Le Stanze del Vetro Carlo Scarpa. Venini 1932–1947

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A project by the Fondazione Giorgio Cini onlus and Pentagram Stiftung
Le Stanze del Vetro
The new permanent Rooms for Glass exhibition space, designed by Selldorf Architects,
Fabrizio Cattaruzza and Francesco Millosevich, opens with the inaugural exhibition
Carlo Scarpa.
Venini 1932–1947
Venice, Island of San Giorgio Maggiore
29 August – 29 November 2012
Press preview: 26, 27 and 28 August 2012, 12 pm – 6 pm
Official opening: 28 August 2012, 6 pm – 8 pm
On 29 August 2012 the exhibition Carlo Scarpa. Venini 1932–1947, curated by
Marino Barovier, will open to the public on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice.
Consisting of over 300 works, the exhibition reconstructs Carlo Scarpa’s career in the
years when he was artistic director of the Venini glassworks, from 1932 to 1947. Due to
run until 29 November 2012 and open from 10 am to 7 pm (free admission, closed
on Wednesdays), this exhibition is the first public event of Le Stanze del Vetro (Rooms
for Glass), a long-term cultural project launched by the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in
collaboration with Pentagram Stiftung for the purpose of studying and showcasing the
art of Venetian glassmaking in the 20th century.
The new exhibition space
The exhibition Carlo Scarpa. Venini 1932–1947 will inaugurate a new permanent
exhibition space designed to host a series of solo and collective shows featuring
international artists, both contemporary and past, who have used glass during their careers
as an orginal means of expression and medium for researching their own personal poetics.
The aim is to illustrate the numerous potential uses of the medium and put glass back at
the centre of attention and discussion on the international art scene.
The building chosen for Le Stanze del Vetro exhibition is the West wing of the ex-Convitto
(a former nautical boarding school) on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore. With 650
square metres of display floor space, the centre will not only host exhibitions but also
conferences, workshops and other events dedicated to glass. The restyling of this
long-unutilised building was carried out by Selldorf Architects, a New York firm led
by Annabelle Selldorf and specialised in the design of museum spaces and gallery
exhibitions. For the Venice project the New York firm relied on the collaboration of
architects Fabrizio Cattaruzza and Francesco Millosevich, who in 2008 had
refurbished the exhibition spaces of the ex-Convitto in the Fondazione Cini. The design
features an itinerary with a visually permeable separation between a corridor and a series of
small galleries, equipped with vitrines, stands and other forms of display, to create a logical
visual continuity within the space and between the various exhibition areas.
LE STANZE DEL VETRO Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore Venezia, Italia T. +39 041 523 0869 [email protected]
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Involvement of expert Venetian artisans
The restoration and interior design of the new exhibition space of Le Stanze del Vetro was
carried out with the collaboration of some of the most creative expert Venetian artisans
from two excellent family-run firms: Augusto Capovilla and Gino Zanon. The Capovilla
joinery, founded by Augusto Capovilla in 1890, and metal carpentry firm of Paolo and
Francesco Zanon, founded by their father Gino in 1946. Both firms worked with Carlo
Scarpa on major projects in Venice, including those for the Correr Museum, the Accademia,
the Venice Biennale and the Querini Stampalia Foundation. By choosing to work with these
artisans, architects Selldorf, Cattaruzza and Millosevich established an ideal bridge with
Carlo Scarpa’s creative world.
Another important collaborator in the project was the artist Alessandro Diaz de Santillana,
who designed the lighting system for Le Stanze del Vetro galleries. The nineteen hanging
lights and a ceiling light in the inner entrance door area were specifically designed and
constructed for this exhibition space by respecting the renovation logic and the history
of the building, which was once a school. The series of hanging lamps arranged to fit in
rhythmically with the design by Selldorf, Cattaruzza and Millosevich act as light diffusers
with no light bulb in the form: they are made of almost colourless engraved glass, blown in
Murano, combined with coated metal on black and blue iron. The inner entrance area only
has a glass lens deeply scored on the surface and hanging in a luminous empty space. The
glass parts were made on Murano by master craftsman Simone Cenedese and ground by
Marino Filippucci.
The large shelves and iron bookcases are based on a design for shelves constructed by
Ludovico Diaz de Santillana in 1970. The original design was adapted for a new use in
different proportions but the iron has the same calamine blue and black which is its colour
after the rolling process. The shelving was constructed by Devis Zanatta, as were the metal
parts throughout the lighting system. The illumination engineering project has been realised
by OttArt in Venice, under the supervision of Maurizio Torcellan and Giacomo Andrea-Doria,
with Fontana Arte.
The exhibition
The exhibition Carlo Scarpa. Venini 1932–1947 is organised round a selection of over 300
works designed by the Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa in the years when he was creative
director of the Venini Glassworks (1932-1947); some works will be shown for the first time
and many are from major world public and private collections.
The works are divided into around thirty types that vary according to execution techniques
and glass textures (from sommerso to murrine romane, corrosi and a pennellate glass).
The material on show also includes prototypes, one-off items, original drawings and
designs, plus period photographs and archive documents.
The exhibition explores the significance and importance of Carlo Scarpa’s glass design
experience in his overall work. During his Murano period, Scarpa further developed
his interests in experimentation and craftsmanship and the show thus provides a great
opportunity to compare his work as a glass and furniture designer and his architecture.
The exhibition itinerary includes a video room showing two documentary films on the
relationship between the Venini glassworks and Carlo Scarpa. The films were produced by
Pentagram Stiftung and made by director Gian Luigi Calderone, who had previously made
Casa Venini, a film about the history of the Venini-Santillana family. The first film, a fifteenminute documentary entitled A Carlo Scarpa e ai suoi infiniti possibili (1984), shows
images of glass objects designed by Carlo Scarpa. The images are accompanied by the
music of Luigi Nono, composed in 1984 with the same title to commemorate his friend.
In the film the musicologist Stefano Bassanese illustrates the structure of the music and the
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affinities between the designer and the composer. A second documentary Carlo Scarpa,
fuori dal paradiso (2012) describes Scarpa and his glass through personal accounts by
those who knew him well, such as former students and, especially, his son Tobia. This onehour film will be shown twice a day and is on sale in the exhibition bookshop.
As part of Le Stanze del Vetro project, the director Gian Luigi Calderone will make a film for
each future exhibition as a way of enhancing and complementing the show and its themes.
Future exhibitions
Carlo Scarpa. Venini 1932–1947 inaugurates the programme of exhibitions planned as part
of Le Stanze del Vetro project. Two exhibitions will be staged each year on the Island of San
Giorgio Maggiore until 2021. One in spring dedicated to the use of glass in the art and design
world in the 20th and 21st centuries; and the second in the summer dedicated to the talented
people who designed objects for the Venini glassworks in the 20th century.
Due to open in April 2013, the next exhibition will be curated by Mario Codognato. Entitled
Fragile?, it will focus on the use of glass in the visual arts in the 20th and 21st century by
showing works by leading artists on the contemporary art scene: from Michelangelo
Pistoletto to Mario Merz, Gerhard Richter, Robert Smithson, Rachel Whiteread and
Yayoi Kusama. These artists have used glass for its powerful symbolic potential both on the
grounds of its intrinsic qualities, such as lightness and transparency, but also for its semantic
and metaphorical potential. In summer 2013, on the other hand, there will be a solo show
of the celebrated artist Napoleone Martinuzzi’s creations for the Venini glassworks in the
1930s.
