Luis A. Mínguez Serrano is a skilled artisan, but likes to describe himself as an artist. He restores book covers (the oldest dates back to the 12th century) bringing their original features back to life, as well as devising and making covers for contemporary novels, poems and art books. He is very discreet; you won't find him and his creations either on social media or in a physical store. So the only way his work is discovered is through word of mouth. Each of his covers is a unique work of art and the result of hours of painstaking effort that has gained him the appreciation of connoisseurs, historians and art collectors. Thirty years after taking over from his father, he carries on with passion and dedication.

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The front cover of this leather-bound edition of Miguel Delibes's Senora de Rojo Sobre Fondo Gris features the image of a woman from Spanish high society wearing a pearl necklace. A heart-shaped 'm' on her chest symbolises love as well as the author's first name, while in the centre of the heart the 'd' stands for Delibes. Over the woman's head, Luis has incorporated olive root wood with many knots, symbolising the philosophical thoughts of the woman.

Señora de Rojo Sobre Fondo Gris

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Luis created this protective sleeve for a limited edition of l'Atlantide by Pierre Benôite using sky blue suede and goatskin. Luis embossed the leather and painted a yellow mosaic pattern representing the continent of Atlantis. The blue suede represents the sea that surrounded the mythical continent.

Protective sleeve for the book l'Atlantide by Pierre Benôite

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The cover of this leather-bound book, a history of bullfighting, has been decorated with romantic era motifs. The surface of the leather has been lightly embossed and Luis hand finished the cover with intricate gilded patterns.

Historia del Toreo (The History of Bullfighting)

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This leather-bound book contains the first lithographs on mythology that Giorgio Chirico created. The image depicts the hands of Giorgio Chirico. On the right he holds a ball, the symbol of the world of the gods. Within this, Apollo appears at the far end of an atrium. On the left, his hand is feeding or painting a dragon born from the water of a river leading to Mount Olympus.

Giorgio Chirico lithographs

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This hand shaped leather case comprises two pieces that are perfectly fitted to one another. On the left is a case housing a book on lithographs by Giorgio Chirico, and on the right is a window insert created to fit perfectly into the case, thus closing it. The image on the case represents the anteroom of Mount Olympus, with Apollo depicted at the far end of the atrium.

Case for book of lithographs by Giorgio Chirico

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He’s one of the most relevant figures in modern architecture, both in Spain and around the world. Tomás Alía's extraordinary ability to create and innovate in different fields and disciplines, from design to architecture, makes him the go-to interior designer for luxury hotels and spas, museums and private housing projects. His studio, founded in 1999, boasts a multidisciplinary team of architects, designers, engineers and landscapers totally committed to their customers. He always emphasises the importance of listening to clients in order to create something new that improves their environment. The prominence of light has been a thread in all his projects. That’s why he’s known as the 'arquitecto de la luz' (the architect of light). In 2000, he was awarded Spain’s national prize for interior design, and he’s been described by the press as one of the most influential people in his country.

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Colourful textured paper scraps overflow from Ana Paúl’s working tables at her Madrid atelier. She is working on a project that is blooming into lush forests or foliage. Drawn to the volumetric effect of 3D pop-up book art, Ana returned to Spain in 2010 after working in the luxury fashion and decor industry in Paris for 20 years. She came back to work on designing artful paper invitations for a high-end clientele. With the years, her work has shifted towards more artistic creations with paper. Ana is influenced by Orientalism, and her cherry blossom-inspired forests are what launched her as a paper artist. Her collections are chromatic compositions of rich textures within the forest theme. From papyrus’ delicate ethereal petals to layers, in her collections she explores themes of the human experience.

Paúl, Ana

Forests of the mind

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Felix Lozal says that one of the most decisive moments in his career was when he discovered the infinite possibilities of cardboard to express creativity and create art. Since 2010, he has been working in his workshop in Barcelona's Raval neighbourhood with this ordinary and common material to produce striking pieces that invite the viewer to question whether the importance of a handmade piece lies in creative process, in its appearance or its materials. His creations with cardboard, other recycled materials or reusable objects blur the lines between craftsmanship, sculpture and interior design. They are innovative pieces created with organic forms and sustainable values, which compete with those made with the most pretentious and luxurious materials.

Lozal, Félix

The cardboard craftsman

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Diego Apesteguia studied psychology and later marketing with a master’s in communication. Along the way he took several fine art classes and gradually developed a growing interest in sign-making. “There wasn’t a definitive moment, but I began to appreciate it little by little,” he says. He was particularly inspired by the work of British glass sign-maker Dave Smith. Diego enjoys the fact that he must master a range of techniques across different fields including design, painting, carpentry and glasswork, producing large works that are very visible across Madrid. “I feel I am continuously developing as a creative craftsman and that at the same time I can influence, to some measure, the image of the city in which I live.”

Apesteguia, Diego

Restoring Madrid's graphic tradition

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Juan Ángel Cantalapiedra has been folding paper for as long as he can remember. Before becoming a professional paper artist he spent a significant amount of time making origami figures. Paper is a versatile yet humble material, allowing him to express his creativity. He likes to define himself as a “worker who uses hands or a scalpel to bring paper to life.” Juan Ángel masters the techniques of origami and kirigami, and has different sources of inspiration such as the work of origami artists and literature, and urban landscapes and cinema for his kirigami creations. His production includes a variety of objects, from jewellery to sculptures, bookmarks or paintings.

Cantalapiedra, Juan Ángel

Where paper techniques abound

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Developed in partnership with Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte and made possible by the support of Cartier, Homo Faber in Città gives you a rare chance to visit over 70 artisan workshops. The project is developed in collaboration with Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Confartigianato Imprese Venezia, CNA Venezia, Consorzio Promovetro Murano, The Venice Glass Week and Venezia da Vivere.

