designs for Venini (bottles and chandeliers)

Murano (Venice)

Venini

Realized works

The collaboration between Gio Ponti and Paolo Venini, the founder of the modern history of Murano glass, dates right back to the twenties, when the Labirinto group,formed around Carla Visconti di Modrone in Milan, brought the industries of art together, for the first time, with architects -at that time, the architects were Buzzi, Lancia, Marelli, and Ponti- for the Triennial Exhibitions in Monza and Milan. Ponti's admiration for Venini's modern production was a lasting one. His direct involvement in its design took place in three phases, separated by long gaps of time: glass and silver objects for Venini and Christofle in 1928 (16th Venice Biennale); lamps, drinking glasses, and bottles (bottles in the shape of women) in 1946-50, playful combinations of blown glass and colour; and, lastly, the thick stained glass of 1966.