The exhibition projects featuring the Venini designers and artists have been made possible
thanks to an agreement whereby the glassworks will grant access to their archives for
consultation.
The archives include original documents, period photographs, and drawings and designs
going back to 1921. Having now been made available in their entirety, the archives will
contribute to the construction of a new, historically accurate narrative of a significant
chapter in the history of glassmaking in the last century. Each exhibition on Venini glass
will be accompanied by the publication of a catalogue raisonné produced by publishers
Skira. At the end of the whole exhibition series, the set of catalogues will form an important
study and research resource.
Le Stanze del Vetro project
From the point of view of developing the art of glassmaking in general, Le Stanze del Vetro
project also aims to organise events and initiatives in collaboration with major Venetian and
international institutions, such as the Venice Civic Museum Foundation, the Murano Glass
Museum, the Abate Zanetti School for Glass and Ca’ Foscari University, Venice. The initiatives
will be dedicated not only to contemporary artists who have used glass as an original means
of expression and medium in their poetics but also to highlighting and studying the leading
producers and major collections of glass worldwide.
As part of Le Stanze del Vetro project, the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, with the support of
Pentagram Stiftung, has set up a dedicated Study Centre in its Institute of Art History. In
addition to the periodic organisation of exhibitions on Venetian glass, the Study Centre will
promote: the gradual construction of a General Archive of Venetian Glass, to be made
available to the scholarly community and for reviving and developing the art of glassmaking;
the creation of a specialised library within the art history library; the organisation of
seminars, conferences and workshops for scholars and artists interested in the history,
technology and development of the art of glassmaking; and lastly, scholarships specifically
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addressed to researchers interested in the topic.
The activities in Le Stanze del Vetro project rely on a scientific committee made up of
Giuseppe Pavanello (Director of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini Institute of Art History), Marino
Barovier, Rosa Barovier Mentasti, David Landau, Laura de Santillana and Nico Stringa.
Guided tours and education services
The exhibition Carlo Scarpa. Venini 1932–1947 will run until 29 November 2012 and is
open from 10 am to 7 pm (free admission, closed on Wednesdays). As of 1 September
guided tours of the exhibition will be available, whereas an educational service for
children and young people will begin in October and will last until the exhibition closes on
29 November. Booking is required for both services either by telephone
(toll free 800 662 477; from 20 August, 10 am - 5 pm, Monday to Friday)
or email to [email protected].
Le Stanze del Vetro has adopted a model often found in English-speaking countries of free
access to museums based on the idea that the cultural heritage belongs to the community.
That is why admission to the exhibition and the tours and educational services is free
of charge.
The organisational coordination of the exhibition, guided tours and educational services is by
ArtSystem, the technical sponsor of the exhibition.
For further information: Fondazione Giorgio Cini
Elena Casadoro
[email protected]
T: +39 041 2710280
www.cini.it
Le Stanze del Vetro
Tommaso Speretta
[email protected]
T: +39 041 5230869
www.lestanzedelvetro.it
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Carlo Scarpa.
Venini 1932–1947
Details of the event:
Production:
Title:
Curator:
Official opening:
Press preview:
Dates:
Open:
Venue:
Address: Ticket office:
Catalogue:
Info: Web:
Fondazione Giorgio Cini onlus and Pentagram Stiftung
Carlo Scarpa. Venini 1932–1947 Marino Barovier
28 August, 6 pm - 8 pm, invitation only
26, 27, 28 August, 12 pm – 6 pm
10 am – 7 pm, closed on Wednesdays
Le Stanze del Vetro, Fondazione Giorgio Cini
Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice
free admission
Skira
[email protected], [email protected]
www.lestanzedelvetro.it, www.cini.it
How to reach the venue:
To reach the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore you can take the Actv vaporetto (water bus) no. 2
to the San Giorgio stop from various starting points:
San Zaccaria (journey time approx. 3 minutes)
Ferrovia (approx. 45 minutes)
Piazzale Roma (approx. 40 minutes)
Tronchetto (approx. 35 minutes) .
Alternatively you can take the Vaporetto dell’Arte, which makes an “art tour” of the Grand
Canal and also stops at San Giorgio. This regular service on the Grand Canal has been
conceived for visitors who wish to experience Venice in an original, relaxing way. Multimedia
equipment on board provides audio and video information about the city and its art heritage
on route.
Guided tours and education services:
For Le Stanze del Vetro project, the ArtSystem cultural association has designed reception
services with selected staff, trained to conduct guided tours and workshop activities.
A wide range of topics will be proposed to school groups (from infant to high school), families
with children, grandparents with grandchildren, Venetians and groups of glass lovers and
scholars. The themes will include: the various aspects of glass, its fragility, its centuries-long
association with the city of Venice, the imagination and skill of artists who have chosen it as
a medium, Venice, the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, 20th-century developments, Murano,
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the master glassmakers, traditional legends and more recent stories, Venini and its recently
rediscovered designs archive.
A number of special events have been planned while the exhibition is on. Moreover, there will
be a space dedicated to reading and a multimedia room which becomes a teaching room
as required. These will be ideal places in which to continue to explore, see, experience, have
fun and be amazed at one of the most delicate and exciting materials that can be shaped by
human hands.
The exhibition guided tours service will be available from 1 September 2012, whereas the
educational services will begin in October and end when the exhibition closes on 29
November.
Both services are free of charge.
Required booking by telephone (toll free 800 662 477; as of 20 August, 10 am - 5 pm,
Monday to Friday) or email to [email protected].
For further information: Fondazione Giorgio Cini
Elena Casadoro
[email protected]
T: +39 041 2710280
www.cini.it
Le Stanze del Vetro
Tommaso Speretta
[email protected]
T: +39 041 5230869
www.lestanzedelvetro.it
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Le Stanze del Vetro
and The Fondazione Giorgio Cini
Pasquale Gagliardi
Secretary-General, Fondazione Giorgio Cini
The exhibition Carlo Scarpa. Venini 1932–1947 is the first public event of the long-term
project entitled Le Stanze del Vetro (Rooms for Glass), jointly promoted by the Fondazione
Giorgio Cini and Pentagram Stiftung to showcase and study the art of Venetian glass in the
twentieth century.
For various reasons, this is one of the most ambitious and challenging projects that the
Fondazione Cini has promoted in its over sixty years of life. Dedicated to Carlo Scarpa,
the exhibition is the first in a systematic series of monographic shows — to be held over
the next ten years — on artists and architects who have designed for Venini, a company
with a remarkably significant production of twentieth-century glass. The catalogue is the
first in a series of volumes which, when completed, will form the catalogue raisonné of the
Venini glassworks. There will also be other exhibitions and events aimed at both promoting
contemporary artists who use glass as an original medium and focusing on the principal
producers and the most important glass collections worldwide.
