Venetian Murano Glass

The history of Venetian glass as an unrivalled leader in the art of glass dates back to the Renaissance in the 15th century with the invention of clear glass. Since then, a long history of innovation followed, with techniques such as aventurine, filigrana and murrine still being practiced by Murano glass masters today. This exhibition showcases the modern artistry of Murano glass with pieces from renowned and historic Murano glassworks: Venini and Berengo Studio, where the centuries-old tradition of Venetian Murano glass craftsmanship is combined with innovative techniques and creative sensibilities through collaboration with notable artists and designers.

Venini was founded in 1921 by Milanese lawyer Paolo Venini and Venetian antiques dealer Giacomo Cappellini, and was pioneering at the time by modernizing Murano glass through collaborations with famous designers such as Carlo Scarpa, Alessandro Mendini and Ettore Sottsass just to name a few. Venini’s wide range of colour palette is also a distinctive feature of this glassworks, with a wide range of 125 shades, the fruit of countless experiments and research. Pieces shown from Venini include works by notable designers Alessandro Venini, Marco Zanini, Emmanuel Babled, renowned design studios Studio Job and Barber Osgerby, and American artist Flo Perkins.

Berengo Studio was founded in 1989 by Venetian entrepreneur Adriano Berengo with the aim to ‘go beyond the everyday image of glass and to promote its use as an artistic medium, to take it beyond both the boundaries of craft and the limits of manual virtuosity.’ He emulates Peggy Guggenheim in her role of the glass revival in the 1950s with the collaboration of Egidio Constantini, who broke the barriers that had limited glass to its traditional decorative role by inviting artists such as Jean Arp and Pablo Picasso to create in this mesmerizing medium. Since its foundation, Berengo Studio has collaborated with acclaimed artists from all over the world, such as Ai Weiwei, Lucio Fontana, and Tracey Emin, to name a few. Pieces shown from Berengo Studio include works by Massimo Lunardon, Luigi Benzoni, Richard Jolley, Irene Rezzonico, and Juan Ripollés.

In addition, two glass works by Ettore Sottsass for the Memphis Group are shown, which creates an interesting dialogue with the pieces by Marco Zanini and Alessandro Mendini, given their connection to each other within design. They were all involved in the Memphis Group, an Italian design movement founded by Ettore Sottsass in 1981, which sought to rebel against the ‘uniform panorama of good taste’ of the time, where the principle ‘form follows function’ reigned supreme. With Memphis, design had been liberated from rationality, and enters the realm of poetry. It came to define the aesthetics of the ‘80s. More importantly, it expanded the boundaries of design, emphasizing the expressive possibilities of design as a vehicle of communication, rather than just one of utilitarian function.

Together, these works showcase Murano glass in all its glory and forms, and its boundless potential as a mesmerizing medium.