Oval bowl in “murrine opache” glass

His opaque murrine series represents the apex of Carlo Scarpa’s experience at Venini. His skill in mastering and refining this very ancient technique into an instrument of contemporary expression amounts to an extraordinary achievement. In their schematic design, these bowls visibly derive from a process begun many years earlier at Cappellin and constitute one of the most significant examples of glassmaking art in the 20th century. 

Paolo Venini played a key role in creating these works, as explained by Giandomenico Romanelli: “The great invention and lesson of Paolo Venini was this: the perfect integration of historical culture and tradition, on one hand, with contemporary taste, sensitivity, language, and lifestyle, on the other.” Venini does not turn traditional Murano glasswork on its head but instead establishes dialogue between artist, designer and glassmaker for a fruitful and detailed reciprocal exaltation.

Previously unpublished