Although the exhibitions and catalogues will be the most conspicuous part of the project,
they are far from being its only activities. In fact an equally important part in the project
will be played by scientific research, archive documentation and technical and artistic
experimentation. Moreover, scholarships will attract researchers worldwide to further their
studies in the art of glassmaking. They will be able to take up residence in the Vittore Branca
International Center for the Study of Italian Culture on the Island of San Giorgio, along with
artists interested in experimenting with glass as a medium for their own poetics. The Institute
of Art History has already begun work on creating a General Archive of Venetian Glass, and
conferences and workshops on the art of glassmaking will be periodically organized on the
Island of San Giorgio to offer experts and scholars the possibility of sharing their knowledge
and passion.
Le Stanze del Vetro is a project wholly in line with the Fondazione Cini’s statutory aims and
traditions. The statute establishes two main aims for the foundation: 1. the restoration of
the monumental complex on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore; and 2. the promotion of
cultural activities with a direct or indirect bearing on Venice, its history and its traditions as a
crossroads of various cultures. In addition to being the title of the overall project, Le Stanze
del Vetro are also the physical rooms in an exhibition centre specifically designed for Venetian
glass and created in the refurbished West Wing ground floor in the Napoleonic building that
previously housed a nautical college on the Island of San Giorgio. There can be no doubt
that art glass is one of the most typical expressions of Venetian culture and so, lastly, this
project is in line with the great Fondazione Cini tradition that has always sought to give full
scholarly dignity to the study of art forms unfairly considered to be minor (such as librettology,
scenography and choreosophy). The project promoting the art of glassmaking fits in perfectly
with this context and strategy.
The idea of creating a Study Centre for Glass had been in the air for some time at the
Fondazione Cini. From time to time there had been talk of doing something but it seemed
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to be one of those ideas that would never get beyond the drawing board. Today if the idea
has become reality it is because our wishes and aspirations met with those of Pentagram
Stiftung, a Swiss-based private foundation whose statutory aim is to promote and support
the art and culture of historical and contemporary glass, especially Venetian glass. The value
of a joint project between the two foundations was self-evident from the outset.
But the forms of collaboration had to be established very carefully and only after a good
deal of thought. The aim was to devise transparent, lasting methods, clearly defining the
respective roles and duties and so obtain the optimal synergy involving the resources, skills
and traditions of the two institutions.
This exhibition, and the project of which it is part, are the outcome of extraordinarily
enthusiastic collective work that involved many people. I am unable to mention them
individually here but would like to express my gratitude to all of them without distinction.
I must, however, expressly acknowledge that without the passion, skill and generosity of the
promoters of Pentagram Stiftung, especially Marie-Rose Kahane and David Landau, this
project would never have seen the light of day. Lastly, also on behalf of Pentagram Stiftung,
I should personally like to offer heartfelt thanks to Giancarlo Chimento, President of Venini
Spa not only because he gave exhibition curator Marino Barovier and his assistants free
access to the Venini Archive but above all for his unconditioned support for our idea of
pursuing this long and fascinating venture.
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Why A Kunsthalle For Glass?
Marie-Rose Kahane
Chairman of the Pentagram Stiftung
In the late 1980s a chance encounter with my first Venini piece and, secondly, a long lasting
friendship with an exceptional and inspirational art collector, marked the start of a passion
– of an exciting journey – a pursuit of objects of all kinds created primarily for an aesthetic
purpose. Since its very beginning, the world of Venini was dedicated to absolute perfection
and simplicity, by mastering excellence of techniques, colours and forms through combining
the skill of great craftsmen with innovation and experimentation. Each new work added to my
first acquisition reflected a consistent dream of sobriety married to uncontested leadership in
style. Each new piece also added to my dream when it merged with existing works of art that
filled my house and nourished my mind and soul.
Coming from a Viennese background and having grown up in a Josef Frank house, the Venini
ethos immediately echoed with my visual vocabulary, formed by my familiarity with objects
from the Wiener Werkstätte, where clean lines and rigorous shapes are reduced to their
essentials. In that context, different forms of artistic expressions, from ceramics to jewellery,
from furniture to fabrics and metals, are intimately linked to one another: it is in this light
that I understand glass as part of a bigger world made of contemporary furniture design,
architecture, painting, sculpture, music and writing.
There are two leading themes I would like to see coming to life in Le Stanze del Vetro: the
Venini spirit of striving for perfection at all cost, which made it a leader of an aesthetic free
of conventions. A spirit that shows its intellectual openness to look at and learn from other
cultures – being the classic forms of glass from antiquity or the shapes of Chinese vases, and to form geographical links between art movements of its time from Vienna to Paris, from
Sweden to Japan and the United States, the latter marked by the mythical visit of Frank Lloyd
Wright to Murano in 1951. In my mind, this project should also be read as a homage to Paolo
Venini and Ludovico de Santillana and their groundbreaking vision.
Secondly, Le Stanze del Vetro will show glass within a bigger context, giving it a solid place
in the world of visual art, no longer seen as a craft or purely a design product, but as one of
the many materials through which leading artist like Dan Flavin, Gerhard Richter, Mario Merz,
Pipilotti Rist, Dan Graham, Bruce Nauman, to name a few, have expressed themselves and
produced great works of art.
These two strands of the activity of Le Stanze del Vetro should allow the public more fully to
understand the strong links of glass made across continents at any given time, such as for
instance between Murano and Tiffany, Koloman Moser, Hoffman, Christopher Dresser and
many more.
The main task of Pentagram Stiftung, as I see it, will therefore be to organize for the next ten
years exhibitions at the Island of San Giorgio which will show glass in many of its familiar and
unfamiliar aspects, but mostly in its interaction with other artistic disciplines, cultures and
periods, and to produce catalogues that should not only study different designers, styles,
techniques and decades, but also be a proper and scholarly expression of the research made
at the newly created Centro Studi del Vetro (Study Center for Glass).
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Carlo Scarpa and Venini
Marino Barovier
Curator of the exhibition Carlo Scarpa. Venini 1932–1947
Carlo Scarpa’s working period at the Venini glassworks went from 1932 to 1947, a long
period in which he played an active part in the company’s life, designing a great many glass
pieces which were then produced using various glass materials.
When bankruptcy led to the shutting down of the M.V.M. Cappellin glassworks in 1932, Carlo
Scarpa ended his working period there and was employed by Venini the same year.
With the respect and support of Paolo Venini, and after his fruitful working experience with
Cappellin, Scarpa was able to increase his knowledge of glass, a material as fascinating as it
was difficult to master.
At Venini Carlo Scarpa was always attentive, curious and eager to expand his knowledge.
He was determined to learn how to handle materials and change their aspect, colours, forms
and techniques.
The learning process took place discreetly, with the help of experienced master glass
blowers, who knew their craft’s secrets and remained loyal to a tradition passed down from
one master craftsman to another.
Scarpa himself became a master: he entertained long conversations with the craftsmen,
stimulated experimentation and paved the way for innovative projects. Especially with
master Fei, with whom he had developed a very close relationship, he often stayed on at
the glassworks after closing time, when he could take the opportunity to approach new
materials, fishing them out from the crucibles after all the minerals had settled.
