Venini: Light 1921-1985

Exhibition at Le Stanze del Vetro, Venice, 18 September 2022 - 8 January 2023

Lighting, whether for domestic use or for large public or private spaces, is an important component of Murano glass production. In this sector, Venini has distinguished itself with significant results, thanks to its constant capacity for modernisation and its characteristic openness to the world of design, aspects that have made it a point of reference for the most important national and international architects.

This volume, which covers the period from 1921 to 1985, provides an overview of Venini's most significant lighting projects. More than five hundred entries, accompanied by mostly unpublished illustrations, document an unceasing activity made up of numerous projects, including those carried out in collaboration with Angiolo Mazzoni in the 1930s, the production of the velarium for Palazzo Grassi in Venice in 1951, Carlo Scarpa's large installation for Italia 61 in Turin and the theatre in Fulda, Germany in 1978.

A careful selection of works recounts the transformation of Venini lamps, from the elegant redesign of the traditional chandelier with arms to the new luminaires with modular elements, from Vittorio Zecchin to Carlo Scarpa, from Massimo Vignelli to Ludovico Diaz de Santillana.