Paolo Venini

PAOLO VENINI (Milan, 1895-1959).
Ceiling lamp, Poliedri Series. c. 1960.
Two-color Murano glass.
Measurements: 62,5 x 40 cm.
Chandelier with four lights made of two-color Murano glass. The elements of the "Poliedri" series were first created as components that formed the large Venini chandelier, designed by Ignazio Gardella, Paolo Venini and Enrico Peresutti, presented at the Brussels Universal Exhibition of 1958, and installed in the central hall of the Italian Pavilion. The same module was used for the famous chandelier cascade created by Venini with Carlo Scarpa and proposed at the Expo "Italia '61" in Turin.
Paolo Venini was an important designer in the production of Murano glass, as well as a notable contributor to the design of the twentieth century. Together with Giaccomo Capellin, owner of an antique store in Milan, Venini opened a glass factory on the islands of Murano, the historic center of glass production in the Venice lagoon, under the name Vetri Soffiati Muranesi Cappellin Venini & Co. Venini himself was involved in the design of several of the firm's best-known products, including the famous "fazzoletto" (handkerchief) series he created with designer Fulvio Bianconi. After Venini's death in 1959, the company was continued by other members of the family, only to be sold in 1985.