Murano, at historic Fratelli Toso glassworks, exhibition on 20th century art glass production

From September 10 to 29, 2024, on the occasion of the eighth edition of The Venice Glass Week and the 170th anniversary of its founding, the Fratelli Toso artistic glassworks in Murano presents the Fratelli Toso 170th | 1854-2024 exhibition, curated by Caterina Toso, the youngest descendant of the family. The exhibition features the most relevant pieces of 20th-century art glass production presented along with archival materials that tell the story of the glassworks with a focus on the murrina technique, used in the creation of mosaic glass, one of the strengths of its production. Fratelli Toso 170th | 1854-2024 is developed in two complementary spaces: in the former furnace, now an exhibition space that maintains the original aesthetic of a place of production, and at Casa Rosanna, a space with a retro aesthetic set up with furniture and pieces from the glassworks. The space is derived from the design studio of Rosanna Toso, the company’s last artistic director.

In Casa Rosanna, the works enter into dialogue with a selection of mirrors from the company’s history Barbini Specchi Veneziani and a series of limited-edition watercolors created by Venetian artist and illustrator Gloria Zaccariello. Her paintings recall the colors and effects of glass on Shikishi, the gold-edged rice paper from Japan. During the opening event, the artist will paint one wall of Casa Rosanna and then continue the work throughout the rest of the exhibition. In addition, Barbini Specchi Veneziani, which specializes in the production and engraving of mirrors using Murano techniques, will display contemporary pieces designed by Elena Trevisan and Laura Sattin.

Fratelli Toso Glassworks

Founded in 1854, Fratelli Toso was one of the main glassworks that were responsible for the revival and rebirth of the art of glassmaking on the island of Murano in the second half of the 19th century, as an active part of an important renewal process. In the first decades of its activity, production was based mainly on the imitation of the glass art of the past, but starting in the early twentieth century the production of blown and classic glass was joined by the rediscovery of murrina, which was destined to become the true trademark of Fratelli Toso. Today it has become an exhibition space that preserves a vast collection of art glass made during the twentieth century and its historical archive.

Image: Fratelli Toso, Musical Element

Murano, at historic Fratelli Toso glassworks, exhibition on 20th century art glass production

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