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Step inside the workshops and ateliers to learn the secrets of local master artisans and manufacturers

Try your hand at different crafts with an authentic experience

Marvel at examples of fine craftsmanship by doing our itineraries

This september, the second edition of Homo Faber in Città invites visitors to step off the beaten track and discover the artisanal addresses where Venetian craftspeople create objects of exquisite beauty. A rare opportunity to witness Venice’s master artisans and young talents demonstrating their crafts and presenting the tools, materials and skills involved in contemporary Venetian craftsmanship.

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Homo Faber Guide is an online portal dedicated to contemporary craftsmanship, showcasing artisans, ateliers, museums, galleries, shops and experiences. Create your user account for access to exclusive features on Homo Faber Guide: save your preferred pages, hear about hot topics first, leave recommendations for your favourite artisans and much more.

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Although the Michelangelo Foundation researches the talents for its projects autonomously, collaboration with our ambassadors is fundamental. Over 120 associations, schools and institutions allow us to map the continents for craftsmanship and to have partners in each country who share our vision and goals. In addition, we have asked well-known personalities in the craft, design and art world to be our ambassadors in the cities where they live, so that their recommendations can offer a unique insight into craftsmanship in the major cities of Europe and beyond.

Who are our ambassadors?

Download our free Homo Faber Guide app (iOS and Android) to discover artisans, museums, galleries, shops, and experiences by location. Search Homo Faber on the App store on your mobile device.

Find craftsmanship destinations on the go

Discover the addresses of esteemed manufacturers, well known for producing high quality objects across a wide variety of crafts. Read their stories and find out where you can shop their contemporary pieces, see their archive collections and even in some cases visit their workshops. Find exceptional ateliers where artisans collaborate creatively to create fine pieces of craftsmanship. Reach out to them to commission something special.

Ateliers & Manufacturers

All the artisans and small workshops featured in Homo Faber Guide have been carefully researched and selected. They are presented and narrated through a selection of images and an interview, which allows readers to immerse themselves in the universe of these makers who exemplify excellence in their individual fields or are promising talents of the future. Find masters and rising stars who share the same passion and determination, and whose workshops are ready to share their secrets with visitors.

A selection of the best artisans

Are you eager to discover a city through craftsmanship? Do you wish to spend a few hours visiting an applied arts museum or attending a course on a craft with one of the masters featured in Homo Faber Guide? Browse the section dedicated to experiences and find your next adventure.

Experiences

An expert artisan is an accomplished artisan who has been in activity for more than ten years. He or she may also be engaged in passing on their knowledge to the next generations, but they have been doing so for less than seven years. Beyond this, they will become a Master artisan.

Who is an Expert artisan?

Homo Faber Guide provides you with a selection of the best addresses across Europe and further afield, where you will be able to discover and purchase exceptional objects, some of which are created by artisans featured in Homo Faber Guide.

Galleries

Homo Faber Guide is an online platform dedicated to craftsmanship that allows you to discover artisans and their masterpieces; explore museums, visit galleries and shops selling unique objects; enjoy experiences in cities across Europe and beyond.

Homo Faber Guide is a signature project developed by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship, an international non-profit organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, which was set up in 2016 thanks to the intuition of Franco Cologni and Johann Rupert. The Michelangelo Foundation’s mission is to celebrate and preserve master craftsmanship, and for this reason it has created a map of the most significant representatives in this field, with the aim of connecting all its protagonists: artisans, designers, gallery owners, art curators, collectors and enthusiasts of high-quality handmade pieces.

About the Guide

Are you an artisan, atelier or manufacturer? Would you like to be featured in Homo Faber Guide? The Michelangelo Foundation encourages self-assessment initiatives and is pleased to evaluate new members to appear on the Guide or in other projects. Thanks to the Master’s Touch Evaluation Tool, every artisan can send their application: register and access a questionnaire to see if you fulfill the 11 criteria for excellence that stand behind all the activities of the Michelangelo Foundation. If your answers reach the minimum requirement, your application will be brought to our attention; if, on the contrary, you should score below the minimum requirement, we will give you some points for improvement, in the hope that you may participate in future initiatives of the Michelangelo Foundation.

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Our artisan labels

A master artisan is an accomplished artisan who has been in activity for more than ten years, and who has also been engaged in passing on his or her expertise to the younger generations for more than seven years. This is in keeping with one of the key values of the Michelangelo Foundation: the transmission of knowledge in craftsmanship.

Who is a Master artisan?

Find museums handpicked for their links to contemporary craftsmanship and the exquisite collections they have on display. In each city, discover a museum of interest and organise your visit. From Italian museums displaying coral collections, glass pieces and ceramics to decorative art museums in Russia and Greece, marvel at the variety of museums exhibiting masterpieces, showcasing techniques and recounting histories.

Museums

A rising star is an artisan who has been active for less than ten years, and who is capable of expressing his or her craft with competence, creativity and originality. Whether self-taught or trained, the rising star represents the future of craftsmanship, in creativity, concerns and approaches.

Who is a Rising star?

The artisans featured in Homo Faber Guide have been selected through a meticulous assessment process based on the 11 criteria for excellence, identified by Alberto Cavalli, Executive Director of the Michelangelo Foundation, in the volume The Master’s Touch, written with researchers Giuditta Comerci and Giovanna Marchello. The members of the Michelangelo Foundation’s network who have been invited to participate in sourcing artisans for the Guide use an evaluation tool based on these criteria. In this way, they can identify the most suitable artisans to include in the project.

Simple rules for a transparent selection

In which city does the artisan work?

In which country does the artisan practise?

What craft does the artisan practise?

What is the artisan’s Instagram page?

What is the name of the artisan you are recommending?

Does the artisan have a website?

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