Menashe Kadishman (Tel Aviv-Yafo, 1932 – Tel HaShomer, 2015)
Menashe Kadishman, who had already participated in the Venice Biennale in 1976, brought his “flocks of sheep” to Celle in the early 1990s, staying with the Gori family on several occasions. During that time, the restoration of Casapeppe, historically the shepherd’s residence on the farm, was underway, and there was a desire to inaugurate the new exhibition space with a project by the Israeli artist. So, in 1993, the artist brought drawings and maquettes of sheep with the intention of creating their forms from slabs of travertine, chosen and cut directly in Carrara. In Usella di Vaiano, he collaborated with a blacksmith to bring a second flock to life, this time in the form of twisted iron rods. Everything was ready on July 8, 1994: he inaugurated the temporary show Luce del Mattino (Sheep + Sheep) at Casapeppe, an exhibition that would also give its name to the outdoor installations that would permanently remain at Celle. In the ten rooms on the first floor, the guests admired a myriad of installations based on the artist’s favorite ovine icons, while some real sheep wandered from room to room beneath them.
