Paolo Venini (12 January 1895– 22 July 1959)
emerged as one of the leading figures in the production of
Murano glass
Venetian glass () is glassware made in Venice, typically on the island of Murano near the city. Traditionally it is made with a soda–lime "metal" and is typically elaborately decorated, with various "hot" glass-forming techniques, as well as ...
and an important contributor to twentieth century
Italian design
Italian design refers to all forms of design in Italy, including interior design, urban design, fashion design and architectural design. Italy is recognized as being a worldwide trendsetter and leader in design: the architect Luigi Caccia Dominio ...
. He is known for having founded the eponymous Venini & C. glassworks.
Early life and education
Venini was born in the town of
Cusano near
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. After serving in the
Royal Italian Army in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, he trained as a lawyer
and began his practice in Milan. He soon developed an acquaintance with Giacomo Cappellin, a native of
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
who owned a Milan
antiques shop
An antique shop (or antiques shop) is a retail store specializing in the selling of antiques. Antiques shops can be located either locally or, with the advent of the Internet, found online.
An antiques shop can also be located within an ant ...
.
Murano glassworks
In 1921 Venini and Cappellin opened a glass factory called Vetri Soffiati Muranesi Cappellin Venini & C. on the islands of
Murano, the historic glass production centre in the lagoon of
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
, Italy. With Luigi Ceresa and Emilio Hochs as investors, they arranged to purchase the recently closed Murano glass factory of Andrea Rioda, hire the former firm's
glassblower
Glassblowing is a glassforming technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble (or parison) with the aid of a blowpipe (or blow tube). A person who blows glass is called a ''glassblower'', ''glassmith'', or ''gaffer''. A '' lampworke ...
s, and retain Rioda himself to serve as technical director of the venture.
Their plans went quickly awry, however, when Rioda died before production had begun. Several of the principal glassblowers decamped to found a competitor firm under the name Successori Andrea Rioda. Nonetheless, the venture was successfully launched and prospered with support from the founders' distribution contacts in Milan. The firm also benefited from a commitment to introducing new, modern design concepts.
Following disputes, Cappellin withdrew from the firm in 1925, taking most of the firm's master glassblowers and launching a competitor. Venini reorganized with new glassblowers and, first as Vetro Soffiati Muranesi Venini & C. (V.S.M. Venini & C.), and later simply Venini & C., achieving a position as a design leader among Murano firms.
The company entrusted the creative direction to Murano sculptor , although Paolo Venini himself played a role in designing several of the company's best-known products, including the "Fazzoletto" (handkerchief) series, which he created with designer Fulvio Bianconi.
Venini embarked on collaborations with architects and designers such as
Cini Boeri
Cini Boeri (19 June 1924 – 9 September 2020) was an Italian architect and designer.
Career
Boeri earned her degree at the Politecnico di Milano university in 1951. At that time, there were more female interior designers than architects becau ...
, ,
Gio Ponti
Giovanni "Gio" Ponti ( ͡ʒo18 November 1891 – 16 September 1979) was an Italian architect, industrial designer, furniture designer, artist, teacher, writer and publisher.
During his career, which spanned six decades, Ponti built more than a ...
,
Carlo Scarpa,
Ettore Sottsass
Ettore Sottsass (Innsbruck, Austria 14 September 1917 – Milan, Italy 31 December 2007) was a 20th century Italian architect, noted for also designing furniture, jewellery, glass, lighting, home and office wares, as well as numerous buildings an ...
,
Tapio Wirkkala
Tapio Veli Ilmari Wirkkala (2 June 1915 – 19 May 1985) was a Finnish designer and sculptor, a major figure of post-war design.
Life and work
Wirkkala was born in Hanko in 1915. He attended the Töölö co-educational school in Helsinki. His fa ...
,
Gae Aulenti
Gaetana "Gae" Aulenti (; 4 December 1927–31 October 2012) was an Italian architect and designer who was active in furniture design, graphic design, stage design, lighting design, exhibition and interior design. She was known for her contrib ...
, and
Massimo Vignelli
Massimo Vignelli (; January 10, 1931 – May 27, 2014) was an Italian designer who worked in a number of areas including packaging, houseware, furniture, public signage, and showroom design. He was the co-founder of Vignelli Associates, with his ...
(who would also go on to design the company's new graphic identity and logo in 1982).
The ethos was to "take the Murano tradition of glass blowing and combine it with the
French fashion
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...
industry's tradition of using designers."
The practice of working with notable designers has continued and includes more recent collaborations with
Tadao Ando,
Asymptote
In analytic geometry, an asymptote () of a curve is a line such that the distance between the curve and the line approaches zero as one or both of the ''x'' or ''y'' coordinates tends to infinity. In projective geometry and related context ...
,
Barber & Osgerby
Barber Osgerby is a London-based industrial design studio founded in 1996 by British designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby. Historically named variously Barber Osgerby Associates, BOA, Barber & Osgerby and BarberOsgerby, the practice has been ...
, the
Campana brothers,
Alessandro Mendini, and
Peter Marino.
Following Venini's death in 1959, the company continued for over twenty years under the management of other family members and was then sold in 1985.
In 1997 Società Venini S.p.A. was acquired by Royal Scandinavia group.
In 2001, the company was sold to Italian Luxury Industries Group, and subsequently acquired by in 2016.
Exhibitions
On the occasion of the opening of the newly founded
Frauenau Glass Museum
The Frauenau Glass Museum (german: link=no, Glasmuseum Frauenau) in Frauenau in the Lower Bavarian county of Landkreis Regen, Regen, previously a communal facility, has become a state-owned organisation since early 2014 called the State Museum of ...
on May 6, 1975, the museum presented a special exhibition ''Venini-Murano'' with works from the
Wolfgang Kermer
Wolfgang Kermer (born 18 May 1935 in Neunkirchen, Saarland) is a German art historian, artist, art educator, author, editor, curator of exhibitions, art collector and professor. From 1971 to 1984 he was repeatedly elected Rector of the State Aca ...
collection for the first time in Germany.
In 2002 the Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain staged an exhibition called “Fragilisme di Alessandro Mendini” the centrepiece of which was a Venini glass sculpture titled "Guerrier de Verre".
Publications
* Carl I. Gable, ''Murano Magic: Complete Guide to Venetian Glass, its History and Artists'' (Schiffer, 2004), pp. 76–79, 232–234. .
* Anna Venini Diaz de Santillana, ''Venini: Catalogue Raisonné 1921-1986'' (Skira, 2000). .
* Deboni, F., Rosenberg, P. ''Venini glass'' (Umberto Allemandi, (2007).
ISBN
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.
An ISBN is assigned to each separate edition and ...
88-422-1524-4.
* Barovier, M., Sonego, C. ''Paolo Venini and his furnace'' (Stanze del vetro, 2017).
ISBN
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.
An ISBN is assigned to each separate edition and ...
978-88-572-3354-3.
References
External links
Official websiteVenini collection at MoMA.orgVenice Glass Museum, MuranoSaturated: The Allure and Science of Color(Cooper Hewitt Museum, New York)
The Senses: Design Beyond Vision(Cooper Hewitt Museum, New York)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Venini, Paolo
Glassblowers
1895 births
1959 deaths
Italian glass artists
Italian design
Italian designers