The legacy and achievements of Commendatore Antonio Carluccio, OBE, the respected and innovative Italian cookery writer, cook, restaurateur and food expert is celebrated with a new library and archive housed at Oxford Brookes University. The Antonio Carluccio Library and Archive opened in September 2021, as part of Oxford Brookes University’s Special Collections and Archives.
Containing Antonio Carluccio’s extensive personal collection of books, his professional archive and one-off pieces of art and memorabilia, The Antonio Carluccio Library and Archive is a unique record of the life and work of a celebrated man who was instrumental in bringing Italian food and food culture to the UK and whose legacy and impact on people’s lives around the world continues in The Antonio Carluccio Foundation.
Antonio Carluccio’s breadth of knowledge and wide-ranging interests and passions are demonstrated in his personal library of which almost 800 books are in the Special Collection spanning 16th to early 21st century food writing. This includes large collections of books on Italian cuisine, mushrooms and foraging and food history as well as general cookbooks from across the world. The 32 books written or co-written by Antonio Carluccio translated into many languages will also form part of the library.
The archive will give a unique and comprehensive view into the working life of a food pioneer and contains: manuscripts with Antonio’s hand-written notes, proofs and first editions; press cuttings demonstrating the impact Antonio had on the food scene in the 1980s and 90s; films of his first appearances in BBC2’s Food and Drink programmes, his first independent series Antonio Carluccio’s Italian Feast in 1996 and his last programme Antonio’s Six Seasons which combines Australian indigenous foraging and cooking traditions with Italian food culture.
Also held in the archive are Antonio’s OBE, Commendatore and OMRI; and correspondence including a letter from Mikhail Gorbachev to thank Antonio for a mushroom book, in which he likens foraging to ‘the quiet hunt’ (this became the subtitle for Antonio’s second mushroom book).
In addition, there are handwritten menus with artwork by David Hockney, from the Neal Street Restaurant, which opened in 1981, and under Antonio’s ownership from 1989, became a mecca for authentic Italian cuisine and a much loved institution. Many artists frequented the restaurant and some left paintings in lieu of payment; a painting of a mushroom by Patrick Caulfield which he gave to Antonio is on loan to Oxford Brookes.
The archive also contains other unique art works including: a sculpture of Eduardo Paolozzi’s head created by Antonio for a TV programme where Paolozzi cooked and Antonio sculpted; a selection of the walking sticks which Antonio had whittled and was often pictured with along with some of his whittling knives; and watercolour sketches of mushroom characters drawn by Antonio for a ballet and children’s book ‘Signor Porcini and Mme Chanterelle’, which are on loan to Oxford Brookes.
The archive in particular demonstrates Antonio’s creativity as an innovator ahead of his time and his multi-disciplinary approach to bring his love of food, and Italian food in particular, to a global audience, which alongside members of the public, included royalty, musicians, politicians and artists.
Overall, The Antonio Carluccio Library and Archive gives food lovers and academics alike an insight into Antonio Carluccio’s philosophy that food can bring people together across social and geographical boundaries. This legacy continues through the work of The Antonio Carluccio Foundation, which he established before his death in 2017. The Foundation supports those working in hospitality with a mission of ‘Training To Feed – Feeding for Life’ and it has now provided food to over one million people across the world with grants made in the UK, India, South Africa, Italy and Malawi.
Dr Helen Workman, Director of Learning Resources at Oxford Brookes University said: “It is a privilege for Oxford Brookes to be entrusted with this very special material. Many of us remember watching Antonio Carluccio on television, cooking from his books and perhaps even visiting his restaurants. He was a giant of the Italian food scene, and I’m so delighted that we are able to preserve his fascinating library and archive and make it available for people to visit, study and enjoy.”
Gennaro Contaldo comments: “This is a wonderful collection of Antonio’s life and his passions and the legacy he has left to chefs, cookery writers and to all. When I view this precious collection, it transports me back to the times we spent together whether it was searching for beautiful antique books, cutting down sticks for whittling or wonderful days foraging for his beloved fungi. Antonio, I miss you dearly each day, but coming here brings me close to you and the things you loved.”
The Antonio Carluccio Library and Archive sits alongside The Jane Grigson Library, the Ken Hom Library and the Booker Prize Archive in the John Henry Brookes Building on Oxford Brookes University’s Headington Campus in Oxford. It is open to members of the public, for up to date opening hours please visit our website https://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/collections/special-collections/
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Hospitality & Catering News: The Antonio Carluccio Library and Archive opens at Oxford Brookes University. – 20 October 2021 – The Antonio Carluccio Library and Archive opens at Oxford Brookes University.
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