Villa Lena

Villa Lena T-Shirt

Limited Edition Etching by Benjamin Brett

We present a small curated selection of etchings produced by Villa Lena Foundation in the past few years. Four emerging British artists, past residents at Villa Lena, present visual studies on the classical subject of Figure and Landscape. Benjamin Brett’s work presents cohabitation of recognisable objects and abstract plains, and through the painting process, imagery is revealed and disguised at the same time. The same approach is applicable to the etching he produced at Villa Lena – the common landscape motifs, such as a path or a tree – are hinted in the etching, creating metaphors and acting as a device for abstraction, underlying Benjamin’s interest in the ambiguity of visual information and the abstract forms.

Limited Edition Etching by Beatrice Boyle

We present a small curated selection of etchings produced by Villa Lena Foundation in the past few years. Four emerging British artists, past residents at Villa Lena, present visual studies on the classical subject of Figure and Landscape. Beatrice Boyle is a figurative painter, and for this etching she concentrated on the female figure. The figure is reduced to a series of lines, the colour recalls flesh, is also reduced to a flat monochrome. Through a series of abstractions, the figure becomes removed from the original life drawings, paintings and sculptures it derived from – it becomes a symbol, a representation of its simplest form.

Limited Edition Etching by Benjamin Brett

We present a small curated selection of etchings produced by Villa Lena Foundation in the past few years. Four emerging British artists, past residents at Villa Lena, present visual studies on the classical subject of Figure and Landscape. Benjamin Brett’s work presents cohabitation of recognisable objects and abstract plains, and through the painting process, imagery is revealed and disguised at the same time. The same approach is applicable to the etching he produced at Villa Lena – the common landscape motifs, such as a path or a tree – are hinted in the etching, creating metaphors and acting as a device for abstraction, underlying Benjamin’s interest in the ambiguity of visual information and the abstract forms.

Limited Edition Etching by Hugo Wilson

Hugo is a technically brilliant painter who studied Old Master techniques in Florence. He then went on to receive his Masters in Fine Art after which he turned his attentions to unravelling the paintings by the Old Masters he studied. Taking certain parts or details from these paintings and reducing the image to abstraction, Hugo explores whether the drama, the emotion and the content will still be present in the image if the recognisable symbols are removed. Writing on his etching, Hugo asserts that it is “a continued investigation into human manifestation of faith. In this work, I have re-worked the terracotta sculpture by Renaissance artist Rustici depicting a mythological battle scene, currently on view at Bargello National Museum in Florence. I have removed the obvious narrative sections from the sculpture, creating a new generic symbol, which is understood to be that but cannot be pinned down”.

Limited Edition Etching by Jasmin Blasco

Jasmin works in music, video and installation. His background is in music technology and, therefore, sound is his medium of choice. His work is experimental, and quite often his process involves collaborating with a team of specialist to create a project. However, he felt confident to create an etching, after all, his grandfather was Pablo Picasso. Writing on his print, Jasmin states: “During my residency at Villa Lena I chose to develop a visual score serving as navigational blueprint between the now and the soon-to-be. The project conceptualizes the creative process as a gesture through time, where the present is an engine of reflection informing the construction of strategies deployed towards the future. In time-based forms like music, what is unknown is “What happens next”. In that sense, I view the musical score as a mapping of the proximate. Visually, I found it important to reference blueprints because they imply construction at a future date. The hand which is central in the print was influenced by research in early notation music systems, namely the Guidonian Hand, a medieval mnemonic devise for singing monks.”

Limited Edition Etching by Jay One Ramier

An early initiate to graffiti culture, Jay One formed the infamous “Bad Boys Crew” in 1982. A rising star of the underground graffiti scene during the 80’s, Jay One was at the heart of the growing hip pop culture in Paris – from moonwalking with famous-to-be artists and musicians in the ghetto to witnessing Paco Rabanne opening his doors to rappers, b-boys and poppers. Stemming from this culture and the aesthetic of graffiti tagging, Jay’s works are equal to visual poetry – an image is always accompanied with a lyrical sentence. At the same time minimal and colourful, the works are imbued with the spirit of the hip pop decade – free and sharp to the point. Writing on his print, Jay One mentions: “I wanted to express as much spontaneity as possible: no extensive preparation, no sketch, always minimising the transition from mind to media – it is what I call voodoo art – spirit driven process. Instinctively the image of the poet (Leon G. Damas), wearing his hat, came to my mind. The challenge for me is not to create the most beautiful piece but instead to carry on my message – the quest for freedom”.

Limited Edition Etching by Maria Thurn Und Taxis

Limited Edition Etching by Moataz Nasr

After studying economics, Nasr decided to change direction and take a studio in Old Cairo. As a self-taught artist Nasr gained local recognition marked by many prizes before breaking into the international art scene in 2001, notably winning the Grand Prix at the 8th International Cairo Biennial. Since, he has participated in large international gatherings like the Venice, Seoul, Sao Paulo, Bogotà biennials and exhibited in prestigious contemporary art venues. Today he is considered one of the greatest representatives of pan-Arab contemporary art.

Limited Edition Etching by Craig Fisher

Il Bisonte is a print-workshop for graphic arts founded in Florence in 1959 by Maria Luigia Guaita. Many artists – both Italian and non – accepted the invitation to work at Il Bisonte. including members of the Futurist movement - Gino Severini, Carlo Carrà, Alberto Magnelli, and such international stars as Pablo Picasso, Jacques Lipchitz, Helen Chadwick, Alexander Calder and Henry Moore. In 1983 Il Bisonte became a non-profit Cultural Centre and opened an international school, with the focus to preserve the teaching and printing of the traditional engraving techniques.

Emma Montague Cocktail Olive Picks

The Villa Lena olive picks were created by designer Emma Montague during her artist residency at Villa Lena in 2016. Living and working amongst the olive groves Emma was inspired by the surrounding Tuscan nature and local food culture. 'Each day I harvested the debris from the dinner table: remnants from the shared meal, conversation and our small daily rituals. From these fragments I created new tools to serve smaller mouthfuls, simply to savour those moments and flavours.' Emma is a Danish-Australian designer based in London. Her multi-disciplinary approach to jewellery and product design demonstrates a preoccupation with materials and experimentation, with an acutely honed eye for image-making and creative direction.

Nadine Goepfert X Villa Lena Napkins

The Villa Lena napkins were designed by designer Nadine Goepfert following her residency at Villa Lena in 2018. Inspired by the landscape and interiors of Villa Lena they were designed and printed in her Berlin studio. Nadine is a multidisciplinary designer offering creative direction, design and consultancy on textiles and materials for interior, product, art and fashion. She investigates contemporary culture to create intelligent concepts and material innovations. Sold as a set of 2, with 2 variants available

Villa Lena Leather Key Holder