Marcello Lissoni was an eclectic goldsmith artist: starting from his practice, he devoted himself to sculpture, drawing, and engraving.

Born in Fano, in the Marche region, he moved to Milan at a very young age; from the late ‘50s he apprenticed as a goldsmith in the studio of Arnaldo and Giò Pomodoro, maternal cousins, and later in the Buratti goldsmith workshop on Via Montenapoleone.

Between the late ‘60s and early ’70s he worked in Giò Pomodoro's studio, where he became an important figure of reference both artistically and personally: during this phase he created many jewels based on his designs.

At the end of ’72 his activity as a goldsmith under his own name begins: his jewels demonstrate a continuous search for form and matter through the creation of complex mechanisms and at the same time are imaginative, playful, enriched by a skillful use of enamels and semiprecious stones that give bright notes of color. At the same time, he collaborated on the creation of precious ornaments for various artists, including, in addition to Giò Pomodoro, Alba Polenghi Lisca, Gianni Novak and GianCarlo Montebello's GEM.

Over the years, its production has evolved to include geometric and posable jewelry, engravings, commemorative coins, and decorative objects such as silver boxes, frames, and centrepieces.

In the years ‘90 he created a series of small sculptures under his own name (LM) with references to the alchemical symbolism of planets and metals. He taught goldsmith techniques at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ravenna for over 25 years.

He has participated in several group and solo exhibitions, including “Ornaments” at the Galleria La Bottega in Ravenna in 1973-74, at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Copenhagen in 1976 and at the gallery “Research” in Turin in 1977. He also participated in the group exhibition l’“Gold in plastic research” (curated by E. Crispolti, F. Milesi, M. Crescentini. Fano, 1985) and “The Gold of the Marche” (edited by F. Milesi, A. Ginesi. Fano, 1986). In 2001, the gallery “La Bottega” in Ravenna dedicated its solo exhibition “Jewels and Sculptures” to him, following his premature death in Milan in 1999. (Paola Stroppiana)