Exposure

At the MAV – Museo dell’Artigianato Valdostano di Tradizionale you can visit the exhibition “Family stories and handed down knowledge: the Vuillermoz” dedicated to the productions of a large family of artisans from our region. This exhibition is part of a larger exhibition project, called “Artisan Families”, aimed at enhancing the historical ability to pass down within the family nucleus.
Craftsmanship, knowledge of techniques and materials are often a “family tradition” since the latter is the primary place of learning and work of the artisans. Jules Brocherel, a great connoisseur of the popular art of the Aosta Valley, even speaks of “very special small family industries” that make craftsmanship a form of sustenance. In the artisan world, the family, in addition to guaranteeing the quality of production through the craft, guarantees its origin from a specific area of the Aosta Valley territory. This year’s choice fell on the Vuillermoz and Brunodet families, both originally from Valtournenche, with two consequent exhibitions.
The first exhibition, dedicated to the Vuillermoz, will tell the story of craftsmanship as a family knowledge that has been passed down from generation to generation since the 1930s: Vittorio, Giulio, Luciano and Franco. The Vuillermoz are a family of great craftsmen, skilled both in the production of agricultural tools and in turning, but who demonstrate their great qualities in the creation of splendid sculptural works. The father Victor worked with dedication creating artifacts such as agricultural tools, turnings and sculptures depicting the agro-pastoral world that surrounded him. The two sons: Luciano, the eldest, was a great turner, capable of creating works of fine quality and finely decorated and splendid cutlery; Giulio, a very skilled sculptor, still represents the link with tradition by following the teachings imparted by his father both in the choice of wood and in its drying, and in the methods and methodologies of processing. Giulio tells of an ordinary and customary knowledge. He produces precious and very fine sculptures, only in maple wood, harvested near home, of chiseled workmanship and great mastery. Works that tell of the village, of memories and of the sacred world. Finally, last in chronological order, we have Franco and Vittorio, sons of Luciano, the first sculptor who loves to interpret in an abstract way forms and figures that emerge from the roots and the second trained as a carpenter. Four craftsmen who have been able to make their manual ability a family tradition, giving life to a refined art that has spanned an entire century.

The exhibition can be visited from 14 April to 21 July 2019 from Tuesday to Sunday during the Museum’s opening hours. Entrance to the exhibition is included in the museum ticket (full price €5.00, reduced €3.00) and throughout its duration, numerous activities for adults and children will be offered: meetings, guided tours and themed educational workshops.