Giovanni DeSimone was a mid-century ceramicist whose lively designs seem primed to elicit smiles. He created colorful vessels, platters and wall art, decorated with festive figures, flowers and fauna in a style that reveals an appreciation for Cubism and folk art.
DeSimone was born in Palermo, Sicily, in 1930. His parents were aristocrats, and as a young child, he traveled to Somalia. It was here that he grew fond of African artistic traditions. After World War II, DeSimone moved to the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. He attended the Istituto d’Arte per la Ceramica and discovered a passion for pottery. Upon graduation, DeSimone moved back to Palermo and fell in love with Eliana, who became his wife. The couple had three daughters together.
DeSimone opened his famous ceramics studio in the 1960s, producing dinnerware, serveware and decorative tiles. As the studio grew in success and popularity, DeSimone hired more artists to help with the work. In its heyday, the studio had as many as six ceramicists producing work. While each creator had a unique style, DeSimone set a standard for the colors and themes to be used.
DeSimone died in 1991, passing his workshop down to his daughters Margherita and Susanna. Today, the company still operates in Palermo under the name La Fabbrica della Ceramica, producing ceramic pieces inspired by DeSimone's original designs.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Giovanni DeSimone decorative objects, serveware and wall decorations.
$3,264Sale Price|20% Off
Large Sculpture DeSimone 1960 Very Special and Rare, Fisherman
By Giovanni DeSimone
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Large sculpture Desimone 1960 very special and rare, fisherman. Made in clay ground, paperwork pieces and decorated with cold colors, very particular and rare in its kind.
Clay, Parchment Paper
$33,600Sale Price|20% Off
H 70.87 in W 129.93 in D 25.6 in
very large metal sculpture by Manuel Torres
Located in grand Lancy, CH
Very large metal sculpture by Manuel Torres from a private collector's house near Geneva, the daughter of the artist who authenticated this scul...
Metal
Rare Large Rock Crystal Sculpture
Located in New York, NY
Rare large rock crystal sculpture with mountain peak and overhang, sophisticated crystal texture with translucent tone on the top. Antique brass custom stand.
Rock Crystal
Rare Medium Tiger Ceramic Sculpture, Italy, 1960s
Located in 05-080 Hornowek, PL
Italian ceramic, perfect condition, produced in 1960s. We have also another big cats for sale, check our products. Only one unique piece available.
Ceramic
$8,160Sale Price|22% Off
H 15.36 in W 26.38 in D 7.29 in
Large, Antique and Very Fine Bronze Sculpture, Striding, Roaring Lion
Located in Berlin, DE
Large, antique and very fine bronze sculpture. Striding, roaring lion. The sculpture is very heavy.
Bronze
Paul A. Lobel Sterling Fisherman Kinetic Sculpture
By Paul Lobel
Located in St. Louis, MO
Paul A. Lobel (1899-1983) modernist silversmith, sculptor and artist. Lobel sold his jewelry and art at his Greenwich village shop in the 1940s and 1950s. This two-piece sterling Kin...
Sterling Silver
Balinese Fisherman Wood Carving Sculpture
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Vintage Balinese handmade wood carving of a fisherman with net.
Wood
Bronze Sculpture Motive Fisherman
Located in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Bronze sculpture motive Fisherman Origin Italy 20th century circa 1900 partina brown unsigned- natural wear lost wax technique. Art nouveau, modernist art or modernism was an interna...
Bronze
Rare Large Curtis Jere Abstract Brass Sculpture
By Curtis Jeré
Located in Redding, CT
Rare Large Curtis Jere Abstract Brass and Marble Sculpture. Amorphic articulating sculpture that can rotate on an axis . Great addition to any modern home. Original Curtis Jere Artis...
Marble, Brass
Large Very Fine Carved Wood Sculpture of a Sail Boat c1960s MINT!
By Curtis Jeré
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Large Very Fine Carved Wood Sculpture of a Sail Boat c1960s MINT!
Walnut
$84,950Sale Price|32% Off
H 84.5 in W 26 in D 20 in
A Large Italian 19th Century Carved Carrara Marble Sculpture of a Fisherman Boy
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A very fine and large Italian 19th century carved Carrara marble sculpture, a figure of a fisherman boy with a straw-hat titled "THO PRESO!... (The catch) depicting a young boy stand...
Marble, Carrara Marble
1960s Large Modernist Steel Sculpture
Located in New York, NY
Stunning oversize 1960s welded steel modernist sculpture. In vintage original condition with some wear and patina.
Cut Steel
Weathered Wood Fisherman Sculpture
Located in San Diego, CA
Every so often we encounter figures such as this sculpture, of a man holding a fishing net, that simply command our attention. The sculpture shows evidence of the wood giving way to ...
Wood
Sold
H 7.49 in Dm 4.34 in
De Simone Ceramic Italian Art Sculpture Sicilian Warrior Multi-Color Midcentury
By Giovanni DeSimone
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Giovanni De Simone ceramic Italian art sculpture Sicilian warrior multi-color midcentury, 1960.
Ceramic