The materials, be they transparent or opaque, bright or satined, smooth or rugged, thick or
thin, colourless or multi-coloured, presented features which could be manipulated at will, as
witnessed by the high levels of experimentation and the peculiarity of the outcomes. They
showed Scarpa as an artist-alchemist, able to demonstrate practically to what extent glass
can be modelled and light effects can be manipulated, if at the start there is a clearly-defined
project.
To reconstruct Scarpa’s work for Venini, hitherto the main sources have been photographs
from the great decorative art exhibitions, such as the Venice Biennale and the Milan Triennale,
and most of all the Venini sales catalogue, published in the 1940s and known as the “Blue
Catalogue”.
The rediscovery of the documents from Venini’s historical archive, which has now been made
available to the public by the current owners, has allowed a careful examination of the works
attributed to Scarpa, to illustrate thoroughly Scarpa’s years of collaboration with Paolo Venini.
At the archive there are many period photographs, sometimes with interesting notes in their
margin or on their versos, and a series of drawings and designs by Scarpa himself. There is
also an almost complete set of furnace drawings, most of them traceable to the 1930s and
1940s.
Various full-scale such furnace drawings display notes and indications on the use of
colours and other details, which have contributed to a better understanding of glassmaking
techniques. Other marginal notes, like figures or jottings, have helped identify sets of objects
with common features: some of these were produced using the same glass materials, others
were designed in the same period or showcased at the same exhibition.
The study and the cross-examination of the various documents (photos, catalogues, furnace
designs) and a comparison and contrast between them and the real works, made available
by museums and collectors, has made it possible for us to create a catalogue raisonné of
the glass designed by Scarpa for Venini.
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The New Exhibition Venue Le Stanze del Vetro
Technical Sheet
Le Stanze del Vetro (Rooms for Glass) is a new museum dedicated to the study and display
of modern and contemporary forms of Venetian glassmaking. Located on the Island of San
Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, the museum is part of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, a non-profit
institution which rebuilt the island after a century of military occupation and repurposed
its historic structures for cultural and educational uses. The 7,400 sf of exhibition space is
housed on the ground floor of a 19th century warehouse which was converted into a boarding
school during the 1950s. Remnants of the school are preserved including its rationalist
interior configuration defined by a long corridor with classrooms on either side. The design
transforms existing classrooms into nine intimately-scaled galleries for temporary exhibitions
and connects them with a new enfilade passageway which functions as the museum’s new
main circulation route. Along the original corridor, custom steel shelving serves as further
flexible exhibition space, while vitrines mounted inside the original classroom doorways
create visually permeable separation between the corridor and individual galleries. White
walls and concrete floors throughout bring a sense of cohesion to the space. Other functional
requirements are incorporated into the design including a new accessible entryway, reception
area, bookstore, video room, restrooms, and storage. In keeping with Venice’s tradition of
craftsmanship, the firm worked closely with local artisans on the design of the museum’s
custom-made Italian walnut and steel vitrines, steel shelving, and hand blown glass lighting.
Completion: Overall size: Combined size of exhibition spaces: Number of galleries: Number vitrines types: Client: Design Architect:
Architect of Record:
Custom lighting and shelving: Vitrines:
Exhibition construction and set-up:
20 August 2012
690 sm / 7,400 sf
415 sm / 4,400 sf
9
49 (28 built-in types and 21 free-standing types)
Fondazione Giorgio Cini and Pentagram Stiftung
Selldorf Architects
F.Cattaruzza e F.Millosevich Architetti Associati
Alessandro Diaz de Santillana, FontanaArte, Zanatta
costruzioni metalliche srl
OTT ART prodotti per l’arte, Augusto Capovilla sas
Serramenti e Arredamenti, Gino Zanon di P.&F.
Zanon snc
Costruzioni e Restauri G. Salmistrari
Selldorf Architects
Selldorf Architects, located at Manhattan’s Union Square, has acquired an international
reputation for work that is sensitive to context and program, thoughtful in execution, and
timeless. Established by Annabelle Selldorf in 1988, the firm has worked on public and
private projects that range from museums and libraries to a recycling facility; and at scales
from the construction of new buildings to the restoration of historic interiors and furniture
design. The firm has particular expertise in the specific demands of cultural and art-related
projects, with significant experience in gallery, exhibition, and studio spaces; as well as
museums, art foundations, and collectors’ homes.
Clients include cultural institutions and major universities such as the Neue Galerie New York,
the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Brown University, and New York University’s
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Institute for the Study of the Ancient World. In addition, the firm has designed internationally
known galleries such as the Hauser & Wirth Galleries in London, New York, and Zurich; and
the Gladstone, Michael Werner, David Zwirner, and Acquavella Galleries in Manhattan. Other
recent work includes two new condominium buildings in New York City; flagship stores
for Abercrombie & Fitch throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia; and the Villas at
Amangiri in Utah, part of the Amanresorts Collection.
Selldorf Architects recently completed the renovation of two gallery spaces for Haunch of
Venison in London and New York, and is currently designing the new Frieze Masters Art Fair,
which will launch in London this October. This fall the firm will also complete work on three
gallery projects for two long-time clients. For David Zwirner, Selldorf Architects designed a
10,000 sf space in London’s Mayfair, as well as a new 25,000 sf building in New York which
will be the first LEED certified commercial gallery in the United States. For Hauser & Wirth,
the firm is converting the former Roxy nightclub into the gallery’s second exhibition space in
New York.
Annabelle Selldorf is the principal of Selldorf Architects. Born and raised in Germany, she
received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Pratt Institute and a Master of Architecture
degree from Syracuse University in Florence, Italy. Ms. Selldorf is a Fellow of the American
Institute of Architects and President of the Board of the Architectural League of New
York. She also serves on the Boards of the Design Trust for Public Space and the Chinati
Foundation.
Fabrizio Cattaruzza e Francesco Millosevich Architetti Associati
Although their architectural practice was founded relatively recently, in 2011, the two partners
Fabrizio Cattaruzza and Francesco Millosevich have collaborated for almost twenty years.
With considerable experience in the museum sector, they have designed many temporary
exhibition installations. The most significant have been their exhibition designs for the
Fondazione Giorgio Cini since 2000, such as Da Paolo Veneziano a Canova (2000),
Modigliani e i suoi (2000), Canaletto prima maniera (2001), Tiepolo ironia e comico (2004),
Rosalba Carriera prima pittrice de l’Europa (2007), Giuseppe Santomaso e l’opzione
astratta (2008) and Sebastiano Ricci (2010).
Other art show designs include the Pietro Cascella exhibition in the church of San Samuele,
Venice (2000); Dal cielo all’universo, in collaboration with architect Paolo Portoghesi, in
the Villa Pisani, Stra (2004); the exhibition celebrating 250 years since the election of Pope
Clement XIII (2008) in the Palazzo Vescovile, Padua; and Il Tiziano mai visto. La fuga in
Egitto e la grande pittura veneta in the Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice, due to open in
concomitance with the inauguration of Le Stanze del Vetro.
Their building projects include the restoration of the Ex-Convitto IPSIAM, a former nautical
boarding school on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice; this design was commended
at the third edition of the IN/ARCH-ANCE national architecture award.
