Vasco Montecchi was born in Castagneto di Baiso, Reggio Emilia, in 1938. After a stimulating childhood steeped in a rural, mountainous landscape, Montecchi was directly affected by the outbreak of the Second World War, which led him to emigrate and learn trades as a 14 year-old in Zurich, Strasbourg, Andorra and Bordeaux. He trained as a stonemason, decorator and carpenter, walks of life that allowed him to at least indulge his penchant for the aesthetic and to draw continuously. His experiences abroad influenced his style, and it was no surprise that sculpture became his preferred medium.
Everywhere he travelled, he witnessed mankind’s suppression of nature and the nascent conflict that this entailed. He employed an organic vernacular which would be brought to bear on accomplished artistic creations. The materials at Montecchi’s disposal – terracotta, sandstone, white Carrara marble, Bardiglio marble, Tuscan hazelnut, Portuguese pink, French red, North African stone and Turkish breccia – allowed him to tell a story of their physical properties, a sublimation of their material potency. As the material became increasingly resistant and tenacious, Montecchi worked to fashion airy, light, elegant and sinuous shapes. Tactility, spatiality and overall perception were explored and stimulated, the object foregoing a preferred vantage point to exist merely in relation to the body in its own space.
1998 saw a symbolic break in Montecchi’s career. An anthological exhibition was held at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, paving the way for his sculptural piece Forma to join the institution’s permanent collection two years later.
2014 marked another important turning point: in October a museum dedicated to the sculptor opened in his native Castagneto di Baiso. But this was no ordinary museum. For its design and outdoor setting, it could be described as an ‘ecomuseum’ – one set amid nature with an environmental installation represented by a distinct historical and artistic heritage made up of traditional elements. The museum features an array of works from between 1975 and 2015 – all exhibited outdoors – alongside educational research activities that directly involve the institutions and people of the local community. In the light of the events that forced Montecchi out of his native village as a boy, this museum is a symbol of a beautiful homecoming.
