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Carlo Scarpa. Venini 1932–1947

plus Aug, 29 2012 — Jan, 06 2013
29 August – 29 November 
29 November – 6 January EXTENDED
10am – 7pm 
closed on wednsday 
free admission
On 29 August 2012 the exhibition CARLO SCARPA. VENINI 1932–1947, curated by Marino Barovier, will open to the public on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice.
Consisting of over 300 works, the exhibition reconstructs Carlo Scarpa’s career in the years when he was artistic director of the Venini glassworks, from 1932 to 1947. Due to run until 29 November 2012 and open from 10 am to 7 pm (free admission, closed on Wednesdays), this exhibition is the first public event of Le STANZE DEL VETRO (Rooms for Glass), a long-term cultural project launched by the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in collaboration with Pentagram Stiftung for the purpose of studying and showcasing the art of Venetian glassmaking in the 20th century.
The exhibition
The works are divided into around thirty types that vary according to execution techniques and glass textures (from sommerso to murrine romane, corrosi and a pennellate glass).
The material on show also includes prototypes, one-off items, original drawings and designs, plus period photographs and archive documents. The exhibition explores the significance and importance of Carlo Scarpa’s glass design experience in his overall work. During his Murano period, Scarpa further developed his interests in experimentation and craftsmanship and the show thus provides a great opportunity to compare his work as a glass and furniture designer and his architecture. The exhibition itinerary includes a video room showing two documentary films on the relationship between the Venini glassworks and Carlo Scarpa. The films were produced by Pentagram Stiftungand made by director Gian Luigi Calderone, who had previously made Casa Venini, a film about the history of the Venini-Santillana family. The first film, a fifteenminute documentary entitled A Carlo Scarpa e ai suoi infiniti possibili (1984), shows images of glass objects designed by Carlo Scarpa. The images are accompanied by the music of Luigi Nono, composed in 1984 with the same title to commemorate his friend. In the film the musicologist Stefano Bassanese illustrates the structure of the music and the affinities between the designer and the composer. A second documentary Carlo Scarpa, fuori dal paradiso (2012) describes Scarpa and his glass through personal accounts by those who knew him well, such as former students and, especially, his son Tobia. This onehour film will be shown twice a day and is on sale in the exhibition bookshop.
As part of Le Stanze del Vetro project, the director Gian Luigi Calderone will make a film for each future exhibition as a way of enhancing and complementing the show and its themes.

Catalogue


Guided Tours and educational services

The exhibition CARLO SCARPA.VENINI 1932–1947 will run until 29 November 2012 and is open from 10 am to 7 pm (free admission, closed on Wednesdays). As of 15 September guided tours of the exhibition will be available, whereas an educational service for children and young people will begin in October and will last until the exhibition closes on 29 November. Booking is required for both services either by telephone (toll free 800 662 477; from 20 August, 10 am – 5 pm,  Monday to Friday) or email to artsystem@artsystem.it.
Le STANZE DEL VETRO has adopted a model often found in English-speaking countries of free access to museums based on the idea that the cultural heritage belongs to the community.
That is why admission to the exhibition and the tours and educational services is free of charge.
The organisational coordination of the exhibition, guided tours and educational services is by ArtSystem, the technical sponsor of the exhibition.


 Le STANZE DEL VETRO project

From the point of view of developing the art of glassmaking in general,   Le STANZE DEL VETRO  project also aims to organise events and initiatives in collaboration with major Venetian and international institutions, such as the Venice Civic Museum Foundation, the Murano Glass Museum, the Abate Zanetti School for Glass and Ca’ Foscari University, Venice. The initiatives will be dedicated not only to contemporary artists who have used glass as an original means of expression and medium in their poetics but also to highlighting and studying the leading producers and major collections of glass worldwide. As part of Le Stanze del Vetro project, the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, with the support of Pentagram Stiftung, has set up a dedicated Study Centrein its Institute of Art History. In addition to the periodic organisation of exhibitions on Venetian glass, the Study Centre will promote: the gradual construction of a General Archive of Venetian Glass, to be made available to the scholarly community and for reviving and developing the art of glassmaking; the creation of a specialised library within the art history library; the organisation of seminars, conferences and workshops for scholars and artists interested in the history, technology and development of the art of glassmaking; and lastly, scholarships specifically addressed to researchers interested in the topic.The activities in   Le STANZE DEL VETRO  project rely on a scientific committee made up of Giuseppe Pavanello (Director of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini Institute of Art History), Marino Barovier, Rosa Barovier Mentasti, David Landau, Laura de Santillana and Nico Stringa.

Photo by ETTORE BELLINI