Kelley Knickerbocker - Society of American Mosaic Artists

SAMA Member’s Mosaic in Guggenheim by Shug Jones
Photo courtesy of Orsoni
Antonella Gallenda, SAMA member and maestra di mosaico at the Angelo Orsoni
mosaic atelier in Venice, has created a portrait of the late art lover and collector,
Peggy Guggenheim. The portrait, created in the glass enamels and 24k gold tesserae
hand-crafted at the 19th century Venetian furnace of the Orsoni foundry, was presented
to the museum that bears her name on August 26 at a jazz concert performed in
celebration of her birthday, part of a series of events commemorating the 60th anniversary
of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. The collection, which is housed at Ms. Guggenheim’s
Venice palazzo along the Grand Canal, contains works by some of the most prominent
modern artists of the 20th century.
“When we entered the Guggenheim, the portrait was on an easel near the main entrance,
so that everyone could see it,” says Antonella. “Before the beginning of the concert the
director of the museum, Mr. Rylands, introduced the evening’s program and talked about
the Peggy Guggenheim mosaic. And it felt like she was there, enjoying the music and that
special evening. How you can imagine I was really moved and excited. It’s a great honor
to have my work at the Guggenheim, so great that maybe I’m not completely aware yet of
the magnitude.”
Inspired by a photograph of Guggenheim wearing her signature Surrealist sunglasses
made for her by Edward Melcarth, Antonella worked in the genre of “Modernism” using
a technique originated by maestro Lucio Orsoni for interpreting mid-century monochrome
photography into mosaic portraiture. She intensified the essential flatness and limited
color palette of the image by placing the tesserae vertically.
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