AT THE END OF NOVEMBER 2011, AN AMAZING MEETING - REAL HORSES WITH PORCELAIN, AND TALENTED PEOPLE WITH THOSE WHO CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT A DEDICATED ARABIAN SKUNK, HELD. CONFUSED? YES THERE IS A BIT. SIMPLY THE SPANISH PORCELAIN COMPANY "LLADRO", A SYNONYM OF BEAUTY, EGG AND STYLE, PRESENTED IN DUBAI THEIR NEW COLLECTION “AT THE DERBY” (“FOR RACES IN DERBY”). THE PRESENTATION WAS HELD NOT ANYWHERE, BUT IN THE DOOR OF THE DUBAI EQUESTRIAN AND SPORTS CLUB IN THE “SAHA” INNER YARD.
SPECIALLY FOR THE PRESENTATION OF ITS CREATION IN THE ARAB EMIRATES, THE FAMOUS SCULPTOR ERNEST MASSUIT ARRIVED, THE AUTHOR OF NUMEROUS WORKS FOR "LLARDO" TO BE SHURE SEVERED. TOGETHER WITH ERNEST AT PRESENTATION PRESENTED THE FOLLOWING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR "LLADRO" FERNANDO GALLEGO. WE ASK FERNANDO FOR A FEW QUESTIONS.
It is known that Lladro is a family business, which was founded in 1953 by the brothers Juan, Jose and Vincent Llyadro. How did you end up at Lladro?
I joined the company 21 years ago, right after graduating from college, and I am not going to go anywhere. Not being an artist, I was engaged in engineering projects, logistics, economics, and marketing. Today I am the director of the company. And most of all I like working with talented people, and we have them everywhere.
Why do artists come to Lladro and start creating their porcelain clay sculptures? What attracts them?
I believe that porcelain, unlike many other materials, of the same marble, allows not only to create a masterpiece that will please for many years with proper care, but also to express your vision of the world in color. Today at Lladro we use a palette of more than 300 thousand different shades! Just imagine, an artist can use about sixty tones of green to paint one leaf on a tree! As a director, I’m not able to catch these nuances, and for an artist it’s a whole world in which our eternal masterpieces are born.
You brought to Dubai a collection of horses "At the races in Derby," and the sculptor Ernest Massuit just sculpted his horse in front of an amazed audience. Do you choose your own images for every country in the world?
Today, Lladro products are sold in more than 120 countries, therefore, of course, we try to take into account the tastes of different customers. Our collections - from classical to author's - are in great demand, including among collectors. In the Middle East, horse figures are traditional, in India - elephants, in China - dragons, which are bought with pleasure in Russia, I don’t know why. In the future we plan to create unique compositions on Arabian themes, maybe with camels, maybe with falcons. We'll see.
Fernando, do you think porcelain figures are as popular today as they were in previous centuries, when they decorated large palaces, villas and private estates?
I think porcelain artwork will never go out of style. Tastes will change, yes, but people cannot deny themselves the pleasure of decorating their home with the finest authorial work. We have collections that meet a variety of needs: glossy and matte, ethnic, on the motives of works of modern art, pictures from everyday life, a huge selection of small figures - animals, clowns, children. We never repeat past collections, each product is numbered, and over time can become a collection. Lladro is a unique handmade work, so it is timeless or fashionable.
Where can I find the full collection of “At the Derby”?
In the Middle East region, we present our products in Tanagra chain stores, so welcome.
Thanks for the conversation, Fernando. Until we meet again.
