Murano chandeliers in museums and art exhibitions

Murano chandeliers have always been considered works of art in themselves, a perfect combination of craftsmanship and sophisticated design. These blown glass masterpieces, known for their elegance and timeless beauty, have captivated the world with their radiant light and unparalleled charm. Today, we will focus on Murano chandeliers when they are displayed in museums and art exhibitions.

The Murano Glass Museum: Showcasing Extraordinary Chandeliers

Let's begin our journey at the renowned Murano Glass Museum, a place steeped in history and tradition, where some of the most extraordinary chandeliers ever created are preserved and showcased. The Glass Museum finds its home in the sumptuous Palazzo Giustinian, an architectural gem dating back to the 18th century and originally conceived as a private residence. This building, characterized by late Gothic style, provides the perfect backdrop to safeguard the artistic and artisanal heritage of Murano chandeliers. Located on the island of Murano, the museum offers a easily accessible location by vaporetto. A place that, even before housing glass artworks, captures the imagination of visitors with its history and architectural beauty. In February 2015, it reopened its doors to the public after careful expansion and restoration work.

The Origins of the Glass Museum

The origins of the Glass Museum date back to 1861 when it was founded by the Municipality of Murano, which was at the time an autonomous island not yet part of the Municipality of Venice. The aim was to document the history and display the masterpieces of Venetian glassmaking tradition, which dates back to the 10th century. Over the years, the museum's collection has significantly expanded, embracing more widely the history and artisanal techniques of glassmaking. Today, the glass art collection of the Glass Museum is one of the most prestigious in the world, featuring ancient Murano glass chandeliers and presented in a permanent exhibition organized into seven chronological sections, spanning from antiquity to the present day. These sections tell the history of glass art with objects ranging from classics to Art Nouveau modernism, to the most contemporary creations. Among the illustrious names that stand out in the collection are famous glassworks such as Cappellin & Venini, Toso, Artisti Barovier e Seguso, and works designed by renowned artists and designers such as Vittorio Zecchin, Carlo Scarpa, Tapio Wirkkala, Yoichi Ohira, and Dale Chihuly.

The Skira Catalog as a Guide to Murano Chandeliers in Art Exhibitions

Here, we cannot fail to mention a Skira publication dedicated to the entire world of Murano chandeliers and the art exhibitions that have hosted them, with a special focus on the prestigious production of Venini. It is called "Venini Light: 1921 – 1985," and it is a catalog dedicated to photographs of Murano chandeliers that not only documents the luminous creations of the famous Venetian furnace but also provides a detailed chronological overview of the works created by Master Venini from 1921 to 1985. The text is organized by decades, and each piece is presented in detail with explanatory notes and a rich selection of vintage images. You can admire the elegant arm chandeliers designed by Vittorio Zecchin and Napoleone Martinuzzi in the 1920s for art exhibitions, the fruit basket-shaped sconces created by Martinuzzi for the steamship Duchessa d'Aosta in 1931, and the extraordinary refinement of lamps and mosaic decoration at the Principi di Piemonte Hotel in Turin in 1937, true Murano chandeliers as jewels. The 1950s are characterized by the grand velario of Palazzo Grassi with crystal glass "balloton" spheres and monumental "polyhedron" chandeliers. In the 1960s, polyhedra, canes, and drops became the distinctive feature of impressive light installations, including the monumental polychrome polyhedron chandelier designed by Carlo Scarpa for the "Italia 61" exhibition in Turin in 1961. The 1980s mark the era of monumentality, with works designed for large hotels, theaters, restaurants, and banks in Italy and abroad, such as Ludovico Diaz de Santillana's "Flying Carpet," presented in New York in 1984, and later at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.

07/10/2023