Leonardo Bartolini is an Italian ceramic artist born in Florence, based in Kumamoto. He graduated from the State Institute of Ceramic Art, Sesto Fiorentino, 1991, and later completed studies in Urban Planning at the University of Architecture, Florence. From 1996 to 2001 he worked at Ceramiche Colzi, refining his ceramic techniques and developing a sustained studio practice. From 2003 he taught Ceramic Manufacturing Techniques at La Cantoria restoration school, Grassina, for five years. He has exhibited widely in Italy and internationally and has participated in major ceramic competitions, receiving numerous awards. Selected distinctions include First Prize, National Ceramic Competition Lucio De Maria, Turin, 2008; First Prize, National Ceramic Competition, Savona, 2014; and First Prize, Bienal Internacional de Ceramica Talavera, Talavera de la Reina, 2023. Further awards include Third Prize, Arita International Ceramics Competition, Arita, 2018; Premio Faenza, Faenza, 2015 and 2023; and Kikuchi Biennale, Tokyo, 2023. In 2025 he won the Latvia Ceramics Biennale Martinsons Award at Rothko Museum, Daugavpils.
