Artlight
10
VENINI
Founded in 1921 in Murano by the Milanese
lawyer Paolo Venini and the Venetian
antique dealer Giacomo Cappellin, VENINI
is renowned around the world for its artistic
and cultural excellence and its fine creations.
Since the company was founded, the master
glass-makers have always been the heart and
strength of the glass company; in the world
of glass, there are no schools, only lessons
that are passed down with words, gestures
and
movements.
These
noble
artisans
dedicate most of their lives to the art of glass,
evermore perfecting their abilities and skills.
Their techniques express the rational soul of
the works, the sum of the rules that make
the transformation of an idea or a design into
reality possible. One of the distinctive elements
of VENINI is its prestigious chromatic palette
composed of over 125 fascinating and refined
colours that are the result of reflections,
experiments and detailed research aimed at
creating new combinations.
Through its one hundred year history,
VENINI has succeeded in establishing a
dialogue between this millenary history and
the creativity of designers such as Vittorio
Zecchin, Napoleone Martinuzzi, Tomaso
Buzzi, Tyra Lungren, Carlo Scarpa, Gio Ponti,
Paolo Venini, Fulvio Bianconi, Tapio Wirkkala,
Timo Sarpaneva, Thomas Stearns, Ludovico
and Alessandro Diaz de Santillana, Laura de
Santillana, Tobia Scarpa, Benjamin Moore,
Dan Dailey, Toots Zinsky, Toni Zuccheri,
Gae Aulenti, Ettore Sottsass, Mimmo Rotella,
Alessandro Mendini, Monica Guggisberg
and Philip Baldwin, Emmanuel Babled,
Doriana and Massimiliano Fuksas, Cini Boeri,
Rodolfo Dordoni, Giorgio Vigna, Tadao
Ando, Fernando and Humberto Campana,
Flo Perkins, Fabio Novembre, Michela Cattai,
Mario Bellini, Studio Job, Barber & Osgerby,
Ron Arad and Peter Marino, among others.
The company’s appeal has always attracted
talents and creative individuals from around
the world, giving them the desire and freedom
to express themselves and tell their stories.
This encounter has given life to particularly
rich artistic production in terms of style,
shape, and expressive languages.
Paying homage to the company’s mastery and
artistic journey, in addition to the surprising
historical archive, in 2008 the idea of the
VENINI Museum was born. Located in Murano,
in the company’s historic facilities, the space
goes beyond that of a mere chronological
exposition, to accompany enthusiasts on a
journey free of temporal and spatial structures,
where visitors can immerse, reflect and feel
moved. The historical archive contains more
than 45,000 original drawings, 10,000 old
pictures depicting architectural installations
and exhibits from the past, but also events
and figures who have collaborated with the
company, and over 5,000 works, among
which are very rare drawings by famous
authors, often loaned to the most important
international museums for exhibits dedicated
to the history of the company and Murano
Founded in 1921
by the Milanese lawyer
Paolo Venini and Venetian
antique dealer
Giacomo Cappellin
glass. Thanks to this priceless historical
value, VENINI creations have become a part
of the collections of prestigious museums
such as the Metropolitan Museum and the
MOMA of New York, the Fondazione Cartier
and the Centre Georges-Pompidou in Paris,
the Victoria and Albert Museum in London,
the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the
Österreichisches Museum für angewandte
Kunst of Vienna, the Musée des Beaux Arts
of Montreal, the Eretz Museum of Tel Aviv,
the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art of
Tokyo and the Shanghai Museum of Glass,
but also the Triennale of Milan and the Museo
del Vetro of Murano.
VENINI has always created objects with a
timeless design that increase in value over
time. Thanks to their elevated quality, high
artistic aesthetic and manufacturing value,
VENINI creations are sold at important
auctions. Indeed, the work of Murano glass
that has fetched the highest price in history
was created by VENINI: “La Sentinella di
Venezia” by Thomas Stearns brought the
price of 737,000 dollars in 1962.
Since 2016, the company has been managed
by the DAMIANI Group that also controls the
international high jewellery brand of the same
name. The company has set out a series of
plans for growth aimed at generating global
value of Made in Italy production.
