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Fine Crafts in Europe

I'm a fan of fine crafts and decorative arts. I think it's been decades since I bought something like that in Europe, but I love looking around galleries that are essentially museums with price tags.

It's harder than one might think to get information about high-end craft galleries online. A lot of what turns up when I try an internet search is ordinary gift shops--some of them stores pleasant to browse for a while, but not places you'd generally go out of your way for.

The biennial craft exhibition in Venice, Homo Faber, will take place in September this year. I think that's a schedule change; I believe HF has previously been held much earlier in the year. This will be great because Glass Week is also in September. https://2024.homofaber.com/

On the Homo Faber website there's information potentially of use to other fans of contemporary crafts and decorative arts.

Fine-craft galleries: https://www.homofaber.com/en/galleries. I suspect this is advertising, albeit most likely curated, but I've been to a few of the listed places and know they're very good; the photos look solid, too.

There are also links set up to point to itineraries focusing on crafts/decorative arts in a number of cities. Unfortunately, at the moment all the links take you to information on Lisbon. I've reported the problem and assume the Homo Faber folks will get the links fixed at some point. https://www.homofaber.com/en/itineraries

A big thank-you to whoever it was who mentioned Homo Faber on the forum years ago. If not for that, I wouldn't know the exhibition exists.

Posted by
8705 posts

Wow, what a great resource, acraven! Thank you for posting. I see a number of galleries in London that I would love to visit.

Posted by
3538 posts

High end crafts are often not in the big cities in Europe. Galleries have their role there to create a marketplace between often rich buyers and the producers.

I find it more fascinating to visit the places of production than a gallery. In Germany and Denmark art lovers can find alot of these places in rural areas and small towns. The tourist offices and their websites are often a help to find good places.

Posted by
585 posts

In ceramics, the magazine Ceramics Monthly publishes an (advertising based) annual gallery listing guide which can be viewed online by non-subscribers. The 2024 guide is in the Oct. 2023 issue. The listings for Europe are not extensive but there are some, including in major cities. The brief descriptions usually indicate if they are mainly ceramics or what other arts they exhibit.

Posted by
28871 posts

Thanks, CD in DC. That sounds like a useful resource.

I tend to stumble on craft information sort of randomly, sometimes in the form of a small advertisement on a webpage. There are some good ceramic fairs in England and Scotland, called "Potfests": https://potfest.co.uk/ I enjoyed the one I went to in 2019.

There's an outdoor ceramics festival in Goerlitz, Germany, called the Schlesischer Tippelmarkt, on June 20-21 this year: https://www.tippelmarkt.de/. That one I attended in 2018.

Product quality was good at both, but not necessarily museum-quality.

Posted by
28871 posts

There's some additional info about the big Homo Faber craft exhibition in Venice available now:

September 1 - 30, daily 10 AM till 7 PM

Entry: 16 euros (10 euros for discounted senior/student tickets etc.). There's also a 20-euro combo ticket that allows entry to Le Stanze della Fotografia nearby.

https://www.homofaber.com/en/guide has info about all the exhibitors

Timed tickets are on sale now. I don't have a good feel for what demand will be like. Those who will be in Venice in September and have an interest would probably be smart to monitor the website to be sure tickets aren't selling out ahead of time.

Homo Faber is at the Fondazione Cini, apparently an architecturally striking complex. I think to see the other foundation buildings you have to take a tour. https://www.visitcini.com/en/home-eng-3/

Also on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore are Le Stanze del Vetro, where glass exhibitions are held. Summer hours are 10 AM till 7 PM every day except Wednesday. Entrance is free. https://lestanzedelvetro.org/en/about/