Murano Glass and the Venice Biennale: 1912-1930

How the storied glassmaking center came to be included in the world's premier art exhibition

Devoted to the presence of Murano glass at the world's most prestigious art exhibition, this new title in Skira's Le Stanze del Vetro series examines the period from 1912 to 1930 (from the 10th to the 17th edition of the Biennale) through a bespoke selection of 135 works from prestigious museums and private collections. During this period, Murano glass gradually made its way into the Biennale spaces; it was not until 1932 that glass and the applied arts had their own dedicated venue in the Giardini. Among the earliest exhibitors were such legendary furnaces as those of Giacomo Cappellin, Paolo Venini and the Vetreria Artistica Barovier. Murano Glass and the Venice Biennale illustrates with period photographs, drawings and documentary material the finest exhibition-worthy pieces of art glass in a period that marked the entry of so-called minor art into the world of major arts, officially consecrating the artistic value of Murano's avant-garde production.