Pino Castagna Italian, 1932-2017

Giuseppe Castagna, known as Pino (Castelgomberto, Italy, 1932 – Costermano sul Garda, Italy, 2017)

Born in the province of Vicenza, he moved to Verona during his childhood. While in Desenzano del Garda, he attended boarding school and assisted painter Franco Ferlenga in his restoration workshop.

In 1949, after returning to Verona, he began teaching at the vocational school while continuing his studies at the Accademia Cignaroli in Verona first,and at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Venice later.

After graduating in 1956 and already well-versed in his field, he started teaching carpentry and mechanics to prisoners. This experience led to an encounter with the English sculptor Michael Noble in 1959.

He worked with Noble until 1963, with whom he started a ceramics school named Idania. Together, they initiated a programme aimed at supporting the psychiatric patients of the nearby hospital in Verona.

In 1963, the project concluded and Castagna resumed working independently, dedicating himself to the study of various artistic media. Especially, he focused on sculpture, using ceramic, bronze and aluminium, before transitioning to monumental sculpture. Subsequently, he began to show in group and solo exhibitions.

In 1969, he relocated to a new studio and started experimenting with new materials and tools. Throughout the 1970s he collaborated with Richard-Ginori. Exhibitions in New York and Tokyo opened doors for him to the international market.

During the 1980s, he experimented with blown glass work.

He died in 2017 in Costermano sul Garda.

Photo UniCredit Group (Sebastiano Pellion di Persano)