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The Fondazione Giorgio Cini Study Centre for Glass
As part of Le Stanze del Vetro (Rooms for Glass), a long-term cultural project to study
and showcase the art of 20th-century Venetian glassmaking, set up in collaboration with
Pentagram Stiftung, the Fondazione Giorgio Cini has created a dedicated Study Centre for
Glass within its Institute of Art History. The principal aim is to develop it into an important
reference resource for the international scholarly community with an interest in glass.
This whole operation is perfectly in line with the Foundation’s tradition, which has shown
a great interest in glassmaking since it was created. Founder Vittorio Cini was a collector
of Murano glass and acquired some remarkable pieces, such as the Foglia bowl made by
Venini e C. to a design by Tyra Lundgren (1938), the Veronese vase made by the Compagnia
Venezia Murano and the celebrated Inciso vase made by Venini e C. to a design by Paolo
Venini (1956). These works are still part of the artistic heritage of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini.
Other evidence of the Foundation’s interest glass can be found in some of the bequests and
archives housed on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Thus, for example, some fascinating
letters on the subject of glass were exchanged by Gabriele D’Annunzio and Napoleone
Martinuzzi, a great 20th-century Murano glass designer. Their correspondence is now in the
Study Centre for Documentary Research into European Drama and Opera.
In operation since April 2012, the Study Centre for Glass is currently committed to
building a specialised library and the creation of an important General Archive of Venetian
Glass. Over the years the new archive will bring together the historical archives of Murano
glassmaking companies. The material will mainly be made up of drawings, designs,
correspondences and photographic reproductions to be made available to the scholarly
community with the aim of developing and reviving the art of glassmaking.
The first historic archive acquired by Pentagram Stiftung for the Fondazione Giorgio Cini
Study Centre is the extraordinary Seguso Archive. Through drawings, watercolours,
designs, sketches, administrative documents and around 15,000 photographs, the
archive retells the story of the production of the Murano glassmakers Seguso Vetri D’Arte,
one of the most glorious furnaces in the world of 20th-century Venetian glass.
From its foundation in 1933 as the “Artistica Soffieria e Vetreria Barovier Seguso e Ferro,” the
company set the qualitative benchmark for glass through its very special creations until the
1970s.
The archive documents reveal how artists and sophisticated designers worked alongside the
expert artisans at Seguso. Together they not only gave the glassworks a great reputation but
also contributed to writing the recent history of Venetian glass. A key role was played by the
artistic directors: Flavio Poli (1937-1963), Mario Pinzoni (1963-1968) and Vittorio Rigattieri
(1968-1973). The archive photographs provide a very accurate idea of the individual items
produced in the factory and are valuable evidence of less well-known aspects of Seguso’s
activities, such as its participation in international exhibitions, major orders (e.g. the lighting
project for the Hotel Bauer in Venice) and snapshots taken inside the factory. Lastly, the
documents also contain fascinating information about the glassworks’ customers. From the
1940s to the 1960s they included leading international aristocrats, politicians and celebrities,
such as the Duke of Spoleto and Princess Irene of Greece, the President of the Italian
Republic Luigi Einaudi, 20th Century Fox producer Frank Ross, King Olav V of Norway, the
President of Burkina Faso, Maurice Yameogo, the Iranian ambassador, Mohamed El Tabei,
but also companies like Alfa Romeo.
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Currently still under construction, the Study Centre for Glass library and archive in the
Fondazione Giorgio Cini will be open for consultation as of October 2012 in the Nuova
Manica Lunga library facility.
In addition to conserving materials, the Study Centre also has the task of providing
scientific support in the organisation of seminars, conferences and workshops intended for
scholars and artists who wish to pursue their interest in the history and technology of the
art of glassmaking and the latest developments in the field. The Centre will also periodically
organise temporary exhibitions on Venetian glass.
Lastly, a scholarship will be set up specifically for researchers who wish to further their
knowledge of the subject.
For information and contacts:
Centro Studi del Vetro
[email protected]
tel. +39 041 2710306
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Carlo Scarpa (1906-1978)
Biographical notes
Carlo Scarpa was born in Venice on 2 June 1906, son of Antonio Scarpa, a primary school
teacher and director of education and Emma Novello, who ran a high-quality dressmaker’s
shop. Shortly afterwards the family moved to Vicenza, where Scarpa completed primary
school and then went on to a technical college. After his mother’s death in 1919, Carlo
moved to Venice where he attended architecture courses at the Accademia di Belle Arti. In
1926 he graduated with the qualification of “professor of architectural drawing” but he never
sat the state exam enabling him to exercise the profession of architect. After graduating,
he began teaching as an assistant to Guido Cirilli – previously his own teacher at the
Accademia – who taught architecture in the newly established Venice Faculty of Architecture.
Scarpa was to teach regularly throughout his professional career until 1977. At the
Venice Faculty of Architecture he taught various courses: Decoration, Drawing from Life,
Applications of Descriptive Geometry, Interior Design, Furnishings and Decoration, and
Architectural Composition. From 1945 to 1947, he also taught “Industrial Design” at the
Istituto Artistico Industriale, Venice.
In 1951 he obtained the university teaching licence for Interior Design, Furnishings and
Decoration. From 1972 to 1974 he was rector of the Istituto Universitario di Architettura di
Venezia (IUAV).
Carlo Scarpa died in Sendai, Japan on 28 November 1978, just before he was due to receive
an honorary degree in architecture.
Glassmaking timeline
1932 Carlo Scarpa’s working relationship with glassmakers M.V.M. Cappellin e C., begun in
1926, ends due to the latter going bankrupt in January 1932 and he begins to collaborate
with Venini.
His initial glass designs include the series of a bollicine glass. Some examples are shown
at the 18th Venice Biennale together with models designed by Tomaso Buzzi for the same
glassmakers.
1934 Scarpa replaces Tomaso Buzzi as artistic director at Venini and at the 19th Venice
Biennale exhibits some heavy glass pieces called sommersi with extraordinary coloured
layers, thickly embedded bubbles and the application of gold leaf, at times varied with
ribbing. He also shows a series of light, blown glass items in simple forms made using the
traditional technique called a mezza filigrana.
1936 Scarpa shows new pieces of sommersi and a mezza filigrana with variations called
ondulata and variegata at the 20th Venice Biennale and the 6th Milan Triennial; at the Milan
exhibition Scarpa also takes part as an exhibition designer. His realised designs ranges from
the highly refined lattimi, to delicate light, blown glass and the heavy corrosi with their typical
rough surface. His collaboration with Paolo Venini results in a small series of murrine romane.
1937 Scarpa designs a series of cristallo and filigree frames and more murrine romane. At
the Paris Universal Exhibition he shows a small series of items called a puntini.
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1938 He designs a new series of corrosi, decorated with “reliefs”. The 21st Venice Biennale
features some of his glass with a sober, refined look, including everyday objects. In the Venini
vitrines are various items a puntini, bicolori ad incalmo, vases and bowls a cerchi, a fasce,
variegati zigrinati, martellati and rigati. This group does not include a short series of glass
a strisce that will be included in the catalogue the following year.
1940 Carlo Scarpa presents a wide, varied range of glass objects at the 22nd Venice Biennale
and the 7th Milan Triennial. At the two events Venini shows works of a remarkably high
standard in solo rooms designed by Scarpa himself.
