Books

Glittering Venini Glassworks Come to Life in a New Book

A vibrant new book examines the work of iconic artist and glassmaker Napoleone Martinuzzi
Image may contain Pottery Vase Jar Lamp and Jug
Green and black opaque glass amphora-style vessel designed by Martinuzzi, circa 1930. Marino Barovier’s Napoleone Martinuzzi: Venini 1925–1931 ($100, Rizzoli) is out this month.

Born to glassmaking parents in Murano, Italy, in the spring of 1882, Napoleone Martinuzzi seemed fated to join the family trade. And join he did, studying (among other subjects) ceramics at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice. But few could have predicted the mark he would make on the industry, with his fresh, inventive techniques for producing delicate, intricate decorative objects and lighting inspired by the beauty and biodiversity of the natural world—think bubble-glass equine figurines and opaque, iridescent succulents.

Green glass equine figurine and centerpiece elements.

Napoleone Martinuzzi: Venini 1925–1931 ($100, Rizzoli) a new book by historian Marino Barovier, was produced for the exhibition of the same name curated by the author at Venice’s Le Stanze del Vetro, a museum of 20th- and 21st-century innovations in glass. Like the show, the book homes in on Martinuzzi’s prolific time as artistic director of venerable glassmaker Paolo Venini’s atelier. Objects rendered in deep greens, electric blues, and vibrant reds burst onto the page (nearly 500 pages, in fact) in an array of atypical forms and opacities. It’s a fitting tribute to the man and an intriguing resource for those casually interested and learned alike.

Black ribbed-glass vase with a red glass succulent plant, circa 1930.