Tobia Scarpa 1935–

Tobia Scarpa, son of Carlo Scarpa, was born in Venice, where he graduated from the Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia. In 1958, he was invited by Paolo Venini to collaborate in the furnace, following in the footsteps of his father, who had worked with Venini during the ’30s and ’40s. Tobia Scarpa designed new collections for Venini even after the death of its founder, creating refined blown glass pieces exemplified by the essential quality of their design. The most successful vessels were his large Battuti vessels, the Occhi and Murrine series, for which he reinterpreted ancient Roman glass techniques. As an architect and designer, together with his wife, Afra, he has collaborated with many companies—Cassina, B & B Italia, Flos, Molteni & C., to name a few—in creating works that belong to the best tradition of Italian design. During the ’80s, he and his wife designed several glass collections for VeArt.

Occhi

Venini & C., 1960-1961

Information

Tobia Scarpa OcchiVenini & C., 1960-1961

A vase crafted with the use of alternating pasta vitrea murrine.
One is black with a cristallo core, the other is red with a cristallo core.

12 5/8 in. high (32.1 cm)
Exhibitions:
1960, Milan, 12th Triennale;
1962, Venice, 31st Biennale Internazionale d’Arte; 2000, New York, Venetian Glass, Museum of Arts & Design; 2001, Milan, Murano: Vetri dalla Collezione Olnick Spanu, Spazio Oberdan.

Bibliography and comparative texts:
Venini, grey catalogue, n. 8526;
Domus, 1960, October, p. 166;
W. Neuwirth, 1987, n. 171;
La Verrerie…, 1988, n. 2;
F. Deboni, 1989, nn. 164, 165;
M. Karasik, 1989, n. 18;
H. Ricke, 1990, n. 379; R. Barovier Mentasti, 1992, n. 102; L’arte del vetro, 1992, n. 363; M. Heiremans, 1993, n. 240; M. Barovier, 1994, n. 43;
M. Barovier, R. Barovier Mentasti,
A. Dorigato, 1995, n. 147; F. Deboni, 1996, n. 224;
A. Venini Diaz de Santillana, 1996, nn. 219-221;
H. Ricke, E. Schmitt, 1996, nn. 153, 154;
M. Barovier, 1999, p. 261; A. Venini Diaz de Santillana, 2000, n. 186;
Olnick Spanu, 2000, n. 137;
Olnick Spanu, 2001, n. 172.

Workshop

Venini & C. 1932–2001

In 1932, when both Martinuzzi and Zecchin left the company, Paolo Venini changed the name from Vetri Soffiati Muranesi Venini & Co. (V.S.M. Venini & Co.) to Venini & C.. Milanese architect Tommaso Buzzi became the new artistic director.

After 1934, artistic direction was taken on by Carlo Scarpa, who designed most of the company's production through 1947. Side by side with Venini, who often intervened personally in design, Scarpa created numerous collections of objects characterized by refined colors. After World War II, Venini & C. sought numerous collaborations with artists such as architect Giò Ponti and the Swedish-born Tyra Lundgren. After 1948, Fulvio Bianconi, Massimo Vignelli, and Tobia Scarpa contributed significantly to the new direction of the company.

Paolo Venini died in 1959 and his son-in-law, Ludovico Diaz de Santillana, took over the management of Venini & C. He not only worked personally as a glass designer but also continued the collaboration started by Paolo Venini with various artists and designers. Starting in 1960, many other designers collaborated with the company, like Thomas Stearns, Toni Zuccheri, Tapio Wirkkala, Laura and Alessandro Diaz de Santillana, James Carpenter, Dan Dailey, Richard Marquis, Benjamin Moore, and Toots Zynsky. In 1986, the de Santillana family left the company, selling their stock to the Ferruzzi group, which guaranteed the fine quality Venini was known for by hiring new designers such as Timo Sarpaneva, Marco Zanini, Ettore Sottsass Jr., Alessandro Mendini, Mario Bellini, Barbara del Vicario, and others.

In 1988, Venini was acquired by Royal Scandinavian. Since 2001, Venini S.p.A. has been part of Italian Luxury Industries Group and is led by Giancarlo Chimento, Giuliano Tabacchi, and Giorgio Rizzo.

Occhi

Venini & C., 1960-1961