MUSEO
COLLE
ZIONE
GUATELLI
Museum
Collection of Antique Olive Oil Tins
An exclusive collection of over 6,000 pieces.
collezione
guatelli
The Guatelli Collection is a rich and extensive assembly of more than 6,000 pieces, illustrating the profound connection that united art and the industry at the beginning of the last century.
Therefore, the collection showcases numerous works by acclaimed international designers, as well as local talents, often of comparable excellence.
These pieces were meant for the tables of Italians, particularly emigrants, who not only sought out to enjoy a high-quality product but also desired the tin to proudly represent their distant homeland.
A collection of over 6,000 tins
The decorative designs
were essentially developed in three ways:
the first one involved the use of an image already widespread and well-known, notably the production of an evocative painting;
the second depicted an advertising image already designed for the product;
the third, and most original, was the idea conceived by the mind of a graphic designer to create a new shape and decorative design for the tins.
Francis Ford Coppola
The Collection boasts a connection with the renowned Academy Award-winning director,
Francis Ford Coppola, who is deeply passionate about Italian immigration history.
Let’s not forget that in his films “The Godfather,” the protagonist, Vito Corleone, is an importer
of “Genco” oil, produced in Imperia and featured in the Guatelli Collection.
Upon learning of this connection, Coppola contacted the Guatelli family, who graciously
donated some pieces to him. These items now reside in California at his Napa Valley estate,
alongside significant memorabilia from his famous films.
The director Francis Ford Coppola, a fervent enthusiast of Italian immigration history,
contributed to the publication of our catalog by writing the introduction.
Francis Ford Coppola’s letter to Tiziana Guatelli
November 2, 2006
Dear Tiziana,
It is with great pleasure and appreciation that I write to you in regards to the Olive Oil Tin collection that you have so graciously offered to myself and our family in donation.
My intentions with your collection are to proudly display the tins in our new Sonoma County, California, winery and café. The collection will be displayed and preserved with the utmost respect and viewed by tens of thousands of visitors each
year.
It would be an honor for us to name the collection after you, “The Tiziana Riva Guatelli Collection.”
Please also send any historical information you may have regarding this collection for use in creating our signs regarding the collection and its history.
Sincerely,
Francis Coppola
collezione
guatelli