Scarpa’s glass objects are made with extremely refined, complex techniques. Indeed they
are so difficult to execute that often they are one-off items. Examples include the granulari,
laccati neri e rossi and incisi, made with abstract patterns and figurative motifs usually by
the excellent grinding tool operator Eliseo Piano. There are also some slightly veiled opaque
murrines, clear murrines, velati and iridati but also the battuti, cinesi and tessuti, which will
prove to be very popular.
1942 Despite being on the eve of the Second World War, at the 23rd Venice Biennale (the last
at which Scarpa will take part as a glass designer), Venini shows some highly coloured pieces
designed by the architect. In addition to new incisi vases is a series of a fili, a fasce, variegati
glass and the extraordinary, brightly coloured a pennellate vases. The a macchie bowls
stand out for their unusual abstract decoration, while a series of “shells” is characterised by
soft tones in highly iridescent glass.
At this time Scarpa is also exploring the potential of glass that will result in the series of a filo
continuo glass.
1943 With a design by Scarpa, Venini wins a competition organised by the University
of Padua for the creation of a grandiose table centrepiece. As required by the brief, the
centrepiece consists of a series of animals symbolising the various faculties.
1947 Scarpa ends his collaboration on Murano with Venini; however, the architect will turn
to Venini in 1961 for a large polyhedron chandelier for Expo Italia 61 in Turin. In 1967 the
Venetian glassworks will make a large glass window designed by Scarpa and Mario De Luigi
for the Italian Pavilion at the Montreal Expo.
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Carlo Scarpa.
Venini 1932–1947
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A bollicine, 1932-33
A bollicine (bubble) glass can be considered one of the first examples of Carlo Scarpa’s work at
Venini. Some of the items in this series, included in the sales catalogue with registration number 11000
at the beginning of the 1930s and only partially included in the blue catalogue, were presented at
the 18th Venice Biennale (1932). This type of glass derives its name from the presence in its core of
numerous small air bubbles. This type of glass can be produced by injecting potassium nitrate, which
when heated frees minuscule bubbles of carbon dioxide. This procedure is a development of the
pulegoso glass technique, adopted by Martinuzzi between 1928 and 1930. The distinguishing element
of bubble glass is its watery appearance, due to the large amount of crystal in it. Generally bubble
glass, whose forms were drawn from Oriental art, was made in a very successful jade green, but
also in light blue, dark green and amethyst. In particular, for wares for the dressing table the preferred
combination was matching jade green with amethyst. The same series could also be produced in
pulegoso glass. Various glass pieces from the 11000 series can be seen in a 1934 photograph,
featuring the large shelves at the Hammel shop in Paris.
1932, Venice, 18th Biennale Internazionale d’Arte
1933, Milan, 5th Triennale
ROOM: 1
Sommersi, 1934-36
The sommersi glass items were first exhibited at the 19th and 20th Venice Biennale (1934-1936),
and at the 6th Milan Triennale (1936).
The series includes thick glass items consisting of an overlaying of different clear coloured glass layers.
In particular, the bubble glass layer gives the items special chromatic effects.
Scarpa himself developed this technique and subsequently used it for a whole range of glass types:
sommersi glassware with gold leaf inclusions and particular plays of light; costolato (ribbed) sommersi
glass, two-coloured sommersi glass and bulicante sommersi glass.
The plasticity of the costolato glassware is enhanced by internal multi-directional stamped ribbing
with gold leaf inclusions. The two-tone effect of the two-coloured glassware is obtained by overlaying
different clear coloured glass layers with a glass layer of contrasting colour.
Among the two-coloured glass items, those displaying soft tones are particularly striking. The bulicante
glassware owes its particular look to the interposing of a transparent glass layer between the bubble
glass layers.
The regular bubble pattern of the middle layer was obtained by using a pointed mould. This series was
manufactured in orange-shaded (aranciato), olive green, red, straw colour (pagliesco), white, green,
amethyst, blue, grey.
ROOMS: 1, 2
Mezza filigrana, 1934-36
By revisiting the ancient half-filigree (mezza filigrana) technique, already in use in the 16th century,
Scarpa designed a refined series of glass pieces, which was presented at the Venice Biennale in 1934.
At the following Biennale (1936), other variants were exhibited: filigrana ondulata cristallo lattimo
and “variegata bruno”. Some of these, such as the filigrana variegata marino, were on display at
the 6th Triennale the same year. Half-filigree glass features an extremely thin and clear texture, made
of a series of clear glass rods with at their centre a piece of lattimo or coloured glass. During the
manufacturing process the rods are fire-joined in a furnace at 700 degrees Celsius. The glass slab
thereby obtained is shaped into a cylinder which is modeled with a blowpipe by the glassmaker to
attain the designed shape. This series’ colours were: lattimo, brown (bruno), marine (marino), coral,
blue, amethyst and green. The variations were: mezza filigrana variegata, where the rods’ core is
made of a thin twisted band; mezza filigrana sommersa, where the thickness of the glass is due to its
immersion in crystal.
ROOM: 3
Murrine romane, 1936 and 1940
The murrine romane (“Roman” murrine) were the result of a collaboration between Carlo Scarpa and
Paolo Venini, who decided to create a new series of glass pieces, by drawing on ancient murrine from
his personal collection. As appears evident from some of Scarpa’s drawings, he developed Venini’s
ideas designing vases and bowls, most of which were produced and exhibited at the 6th Triennale in
Milan and at the 20th Venice Biennale in 1936. To create these extraordinary items a technique used in
Murano at the end of the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century was readopted. Previously-made
intersecting glass rods, were cold-joined and placed on a metallic slab covered with clay, which was
put into a furnace at 700 degrees Celsius to melt the rods together. The glass piece thereby obtained
was then shaped using open moulds or glassmaker’s tools to create a wide range of forms. The
“Roman” murrine featured a peculiarly rough and irregular surface, owing to the varying thickness of
the rods, which were mainly in clear glass, with a lively coloured core. This technique was used again
in 1940 to produce two rectangular-shaped bowls.
ROOM: 3
Lattimi, 1936
Lattimo glass is a type of opaque white glass obtained by adding a large amount of minuscule crystals
to the melting glass. The crystals changed the index of refraction, thus giving the glass mass a milky
appearance. With this type of glass, already used during his work at the Cappellin glassworks (1926–
31), Scarpa designed a series of elegant geometrically-shaped glass items, which met with success at
the Venice Biennale and at the Milan Triennale in 1936.
ROOM: 3
Corrosi, 1936 and 1938
The corrosi (corroded glass) series was exhibited at the 6th Milan Triennale and at the 20th Venice
Biennale in 1936. In the latter it was presented in the following colours: grey, “sea” (mare), “foliage”
(fogliame) and “golden” (aurato). Corroded glass featured a rough surface, caused by hydrofluoric
and sulphuric acid in solution. The glass piece, often clear and coloured, was covered with sawdust
soaked in acid. The glass surface, often iridised, was thereby unevenly corroded. Scarpa created a
wide range of delicate-shaped glass pieces, decorated with hot applications of corroded bosses,
ribbon-shaped and relief decorations. For them he chose delicate shades, like aquamarine, amethyst,
smoke-grey, straw (pagliesco) and cornelian (corniola), but also more lively colours like orange, blue,
green and red. The same technique was used in 1938 to produce martellato (hammered) glass,
exhibited at the Venice Biennale that year. Clear colourless or lightly-coloured, drawing on traditional
Nordic production, and produced by mould-pressing, this series was created by the joint efforts of
Scarpa and Tyra Lundgren, a Swedish artist who designed for Venini animals and leaf-shaped plates,
when they exhibited at the same Biennale.
