“The goal of the mid- to late-20th Century American Studio Glass movement was to free glassmaking from industrial processes and to develop glass in the artist’s studio as a material for contemporary art. Some artists took the new studio glassblowing in experimental and innovative directions in the late 1960s, yet most Americans were hampered by their lack of technical knowledge.”
Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore
Le Stanze del Vetro
Venice and American Studio Glass
Right across from Piazza San Marco and Palazzo Ducale on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in the Stanze del Vetro - Venice and the American Studio Glass show – until January 10 - is curated by Tina Oldknow and William Warmus. Gathering 155 outstanding glass vessels, sculptures and installations created by 60 American and Venetian artists, this exhibition is the first to closely examine the influences of traditional Venetian glass-working techniques, as well as the Venetian aesthetic, on the American Studio Glass from the 1960s to the present.
https://lestanzedelvetro.org/en/exhibitions/venice-and-american-studio-glass-2/
Venice and American Studio Glass
By 1960, glassblowing had become industrialized in the United States and many skills were lost, so American Studio Glassartists looked to Europe, and especially to Venice and the glassblowers on the island of Murano, for guidance. What ensued was a “love affair” with Venetian glass-working that, by the end of the 1990s, had spread throughout the United States and worldwide.
Harvey K. Littleton - Blue Projectile Impact – 1984
This iconic glass sculpture, shot with a rifle, is symbolic of the bold new directions in glassmaking that Americans wanted to take.
The sense of arrested movement that can be seen in this sculpture is characteristic of Littleton’s work at that time, as is the way in which the colors are multiplied and magnified inside the glass.
David Landau
Dale Chihuly – Cobalt Goblet – 1971
Pioneering artists such as Dale Chihuly and Benjamin Moore traveled to Venice, learned Venetian techniques, and then invited Venetian maestros to the United States to teach.
Harvey K. Littleton – Distortion Box II – 1974
Dan Dailey – Prima Donnas – Circus Vase - series – 2019
Dale Chihuly
Cadmium Orange Venetian #350 – 1990
Payne’s Gray Venetian #24 - 1989
both made with Lino Tagliapietra
Richard Marquis
Stars and Stripes Acid Capsule #4 – 1969-1970
Crazy Quilt Teapot – 1985
Richard Marquis, who also traveled to Venice, developed entirely new uses for the Venetian mosaic technique, known as murrine, for his Americanflag-inspired objects, crazy quilt teapots, and Marquiscarpa vessels.
Dale Chihuly
Olive Green Venetian with Sawtooth Flanges
Chrome Yellow Venetian – 1989
Napoleone Martinuzzi
Anfora Pulegoso a Dieci Anse – 1925
These experimental vessels were made during Chihuly’s first ‘Venetians’ blow with Lino Tagliapietra in Seattle.
Benjamin P. Moore – Interior Fold Plater – 2001
Moore traveled toVenice, learned Venetian techniques, and then invited Venetian maestri to the United States to teach at Pilchuck. His body of works focuses specifically on Venetian aesthetics, and is inspired by mid-20th-century Venetian glass design.
Benjamin P. Moore – Pala Set – 2008
Preston Singletary – Alligator Goblet – 1990
Singletary introduces Americannarrative elements into his lighthearted goblets – think of the Everglades of Florida.
Salviati dott. Antonio – Calice da Parata Fume’ Con Tre Serpenti Alati – 1880
Richard Royal – Tropical Leopard Skin Scroll – 2015
Royal’s work is not Venetian-inspired. But, like many other artists in this exhibition, Royal uses Venetian techniques in the making of his vessels and sculptures.
Dante Marioni
Red Parquet Mosaic Vase – 2007 Yellow in Red – Z – Leaf Pair – 2017
Pink Reticello Urn – 2010
Lino Tagliapietra - Dinosaur – 2018
