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THE KNIGHTS OF THE ANCIENT CITY: SCULPTURE OF PAOLO STACCIOLI
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Throughout the halls of noble palazzi and ancient sun-bathed stones of outdoor cultural landmarks, the town-wide summer exhibition Knights of the Ancient City of Tuscan artist Paolo Staccioli invites visitors to rediscover Volterra's glorious past and eternal beauty, uncovering a curated collection of contemporary masterpieces along the way.
Presenting a richly woven tapestry of knights, warriors, centaurs, and horses, all inspired by Etruscan culture and civilisation, Paolo Staccioli’s bronze, ceramic, and terracotta sculptures gracefully and silently breathe new life into the winding heart of the Tuscan hilltop town. Placed in central squares, archeological sites, art and archeology museums, and the historical venues of KALPA Gallery, these precious silhouettes create an immersive itinerary and celebrate the ability of sculpture to enliven its surroundings. Elegant and inscrutable, Paolo Staccioli’s characters seem to live in this land as if they have been here forever.
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Tall, slender, and enigmatic figures, Paolo Staccioli’s warriors are often finely decorated, exuding a subtle and intrinsic luminosity, both feminine and masculine, who exchange roles as protectors with or without shields. They are never armed, only defensive, and they masterfully combine truth and abstraction.
Standing guard at old gates and the entrance to the prestigious medieval Palazzo Comunale, and within museum halls, these proud warriors of different sizes are gathered in groups or appear alone. They are timeless combatants, with their gaze fixed on a distant horizon, looking beyond the observer, and their feet planted firmly on the earth. Native to this very land, they stand as its eternal protectors.
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"In the beautiful settings of Palazzo Minucci-Solaini, the home of the Art Gallery and the Civic Museum, and the Etruscan Museum, the sculptures stand proud. They radiate an aura of strength and resilience, elegance and mystery, which captures the eye, ignites the imagination, and fascinates the viewer."
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To paraphrase the words of Antonio Natali, former director of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and co-curator of the exhibition alongside Filippo Lotti, these sculptures may be regarded as the shadows of our ancestors, as their primary roots lie in Etruscan art and the very essence of the Tuscan people. Marked by a deeply personal austerity and sobriety, they feature pure and linear forms that are often combined with ceramic carapaces adorned by playful glints of iridescent tones.
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Featuring versicoloured surfaces, dreamlike atmospheres, and reminiscences of the vivid yet solemn Metaphysical paintings, Paolo Staccioli's prolific body of work is characterised by a profound historical consciousness combined with a playful approach to artistic expression. Reflecting the artist’s rich and constantly evolving imagination, his creative universe is animated by eclectic travelers and warriors, horses on wheels and rocking chairs, all suspended in time and space.
Among them, the “horse with wheels” is a recurring motif throughout the Volterra exhibition, appearing in both small and monumental dimensions. Beyond the collective imagination, that instinctively evokes Homer's Trojan horse, a symbol of both sacred and profane ingenuity, this figure holds a deep emotional resonance in the artist's life. Almost imperceptibly and hardly hinted at, it appears and reappears repeatedly again across the entire surface of the warriors' armour.
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“In Volterra, Staccioli's monumental horses and stoic warriors find their full expression. Among ancient walls, streets, squares, and palaces rich with history, his artworks seem to breathe the soul of the city, merging with it in a profound harmony."
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The Knights of the Ancient City, running until late Autumn 2025, is promoted by the Municipality of Volterra and curated by Antonio Natali and Filippo Lotti. Located within the town's most iconic locations, the exhibition is an opportunity to discover contemporary art interwoven with the essence of Etruscan Volterra. On the occasion of this artistically relevant event, KALPA opens its doors to an additional selection of exquisite ceramic and bronze sculptures, which are now exhibited within Gallery's interiors.
All artworks of the exhibition The Knights of the Ancient City are available for purchase.
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Born in Scandicci (Florence, 1943), Paolo Staccioli's journey into the world of art began in the early 1970s when he started exhibiting his paintings in the Florentine area. In the 1990s, he pursued his formal training in ceramics in Faenza, and in the 2000s, he began exploring bronze, the material that perfectly matched the synthetic and stylistic formal structure of his creations.
Over the years, Staccioli has won critical and public acclaim through a series of solo and group exhibitions. With his long history of national and international events, recent solo shows include three major retrospectives in Siena, Florence, and Piombino between 2019 and 2024. Alongside these, his work has been exhibited at the Champagne Palmer and Co. (Reims, 2025), Kunstgalerie Bech (Stuttgard, 2018), Hammond Museum (New York, 2016), Lu.C.C.A. Lucca Center of Contemporary Art (2014), Istituto di Cultura Italiana (Washington 2009), FuLe International Ceramic Art Museum (Fuping, China 2008), and Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche di Faenza (2006).
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C R E D I T S :
Photography of Paolo Staccioli's artworks: Pui Yi @puipuiphoto for KALPA
Photography of Paolo Staccioli's portrait photo: Gugliemo Meucci, Courtesy of the Artist
Quotes: Filippo Lotti
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