How did the collaboration with Stanley Kubrick come about?
Some of his closest associates came to my shop and bought 30 or so masks to take back to him. You can imagine how surprised I was when I saw that they were all used in that famous scene, which has since become part of cinematic history.
Why did you decide to dedicate your life to making masks?
In 1979, theatre director Maurizio Scaparro, in agreement with the Venice Biennale, decided to revive the carnival tradition, which had been lost due to politics. At the same time, there was an exhibition about the Sartori family, renowned mask makers of Veneto. I was awestruck.
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Do your still remember your first mask?
Of course. It was a bauta, the typical white mask worn by aristocrats in the 1400s, which made all faces the same. For a few years I dedicated myself to masks in my free time, but in 1984 I decided to quit my job to open my own workshop.
How do you make a papier maché mask?
First you start with a drawing, then you create the mould in clay or plasticine. From this you obtain a negative made of plaster, scagliola or alabaster powder, in which you then model the paper with the glue. Once the mask is finished, you let it dry and finally you cut and paint it.