THE FOUNDRY
The Art Foundry De Andreis was born in 1964 thanks to Giuseppe De Andreis, called “Pinella”, who started working in 1962 for Maf, a foundry located near the Central Station, of which Giuseppe himself became later a partner. As already expert smelter at that time, he created and ran his company to a high level and rubbed shoulders with the most well-known Italian artists as Arturo Martini, Adolfo Wildt, Francesco Messina, Giacomo Manzù, Marino Marini, Arnoldo Pomodoro, Bodini, Alik Cavaliere, Kengiro Azuma, Joannis Avrimidis, Mario Negri and many others with whom he had the opportunity to work and who found in De Andreis either a valid craftsman or a trusted friends.
To highlight the talent of De Andreis, we are pleased to remind his participation to the realization of the bronze-casting of the door of Milan Cathedral, masterpiece by A. Minerbi, installed in 1948. The technique of the bronze fusion by using the lost wax-casting system was handed down from “Pinella” to his children Tino, Gianni and afterwards to Franco who continued the management of the Foundry as holders by carrying forward the paternal tradition in the respect of a familiar ambient and of the improving and renovation at the same time. After Tino and Gianni got out from the Company, Franco relied on the valuable contribution of five new partners: the brothers Andrea and Davide Bonissi, Stefano Annovi, Francesco Contino and Andrea Saad, each one legacy and really able to create a kind of artistic handicraft they had learnt from their fathers and masters at the same time.
The new artistic team has been leading The Art Foundry De Andreis in the respect of the artistic-craft tradition, which dates back to half a century ago, and in pursuit of its renewable original style which well marks the Foundry in the national and international scenery, thanks to the enthusiasm and creative energy of its members.
The love for this profession, the chiselling of finishes and the unique quality of the patinas are the main elements which state the undeniable difference between an artifact and an artwork: irreplaceable, peerless, unique. That makes the difference between an artisan and an artist.
