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Venini

VENINI was established in 1921 by the Milanese lawyer Paolo Venini. VENINI gained the most extraordinary achievements in the world of handmade blown glass. Over time, Venini entered into important partnerships with international artists.

The spirits of Venini’s unmistakable identity have always been imprinted upon my memory.
When I work for this noble company, I always try to connect to the mystery of archetypes that led to such a precise style with such a long history, and I seek to interpret that.
I believe that the Venini taste is the fruit of an enchanted mix, created over time, of a few exclusive techniques, a handful of exceptional artists who were inventors of forms, and a predilection for certain colors.
This tradition and these boundaries are Venini’s magic formula.
Its hortus conclusus (enclosed garden) is one of humanity’s wonders. It contains the calmness and skill of clear craftsmanship that has remained pure and intact throughout time, incorruptible by the violence of fashion, an example and proof of perfection.

ALESSANDRO MENDINI

VENINI: a story, an artistic excellence, a typically Italian passion.
Founded in 1921 by Paolo Venini, a Milanese lawyer, and Giacomo Cappellin, a Venetian antiques dealer, Venini SpA, then Cappellin - Venini & C., would become a model of excellence in the world of artistic glass, laying the foundations for a stylistic identity that still distinguishes it today.

Over time, Venini entered into important partnerships with artists such as Napoleone Martinuzzi, Carlo Scarpa, Vittorio Zecchin, and, in the post-war period, Gio Ponti and Mimmo Rotella; then came the contributions of designers and architects the likes of Peter Marino, Tadao Ando, Gae Aulenti, Massimiliano Fuksas, Ettore Sottsass, Alessandro Mendini, Gaetano Pesce, Emmanuel Babled, Francesco Lucchese, Monica Guggisberg, Philip Baldwin, and Ron Arad., Michela Cattai.

The forms and style of the original artistic production are thus continuously refreshed. With its iconic projects and new creations, the glassworks presents its works in two collections:
Art Glass brings together a series of extraordinary sculptural vases and objects for interior decoration; Art Light features chandeliers and important lighting installations for large public or private spaces.

Venini boasts an unmatched colour palette that, together with the glassworking techniques, is part of a cultural heritage handed down from generation to generation. The Venini furnace is, in fact, the only one capable of producing 125 colours of glass, the fruit of a long and passionate search for formulae yielding new combinations. Furthermore, the structure is organized to work with a palette of 12 colours, using 12 ovens simultaneously fired up.

VENINI has always created objects with a timeless design that are destined to appreciate in value.
Thanks to the excellence of quality, the high artistic content, and the manufacturing value intrinsic to each piece, the hammer prices of VENINI glassware reach record figures at major auctions; in fact, the highest price ever paid for a Murano art object was for a VENINI piece, “La Sentinella di Venezia” of 1962, which fetched 737 thousand dollars.

Creations bearing the Venini signature have become part of the permanent collections of museums of such calibre as the Metropolitan Museum and MoMA in New York, the Fondation Cartier in Paris, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Venini’s own museum contains 45,000 drawings, 10,000 vintage photos and 4,000 works of art, making it the most valuable historical archive of modern and contemporary glass art.

Since 2016, the Damiani family (owners of the homonymous international luxury jewellery brand), have held the controlling interest in Venini S.p.A., and their aim is to promote one of Italy’s most authentically excellent brands.