1938, Venice, 21st Biennale Internazionale d’Arte
ROOM: 4
A puntini and a strisce, 1937-38
The a puntini (dotted) and a strisce (striped) glass were included in a small series presented at the
Paris Universal Exhibition in 1937 and showcased at the 21st Venice Biennale one year later. This was a
clear and highly iridised type of glass, decorated with small dots or stripes in hot application of opaque
glass. The items thus produced were small objects such as bonbonnières, ashtrays and toiletries.
1937, Paris, Exposition Universelle
ROOM: 5
Variegati zigrinati, 1938 and 1942
A small series of variegated glass objects was presented at the Venice Biennale in 1938, including two
bowls created using a technique which Scarpa also employed in 1942 for some shells exhibited at that
year’s Venice exhibition. The variegati zigrinati series featured clear, lightly iridised glass, with lace-like
decorations. Its effect was obtained putting coloured glass threads along the object’s whole surface,
which was blown into an open ribbed mould. The vertical ribs, thus etched into the glass surface,
broke the thread’s continuity, determining its rugged design.
1942, Venice, 23rd Biennale Internazionale d’Arte
ROOM: 5
A cerchi and A fasce, 1938 and A spirale 1936-38
These series featured clear glass, decorated with one or more coloured opaque glass ribbon-shaped
patterns, in different sizes. The ribbon-shaped decorations, which were applied hot and subsequently
marbled, could be in circles or coils.
The coiling pattern was particularly used for non-decorative objects (candlesticks, frames, toiletries
and dinner sets), exhibited at the 6th Triennale (1936) and the 21st Venice Biennale (1938).
ROOM: 4
Murrine opache, 1940
The opaque murrine glassware is the outcome of Scarpa’s further research on the technique
experimented with Paolo Venini in 1936, when the two conceived the “Roman” murrine series. While
the multicoloured rod sections of the “Roman” murrine items were cold-assembled and successively
joined in the furnace, the new opaque murrine were not blown, but shaped by using moulds or
glassmaker tools, and then ground finished to obtain a smooth effect on the whole surface, unlike the
“Roman” murrine glassware.
The very first example of an opaque murrine vase (probably not ground) was published in 1936 in the
“Domus” magazine (July issue) along with the “Roman” murrine glassware. A small series of ground
murrine glass items was exhibited at the 22nd Venice Biennale in 1940.
Among them was an astonishing dish with a coiled snake in red and white murrine standing out
against black murrine. Enrico Motta pointed out the exceptional character of the “two bowls of exotic
taste in red and black murrine and enamel-like glass paste” (E. Motta 1940).
1940, Venice, 22nd Biennale Internazionale d’Arte
ROOM: 5
Murrine trasparenti, 1940
This series of clear glass murrine items was exhibited for the first time at the 22nd Venice Biennale
(1940) and is a very rare variation of the opaque murrine and ground murrine glassware exhibited
on the same occasion. The series includes a number of bowls consisting of hot-joined clear glass
tesserae of square shape. Other items were manufactured by using clear glass murrine (monochrome
rod sections). These were cooled down during the manufacturing process and successively reheated
to obtain a typical crackle effect. The glass was then collected by the glassmaker using a blowpipe
and shaped as desired.
ROOMS: 6, 8
Granulari, 1940
The granulari (granular) series, also called murrine granulari, was a development of research on
murrine, which had been started with the murrine romane series in 1936. Around 1940, probably with
a view to the Milan exhibition, two quadrangular bowls were created: they featured squared tesserae
in black glass, with copious mineral residues and four opal globules at their corners. The same murrine
were used in the same year to create the black granulari glass objects. These objects, whose glass
materal featured conterie beads and lattimo and opal globules, were exhibited at the 7th Milan Triennale
(1940) with two variations: one with bright colours (ruby and sapphire), thread-shaped fabric and relief
conterie (glass beads); the other one in black glass with small protruding lattimo spheres.
While the first type’s “spongy” texture was obtained through the melting of conteria beads, the second,
the black granulari, was produced using the murrine technique, as confirmed by a note
on the drawing for bowl no. 3777.
In particular, these items were made using black glass tesserae with four opal globules at their corners,
which, being the first elements to cool down, were not completely incorporated by the surface, thus
remaining in relief and giving the glass fabric its characteristic granuloso (granular) effect.
ROOM: 5
Laccati neri e rossi, 1940
The laccati neri e rossi series was first presented at the 22nd Venice Biennale (1940) and received
great press coverage. This series included intensely-coloured glass, presenting a Chinese lacquer-like
texture. The objects were red, black, two-toned (red and black), with horizontal or vertical incalmo.
To obtain a bright red colour, Scarpa used a material made of minuscule lamp-worked glass spheres
incorporated into the glass mass. Because of its particular complexity, very few pieces were produced.
ROOM: 5
Incisi, 1940-42
The items from the Incisi series were conceived as unique artefacts with wheel-ground geometric,
abstract or figurative decorations. Many of them were also lightly velato-finished. For this astonishing
series, Scarpa cooperated with Venini grinders and engravers Eliseo Piano and Armando Campagnol,
and the famous Bohemian engraver Franz Pelzel.
ROOMS: 5, 6
Rigati, 1938 and Tessuti, 1940
The rigato and tessuto glass can be considered Scarpa’s original interpretation of the rod glass (i.e.
filigree glass) and consists of multi-coloured glass rods. Exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 1938, the
Rigati series was the first rod glass series and included plates and small bowls with thin cold-joined
rods of alternated colours (i.e. dark green and black). The rods were subsequently hot-joined and
shaped into the desired design by using open moulds or glassmaker tools. In 1940, Scarpa presented
the new tessuto glass series. Unlike the rigato glass, the tessuto glass was blown, not iridised, and
featured lively colours. To reduce working times, small bunches of rods in alternated colours were
prepared beforehand. Once hot-joined, the glassmaker rolled the “fabric” (tessuto) into a cylindrical
object and shaped it using a blowpipe. The tessuto doppio (double fabric) glass is a rare variation
obtained by blowing the rod glass into other rod glass of different colour, and was never manufactured
in large scale owing to the high production costs. The typical thickness of the tessuto sommerso
glass is due to the submersion of the rod glass into clear uncoloured glass.
ROOM: 6
Incamiciati Cinesi, 1940
“Chinese” was the definition attributed to a series of incamiciati (sleeved) glass vases and bowls,
with forms drawn from the Oriental porcelain much appreciated by Scarpa. Some of these brightlycoloured glass items were exhibited at the 22nd Venice Biennale, and because of their elegant features
met with great success. The use of the incamiciatura technique, in which various differently-coloured
glass layers were superimposed, enabled the craftsmen to create thin and strikingly-coloured objects.
