).

Those who ended up under water in the Gatti Workshop’s archives were mostly books, matrices, paintings, sketches, and ceramics. These are works by important artists, since the manufactory, since 1928, has been home to many of the greats who have passed through Faenza to work on ceramics. As early as its opening year, Riccardo Gatti hosted exponents of futurism, starting with Giacomo Balla, Benedetta Cappa and Gerardo Dottori. Over the years, Gatti went on to host other prominent authors, such as Guido Strazza, Alberto Burri, Enrico Baj, Sebastian Matta, Ugo Nespolo, and Pablo Echaurren. In 1993, the baton was passed to his grandson Davide Servadei, now in his 60s and running the workshop with his son Riccardo, age 26: with him at the helm, the Bottega Gatti has hosted artists such as Aldo Mondino, Ettore Sottsass, Mimmo Paladino, Arman, Giosetta Fioroni, Luigi Ontani, Carla Accardi, Agostino Bonalumi, Giuseppe Uncini, Hidetoshi Nagasawa, Emilio Isgrò, Dani Karavan, Enzo Cucchi, Sandro Chia, Alik Cavaliere, Luca Vitone, Alessandro Pessoli, Marco Nereo Rotelli, and many others.

The flood caught the Bottega off guard, partly because, according to Servadei told the local press, there had been no warning before the events broke out, so now much of the material will have to be thrown away (in fact, many of the objects deemed unrecoverable), while the rest will have to be restored. Documents, such as manuscripts and photographs that testify to the nearly 100-year history of the Faenza business, which will celebrate its 100th birthday in 2028, have also gone underwater.Servadei and colleagues had already begun setting up work to arrive prepared for the anniversary. For example, new shelving had been installed, which was flooded by water. Among the works destroyed were a watercolor by Ontani, paintings by Mimmo Paladino, and a collection of futurist posters. In contrast, some canvases by Aldo Mondino, bricks by Giò Pomodoro, and a large ceramic by Carlo Zauli were saved but will need repair. Also devastated was Servadei’s collection of artist’s books : the hope, however, is that a slow and meticulous restoration will obviate the flood damage (it will be painstaking operations, since they will have to be unpacked page by page and then reassembled). Damage estimates have not yet been made, but they are in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions.

A few days ago, on May 10, the workshop received a visit from Mauro Felicori, councillor for culture of Emilia-Romagna, who expressed his willingness to help Bottega Gatti recover its history. “This morning,” Felicori said, “I was in Faenza to bring the solidarity of Emilia-Romagna to Davide Servadei, owner of the famous Bottega Gatti. The warehouse that collects its history was submerged by more than three feet of muddy water, which damaged ceramics, paintings, graphics, volumes and historical autographed magazines, and archival documents from nearly a century of activity. We will have to find ways to support the Bottega in its firm resolve to restore and reconstitute its memory.”

Faenza, flood devastates archives and collections of historic Bottega Gatti

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