Paolo Venini
Paolo Venini (1895 – 1959) emerged as one of the leading figures in the production of Murano glass and an important contributor to twentieth-century design.
Training
Venini was born in the town of Cusano near Milan, Italy. After serving in the Italian army in World War I, he trained as a lawyer[1] and began his practice in Milan. He soon developed an acquaintance with Giacomo Cappellin, a native of Venice who owned a Milan antiques shop.
Career
In 1921 Venini and Cappellin opened a glass factory on the islands of Murano, the historic glass production center in the lagoon of Venice, Italy, under the name Vetri Soffiati Muranesi Cappellin Venini & C.[2] 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 glassblowers, and retain Rioda himself to serve as technical director of the venture.[3]
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 Soffiati Muranesi Venini & C. and later as Venini & C., achieving a position as a design leader among Murano firms.[3] Venini himself played a role in designing several of the firm's best-known products, including the famous "fazzoletto" (handkerchief) series which he created with designer Fulvio Bianconi.[1][4]
Following Venini's death in 1959, the firm was initially continued by other family members[2] and then sold in 1985.
References
- ^ a b "Exquisite experiments". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 20 May 2007. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b "Venini Glass Inhibit Shows 60 Year History ". The Toledo Blade. 3 July 1983. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) [dead link] - ^ a b Lockwood, Howard J. "The Paths of Paolo Venini and Tyra Lundgren". Retrieved 2009-11-18.
- ^ "A tradition of beauty:Murano glass work among the world's best". Tandem. 13 July 2008. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)
- Carl I. Gable, Murano Magic: Complete Guide to Venetian Glass, its History and Artists (Schiffer, 2004), pp. 76-79, 232-234. ISBN 0-7643-1946-9.
- Anna Venini Diaz de Santillana, Venini: Catalogue Raisonné 1921-1986 (Skira, 2000). ISBN 88-8118-651-9.
External links
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