ROOM: 6
Iridati, 1940
Iridisation is a finishing technique which Scarpa frequently used to give a particular, varyingly
conspicuous, appearance to many glass items designed for Venini, which take on a particular
appearance after being exposed to tin or titanium fumes.
In 1940 the 7th Milan Triennale and 22nd Venice Biennale featured a number of objects produced with
this technique. Characteristic of it were the “lead-like glass pieces which resemble the solidity of metal”
(E. Motta 1940), which were generally produced by superimposing various layers of coloured glass.
The a bugne (with round reliefs) glass belonged to the same series: it was thick glass, decorated with
characteristic hot-applied protruding elements.
ROOM: 6
Velati, 1940
The typical surface of the velato glassware is finished with ultra-light grounding. Period magazines also
dubbed these items “misty glassware” (“vetri appannati”), owing to their superficial frost-like effect.
1940, Milano, 7th Triennale
ROOMS: 6, 8
Battuti, 1940-46
The particular ground finish of the battuti glassware was conceived by Scarpa early in the 1940s in
order to obtain either a hammered silver effect (“honeycomb” battuto-finish) or the typical effect of
stone-processing (horizontal and vertical battuto-finish). The first battuto-finished items were exhibited
in 1940 at the 22nd Venice Biennale and 7th Milan Triennale.
1940, Milano, 7th Triennale
ROOM: 6
A filo continuo, 1942 circa
This very rare glassware series is numbered 8300, and only two of its items are known and dated
around 1942. Consisting of a continuous coil of glass thread, this series features a weave-like effect
in relief, obtained by coiling glass paste threads around a mould.
ROOM: 8
A fasce applicate, 1940
Consisting of a small number of bowls, vases and dishes with applied ribbon-shaped decorations, this
series was exhibited for the first time at the 7th Milan Triennale in 1940. The thick clear glass items are
intensely iridised and owe their name to the typical ribbon-shaped decorations in clear coloured glass.
These elements were hot-applied during the manufacturing process and could be either in relief — like
large colour spots — or integrated in the glass. Moreover, this series also stands out for the special
hues obtained by superimposing different coloured layers.
ROOM: 7
A macchie, 1942
The large spot decorated series is often intensely iridised and includes clear uncoloured glass bowls
and dishes with clear glass abstract decorations (i.e. more or less large spots, of irregular shape) in
transparent coloured glass. Some items from this series were exhibited for the first time at the Venice
Biennale in 1942.
ROOM: 7
Decoro a fili, 1942-47
The thread-decorated vases are part of one of the last series designed by Scarpa for Venini.
The surface of these clear glass items is coiled with hot-applied multicoloured threads arranged
in a more or less thick irregular pattern. Light iridisation is sometimes added.
ROOM: 8
A fili and A fasce, 1942
The glassware from this series features a typical multicoloured motif obtained by arranging thread
and ribbon-shaped glass elements around an item and integrating them into its walls during the
manufacturing process. Exhibited for the first time in Venice in 1942, the series features light superficial
iridisation and sometimes a light ground finishing.
ROOM: 8
Variegati, 1942
The variegated glassware of this series includes clear glass items coiled with thin irregular stripes,
usually in autumn colours.
The intense iridisation makes some points of the glass elements applied change to other hues, thus
amplifying the chromatic effects of the decoration. At the 1942 Venice Biennale, Scarpa proposed a
series of variegated glass items with unusually smooth shapes.
ROOM: 8
A pennellate, 1942
Clear glass items decorated with brush-strokes. Scarpa himself defined them as decorated by “large
torn out colour spots” on the whole surface, as the brush-stroke effect is obtained by adding small
quantities of coloured opaque glass during the blowing process and dragging them around the vase
until the desired thinness is achieved. The whole operation is then repeated with glass of different hues
until the whole surface has been covered. The surface is sometimes lightly iridised. Yellow-orange and
sky blue-amethyst were chosen as colour combinations for this rare series.
ROOMS: 7, 8
Conchiglie, 1942-47
Among the glassware exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 1942, Scarpa proposed a small series of
glass shells. The items from this series were manufactured in clear coloured or variegated glass and
drew inspiration from marine motifs.
ROOM: 8
Pantone 562C
Pantone 3265C
Pantone 571 EC
Pantone 5635EC
Carlo Scarpa. Venini 1932-1947
Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice
Exhibition sponsored by
Fondazione Giorgio Cini
and Pentagram Stiftung
Le Stanze del Vetro
A joint-initiative of
Scientific Committee
Giuseppe Pavanello, Chairman
Marino Barovier
Rosa Barovier Mentasti
Laura de Santillana
David Landau
Nico Stringa
Coordination management
Maria Novella Benzoni
Fondazione Giorgio Cini onlus
Chairman
Giovanni Bazoli
General secretary
Pasquale Gagliardi
Facility coordination and
management
Maria Novella Benzoni
Erica Galvan
Technical department
Massimo Altieri
Adriano Longhin
Gloria Pasqualetto
Marketing and communication
Emilio Quintè
Serena Concone
Giovanna Pesaro
Press office
Elena Casadoro
Pantone 387C
Pantone 562C
Pantone 3265C
Pantone 571 EC
Pantone 5635EC
Management
Andrea Erri
Michele Ballarin
Istituto di Storia dell’Arte
Giuseppe Pavanello, Chairman
Coordination management
Simone Guerriero
Centro Studi del Vetro
Matteo Gardonio
Laura Gaetani
Pentagram Stiftung
Chairman
Marie-Rose Kahane
Exhibition Carlo Scarpa. Venini 1932-1947
Le Stanze del Vetro, Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice
Exhibition curated and catalogue edited by
Marino Barovier
Exhibition project
Marino Barovier
Scientific research and coordination
Carla Sonego
Catalogue graphic project
Studio Tapiro Camplani+Pescolderung
Editorial coordination and make-up
Ettore Bellini
Francesca Tiengo
Photographs
Ettore Bellini
Francesco Barasciutti
Videos
Gian Luigi Calderone
Antonio Pintus
Organisational coordination
Laura Corazzol – ArtSystem
Head of Communications
Tommaso Speretta – ArtSystem
Pantone 387C
Pantone 562C
Pantone 3265C
Pantone 571 EC
Pantone 5635EC
Art Director
Laura de Santillana
Graphic design of communication materials
L+L
AD3 Comunicazione
Web design
OLEX
Exhibition set-up design
Selldorf Architects
F. Cattaruzza and F. Millosevich Architetti Associati
Exhibition construction and set-up
Costruzioni e Restauri G. Salmistrari
Augusto Capovilla S.a.s. Serramenti e Arredamenti
OTT ART Prodotti per l’Arte – Giacomo Andrea Doria
Zanatta Costruzioni Metalliche srl
Gino Zanon di P.&F. Zanon snc
Exhibition lighting design
Alessandro Diaz de Santillana
Fontana Arte
Educational Project
Anna Fornezza – ArtSystem
Transports
Apice – Venice
Insurance
Marine & Aviation JLT – Divisione
Fine-Art
Alberto Magni
Reception and security
Iniziative Venete
Roberto De Zorzi
Pantone 387C

Le Stanze del Vetro Carlo Scarpa. Venini 1932–1947

Transcription

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