Renzo Buttazzo

Stone sculptor

©Gabriele Spedicato

©Alessandro Colazzo

©Lara Bobbio

The antibaroque stone sculptor

Renzo is the Master of Pietra Leccese
His designs are a new classic in his land’s iconography
He creates unique pieces with organic shapes, which speak a universal language

If you are born in Lecce, as Renzo Buttazzo was, the amazing beauty of the Baroque might get overwhelming, especially considering the amount of capital-shaped souvenirs sold in cheap tourist shops. That is probably the reason why Renzo spent so many years experimenting and prototyping new expressive solutions for working Pietra Leccese, limestone from Lecce, and ended up being named the “antibaroque”. A few years later, Renzo is recognised as the contemporary Maestro of this stone. You can find his sculptures in sophisticated hotels and villas all around the world, and his past collaborations include names such as Giorgio Armani, Moroso, Paola Navone, Boffi. Ironically enough, cheap tourist shops in Lecce now sell souvenirs inspired by his sculptures, right next to the capital-shaped ones.

Interview

©Alessandro Colazzo

©Gabrielòe Spedicato

How did you start?: Soon after my studies I decided to work with my hands and focus on Pietra Leccese, a common limestone in my region. A ceramics professor taught me the theory, but I spent the rest of my life experimenting and studying the expressive potential of that stone, to find a universal, contemporary language.
What is your language?: I am inspired by the natural, organic shapes of my land: the wind, the sea, olive trees, dry stone walls. Shapes – and emotions – which are surely linked to my land, but they are also universal: a message of beauty and purity, which speaks to everyone’s heart.
What is the secret of your success?: Instead of replicating baroque designs to create cheap souvenirs, I took the opposite direction, earning the “antibaroque” nickname. I was a pioneer – the first one to use stone for lamps, for instance – and now my shapes are copied everywhere. But throughout my career, the key aspects have always been love, commitment and research.
Is Renzo Buttazzo a design brand?: It has been a brand for a while: I had my gallery in Lecce and shops around the world. But I still feel like an artisan and in 2010 I came back to my roots: I work in my home-workshop creating only unique pieces, using just my simple tools, the same that artisans used 400 years ago.

Renzo Buttazzo is a master artisan: he began his career in 1986 and he started teaching in 2006