Thomas Stearns and his collaboration with the Venini glassworks in the early Sixties in the new chapter of the series "Le Stanze del Vetro". The American artist Thomas Stearns (1936-2006) collaborated with the Venini glassworks as guest designer between 1960 and 1962. Thomas Stearns designed elegant blown-glasspieces with irregular features using various materials. Stearns was the first American to design for Venini; he won a on Fulbright Travel Grant, left Cranbrook Academy, and showed up in Murano with new ideas, but absolutely no knowledge of the Italian language. But, from this potentially disastrous situation grew a collection of ground-breaking designs that actually won the "Best of Show" award at the Venice Bienale of 1962. When the judges found out that the winner was not Italian, but a monolingual American, they actually rescinded the award. By then, however, it was pretty impossible to deny that Thomas Stearns had created something really special. Stearns' amazing designs proved too difficult to put into mass production, which made them even more special.

This book offers the reader a comprehensive and visually fascinating excursion into the history of Venetian glass from 1900 until today : the most significant period of Muranese glass.

Paolo Venini was not a native Venetian, yet he still managed to work in Venice and ultimately become known as the foremost name in Venetian glass of this century. This book traces the history of the firm from its modest beginnings to its heyday in the post war years. While much archival material was lost in a disastrous fire, the works speak for themselves in 190 beautiful photographs which do full justice to their vibrant colors and luminosity. The facsimile reprint of the scarce "blue catalogue" of design shapes drawn to scale and dated is of special interest to dealers, museum curators and collectors.

"Venini. Catalogue Raisonne 1921-1986" offers an in-depth account of the involving company history of the glassworks set up by Paolo Venini in 1921 and carried forward by members of the Venini family up until 1986, the year in which the business was sold off. Alongside the comprehensive catalogue containing some 250 descriptions detailing each item produced in over six decades of activity, the book's curator Anna Venini Diaz de Santillana has traced the history of the 'Vetrerie Venini' glasshouse through each successive master craftsman's term as art director: Napoleone Martinuzzi, Carlo Scarpa, Paolo Venini himself, Tomaso Buzzi, Fulvio Bianconi, and Ludovico Diaz de Santillana. The careful analysis underlying each critical essay and the breadth of topics covered make this book an invaluable reference work on the creative enterprise and outstanding achievements of Venini & C., long acknowledged as an international hallmark of quality in the applied arts. With its rich array of illustrations and catalogue of the firm's key production items, and an extensive reference section comprising glossary, bibliography, and list of exhibitions, this book is the most exhaustive directory of the Venini glasshouse's production. In addition to the renowned "Catalogo verde" and "Catalogo rosso," the curator has included the legendary "Catalogo blue," and essential reference source for historians, collectors, dealers, and connoisseurs of art. Anna Venini Diaz de Santillana Daughter of Paolo Venini and Ginette Gignous, Anna acquired extensive experience on the workshop floor, first alongside her father, then beside her husband the architect Ludovico Diaz de Santillana, who took over themanagement of the works in 1959. An expert in the art of glassmaking, Anna has organised exhibitions around the world. Today, her children Laura and Alessandro continue the family's distinguished tradition as independent masters of the glassmaker's art. Rosa Barovier Mentasti One of the world's leading scholars of the history of glassmaking on Murano; has numerous publications to her name, and has curated various collections. Maria Novella Benzoni Graduated in the History of Art, with a specialisation in modern glass at the University of Udine; presently a consultant of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice. Victoria Milne Writer, exhibition curator, and graphic artist specialising in design and architecture; from 1992 to 1995 she was editor-in-chief of the American periodical "Glass Magazine." Helmut Ricke Eminent specialist in the applied arts, particularly glass and European sculpture; director of the Kunstmuseum in Dusseldorf, which houses one of the most complete collections of glass artefacts in Europe. Valerio Terraroli Lecturer in the History of Art Criticism at the University of Pavia, and analyst of trends in modern style, particular of Art Deco.

Here is the Italian and Scandinavian designer art glass usually referred to as "Fifties glass," plus a more popular modern glassware produced in factories, especially in the United States and Italy. This colorful and highly collectible glass is presented with detailed information on 88 designers and makers, design lists for Barovier & Toso and for Venini, glossary, bibliography, and index.

This second volume, following on the success of the previously published, Art Glass from Murano, also by the author, looks more deeply into the major movements and developments in the production of high quality art glass on the Venetian island of Murano in the 20th Century Over 100 of the finest examples of the glassmakers' art, all recently exhibited in Ghent, Belgium make up this important addition to the documentation of the work of the major firms and designers active in Murano between 1910 and 1970.