Many unknown facts about 'FIFA World Cup Trophy'

Many unknown facts about 'FIFA World Cup Trophy'

Silvio Gazzaniga, 23 January 1921 - 31 October 2016

The description of the trophy by Gazzaniga was: "The lines spring out from the base, rising in spirals, stretching out to receive the world. From the remarkable dynamic tensions of the compact body of the sculpture rise the figures of two athletes at the stirring moment of victory."

It’s not easy to tell the professional and personal story of the Milanese sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga in a few lines.

From a young age the passionate artist and designer devoted himself to the art of design, painting and sculpture. In addition, he excelled in the elite art of medallions, creating innumerable works of religious, sporting, historical and commemorative themes.

He also designed cups and trophies commissioned by several national and international sports federations: incessant requests that saw him working every single day from the age of 16 to over 90.

Even though he’s now remembered, and always be, as the “Creator” of the football World Cup, thought up, designed and created in 1971. FIFA has decided to maintain this Cup until 2038 at least, given the great appreciation and affection that football lovers, the media, and others, have for it.

Spanning a career of almost eighty years, the Master – a title that was given to him very early on – never stopped and, during the celebration of 150 years of the Unification of Italy, he enthusiastically accepted the task of designing and donating the trophy which was presented to the winners of the Italian Cup, the 108th Giro d’Italia and the Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2011.

A great connoisseur of contemporary art, eclectic creator, master of sculpture, bas-relief, and general all-rounder, Silvio Gazzaniga is one of the most important exponents of the contemporary Italian artistic scene, whose career was launched with works of a decidedly international level.

The history of the Fifa World Cup

At the dawn of the football World Cup in 1928, the title was named after Jules Rimet, the FIFA President who established it. At that time, there was a rule that stated that the first team to win the World Cup three times would “take away” the Cup.

Indeed the Rimet Cup was definitively given to Brazil at the Mexico World Cup in 1970 after their third win following an historical battle with Italy, who were also fighting to bring the Cup home having previously won two World Cups.

Following this, FIFA needed to create a new trophy that would last over time. On April 5th 1971, a specially appointed committee and a jury of experts met in the headquarters of FIFA in Zurich under the supervision of Sir Stanley Rous, then FIFA President. An international contest for the creation of the new cup was then announced.

The Master immediately set to work, closing himself for a week in his studio on via Alessandro Volta, situated in the artistic quarter of Milan, close to the Brera Academy and Sforzesco Castle.

He prepared the draft and, being aware of how difficult it can be to fully appreciate a simple design, a semi-definitive three-dimensional model in plasticine which would be later “formed” with a plaster case.

The risk of creating a work with a three-dimensional model in its destined size without having received any confirmation or reassurance of winning the contest paid off. Indeed the physical presence and possibility to touch and “challenge” the work convinced the FIFA managers of the beauty and photogenic nature of the sculpture. They approved the model that would become the World Cup from 53 projects from all over the world (25 nations). The Cup was immediately fused in gold, refined and rendered official by FIFA in January 1972.

The cup, fused using the ancient “lost wax” technique used in the creation of the most famous metal statues for millennia, is made of 18 carat gold and, though hollow, weighs 6,175 grams. It has a height of 36.8 centimeters and a base diameter of 13 centimeters. The base is made of two bands of green malachite and the names of the nations that have won the World Cup since 1974 are engraved in their respective languages on panels around and under the base.

Contrary to the Rimet Cup, this cup will never be definitively assigned to the team that wins three times, but will continue to be up for grabs until all the possible spaces for the engraving of the winning nations have been filled, so at least until 2038.

Starting from 1974, the trophy has been won by Germany three times (1974, 1990 and 2014), twice by Argentina (1978 and 1986), Italy (1982 and 2006), Brazil (1994 and 2002) and France (1998 and 2018), and once by Spain (2010).

Starting from the 2006 World Cup in Germany, FIFA decided that the original trophy would no longer be given for safe-keeping to the winning nation. Previously the winner kept the cup in their federation headquarters for four years, restitutions it only during the sorting ceremony of the next World Cup. Today it’s only handed over for a few hours to the captain of the winning team during the prize-giving ceremony for a quick celebration after the final match. FIFA gifts the winning federation with a copy of the original.

"Silvio Gazzaniga tells his FIFA World Cup

“To create a universal symbol of the harmony of the sports world, I took inspiration from two fundamental images: the triumphant athlete and the world. I wanted to obtain a plastic representation of the effort that could simultaneously express harmony, sobriety and peace. The figure had to be linear and dynamic in order to draw attention to the protagonist, the footballer, a man that victory has transformed into a giant, without taking on the role of super-human. This sports hero should encapsulate all of the efforts and the sacrifices that are daily required from his brothers and become a universal character of the sport as a challenge and freedom, holding the world in his arms.

“I freely created the form. The trophy represents two players that are reaching their arms up in the triumphant joy of victory. It holds within it dynamism, strength, speed of action, sport and emotional effort, and the exultation of finding yourself on the top of the world. The athlete is the absolute protagonist of the work and lifts the world in the happiness and enthusiasm of victory. Whoever wins such a difficult and prestigious competition becomes a giant in the moment of victory and their prize, the Cup, needs to express all of this”.

“With the two athletes raising their arms, I wanted to signify the joy and triumph in the moment of victory. The sphere above them, modeled in relief with a faithful image of the continents, brings the world to mind and the ball at the same time. In their juxtaposition the lines between the two almost mirror-like human figures express a dynamic movement that is typical of the sport. The rough material between the two opposing faces of the trophy expresses the vigour, energy and toughness of football, and the intense commitment to sport”.

“Momentum is gathered and gained from the base a helicoidal movement of lines, which rise and expand until reaching the world. From the compact sculptural mass, from the remarkable dynamic tensions, the profiles and the figures of two athletes in the exciting moment of the victory emerge”.

“Were I to ever redo it, I wouldn’t change a thing. The fact that the trophy has resisted time and new fashions, with the highest appreciation, is a testimony to the fact that I was inspired by aesthetic and symbolic principles that are universally understood”.

#SilvioGazzaniga 

Source:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_World_Cup_Trophy

https://www.silviogazzaniga.com/en

#FIFAWorldCup #trophy #designer #silviogazzaniga #trending