Joan Panisello: a life dedicated to ceramic art

Born in Jesús (Tortosa), Joan Panisello has dedicated his entire professional career to ceramics, continuously exploring materials and tones to give his creations their own identity. His artistic vocation was evident from the beginning, when he combined his training as a primary school teacher with his passion for art. He trained at the Schools of Arts and Crafts of Tortosa and Tarragona, expanding his knowledge with specialized courses in La Bisbal d'Empordà and Barcelona. In 1975 he obtained the title of Graduate in Applied Arts and Artistic Crafts, specializing in ceramics, at the Escola Llotja in Barcelona, which marked the beginning of an uninterrupted search for new techniques and creative possibilities.

Throughout his career, Panisello has developed more than 10,000 ceramic color samples and is considered internationally as one of the most outstanding creators of our time in ceramic art, both for the originality of his forms and for the chromatic variation of his pieces. His experience in this field caught the attention of publishers in Barcelona and Madrid, who in 1991 proposed that he publish a book about his research into color applied to ceramics. The following year, he decided to take a break from his teaching work to dedicate himself fully to his artistic activity for five years. Later, he returned as a teacher in the artistic baccalaureate of the Institut de Tortosa.

His work has been widely recognized, and one of the most outstanding milestones of his career was the retrospective exhibition organized by the Ministry of Culture of Spain in 2008. This traveling exhibition was inaugurated at the National Ceramics Museum of Valencia, located in the Palacio del Marqués de Dos Aguas, and toured several cities. Over the years, he has participated in more than 305 exhibitions in different countries, and his work is in museums, institutions and public collections around the world. His artistic production, recognized on five continents, has been the subject of more than 1,500 references in international publications. In 2013, he was selected as a member of the International Academy of Ceramics, thus consolidating his position in the world artistic scene. More recently, in 2021, he received the Creu de Sant Jordi, one of the highest awards granted by the Generalitat de Catalonia, in recognition of his contribution to culture and ceramic art.

And more recently, in September 2023, the Royal Catalan Academy of Fine Arts of Sant Jordi distinguished the career of Joan Panisello by awarding him the badge and the corresponding Academic diploma for Tortosa. In an interview after receiving the badge of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Panisello expressed his vision of art as a space of freedom and creativity: “Art in our lives is a place where you can swim, fly, run, walk and enjoy. Being able to create and play with your imagination, giving shape to everything that comes to mind, is a luxury and turns you into a creator, and that is a wealth.”