Carlo Nason. Lamp for Av Magezza

CARLO NASON (Murano, 1935) for Av Magezza. Italy, 1970.
Floor or table lamp.
Murano glass.
Measurements: 100 x 34 cm.

This floor or table lamp, one meter high, rises on a bulbous base truncated by a metal cylinder on which rests the globular lampshade. It has two independent light bulbs that can be combined or kept both on at the same time.

Italian designer Carlo Nason was born into a family of skilled glassmakers in 1935 in Murano, Venice. His father ran the renowned NasonMoretti glass business and opened a second glass business under the name Vincenzo Nason & C in 1941. From an early age, the young Nason was trained in the art of glassblowing, learning about the properties of both the material and the craft techniques used in molding and decorating glass.The first objects designed by Nason date back to 1959 and are included in a collection of molded vases produced by V Nason & C. They are currently housed at the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York.Driven by his passion for design, especially clean geometric forms, Nason decided in the 1960s to distance himself from his family's business, which specialized primarily in highly traditional and ornate decorative objects. Nason redirected his focus to glass lighting design in a modernist idiom.Nason intended to produce his first solo designs himself in small batches, but soon his spirit of experimentation and innovation caught the attention of Murano glass lighting manufacturer AV Mazzega, and the company invited Nason to collaborate on new collections. The partnership lasted from 1965 through the 1980s and resulted in a variety of iconic lighting designs that remain in demand today. Parallel to the collaboration with AV Mazzega, Nason also produced designs for other major Murano glass companies such as De Majo, i-tre, Murano Due, Vistosi and Firme di Vetro. Nason continued to create designs in the 1980s and 1990s, but also worked as a consultant for Casinos Austria and worked as a photographer. Nason's works have been exhibited for decades in various art and design museums and galleries in Paris, Milan and New York. He lives and works in Murano.