One of the most highly regarded Italian luthiers of the 20th century, he was an apprentice of Giuseppe Fiorini
An exhibition dedicated to the work of Italian luthier Ansaldo Poggi (1893–1984) will take place in October in the town of Medicina, Italy. The event will bring together eight instruments from Poggi’s career as well as moulds, drawings and letters, plus a violin made by his tutor Giuseppe Fiorini.
After learning the basics of violin making from his father, Poggi travelled to Zurich in 1922 to serve as Fiorini’s apprentice. At this time, Fiorini was busy researching the techniques of the Cremonese masters, which helped Poggi create excellent instruments without having to antique them, as was fashionable in many parts of Europe during his lifetime. Among those who appreciated his work were Nathan Milstein, Aaron Rosand, David Oistrakh and Yehudi Menuhin.
In 1981, three years before his death, Poggi donated a violin he made in 1933 and a 1918 Giuseppe Fiorini to the town of Medicina, close to Bologna, where the violins are still displayed. In 1985 his heir donated the contents of his workshop to the town, but before that he allowed Poggi’s last apprentice, Neldo Ferrari, to take what he needed. When Ferrari died in 2018, all the contents of his workshop, including many items from Poggi and some from Fiorini, were acquired by the collector Giovanni Accornero who will donate them to the town of Medicina on the occasion of the Poggi exhibition.
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Running from 1 to 13 October, the exhibition at Medicina’s Museo Civico will be the first chance for visitors to see and examine these materials in the 40 years since Poggi’s death. As well as the two violins named above, there will be Poggi violins from 1927, 1930, 1941, 1951 and 1983; a viola from 1964; and a cello from 1927. The exhibition is curated by Raffaella and Gian Carlo Guicciardi as well as Scrollavezza & Zanrè in cooperation with ALI (Associazione Liutaria Italiana).
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