Guerrino Tramonti e le Placche in Ceramica INA-Casa
In the aftermath of World War II, Italy underwent a profound social and urban transformation. Among the most significant initiatives was the INA-Casa Plan (1949–1963), a large-scale public housing program conceived to address the housing shortage and support the reconstruction of the country. During this period, particular attention was devoted to the relationship between art and architecture, encouraged by Law No. 717 of 1949, known as the “2% Law”, which required a percentage of the construction costs of public buildings to be allocated to the commissioning of works of art. This legislation fostered collaboration among architects, artists, and craftsmen, promoting the integration of ceramic plaques, mosaics, frescoes, and sculptures into newly built environments.
The INA-Casa Plan went beyond the provision of housing. It was distinguished by its commitment to urban quality and social cohesion, making art an integral part of everyday life. Neighborhoods, squares, and residential buildings were conceived as spaces where architecture and artistic expression could interact, contributing to the formation of a shared identity and a strong sense of community.
In 1952, through a competition promoted by architect Arnaldo Foschini, the project brought together artists, sculptors, and ceramicists from diverse backgrounds to develop a common visual language for plaques and ceramic reliefs to be installed on residential buildings. These works were not intended as mere decoration, but as permanent visual markers capable of identifying the new neighborhoods and strengthening their collective identity. The initiative involved some of the most important figures of twentieth-century Italian art, including Mirko Basaldella, Alberto Burri, Duilio Cambellotti, Pietro Cascella, Piero Dorazio, Leoncillo Leonardi, and Guerrino Tramonti.
The INA-Casa plaques represent a unique example of the integration of art, architecture, and visual communication. Through simple yet highly recognizable motifs suns, animals, human figures, agricultural symbols, and scenes of everyday life these ceramic works transformed the built environment into a collective narrative of Italy’s postwar rebirth. To this day, no complete catalogue exists that definitively attributes every plaque to its author. This collaborative dimension remains one of the most fascinating aspects of the project, where individual artistic contributions merge into a shared visual identity.
Among the most emblematic images is the anthropomorphic sun associated with the Tiburtino district of Rome. Installed on the façades of the residential complex designed by Mario Ridolfi and Ludovico Quaroni, the plaque depicts a frontal human face encircled by geometric rays. The sun became a powerful symbol of rebirth, hope, and communal life central themes in the culture of reconstruction during the 1950s. Built between 1949 and 1954, the Tiburtino district, now known as Casal Bruciato, stands as one of the key manifestos of Italian Neorealist architecture, combining row houses, apartment blocks, gardens, vegetable plots, and public squares in an effort to restore a human and domestic dimension to urban living.
Today, the plaque is attributed to Guerrino Tramonti on the basis of testimony provided by his son Marco Tramonti, President of the Guerrino Tramonti Foundation, as well as documentation relating to its production at CAMDOR (Ceramiche Artistiche Mutilatini Don Orione), preserved in the Italian Cultural Heritage Catalogue. According to the testimonies and records of the Guerrino Tramonti Foundation, the artist was among the leading contributors to the INA-Casa project, producing approximately 15,000 ceramic plaques distinguished by an extraordinary variety of subjects and an immediately recognizable style.
Born in 1915 and active throughout much of the twentieth century, Guerrino Tramonti was one of Italy’s most significant ceramic artists, renowned for his ability to combine traditional craftsmanship with contemporary artistic experimentation. His works are characterized by luminous Mediterranean colors ochre yellow, turquoise, azure blue, and white the same palette found in the Tiburtino sun. His imagery is often built upon essential, archetypal, and symbolic forms, reduced to a few expressive elements yet endowed with remarkable visual strength.
The material quality of the plaque further reflects his artistic approach. Subtle irregularities, reliefs, and variations in the glaze reveal a production process deeply rooted in manual craftsmanship. For Tramonti, ceramics were not merely a decorative medium, but a language capable of bringing together art, technique, and everyday life.
Today, the INA-Casa plaques remain a valuable testimony to a historical moment in which art was conceived as an essential component of collective life. Through the contribution of artists such as Guerrino Tramonti, these small ceramic works transformed postwar housing developments into meaningful and recognizable places, leaving within the urban landscape a visual heritage that continues to convey the memory, values, and aspirations of postwar Italy.
