I Santillana Opere di Laura de Santillana e Alessandro Diaz de Santillana

By Le Stanze del Vetro

The latest publication from the Le Stanze del Vetro tries out a new narrative style based on dialogue and a comparative approach to the poetics of two artists. I Santillana explores the twofold universe of the siblings, Laura de Santillana and Alessandro Diaz de Santillana, descendants of a legendary glassmaking dynasty, who trained in the tradition of their father, Ludovico Diaz de Santillana, and their grandfather Paolo Venini. Published to accompany the Venice exhibition, the book presents around 100 works, including glass sculptures, artworks and objects made by the two artists from the 1980s to the present day. There is also a section with the new works specifically conceived and made for the Venice exhibition. These works were not produced jointly. The two artists have explored individually the language of glass in a different but intertwined way, reflecting their independent artistic careers, albeit bound by family ties and a shared biographical background. In addition to critical essays by Pasquale Gagliardi (Secretary General of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini), Martin Bethenod (Director of the François Pinault Foundation) and Peter Murray (Director of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park), the book includes Martin Bethenod in conversation with Alessandro Diaz de Santillana and Laura de Santillana, the catalogue of the works, photographs of the exhibition installation, and the biographies of the two artists.