The Montifiore Collection
Assembled in the early and mid 1990’s, the collection of Stephen Montifiore and Victoria DiNardo is an excellent example of a small, well-curated collection of post-war Murano glass. Acquiring pieces from Mark McDonald (of 50/Fifty and Gansevoort Gallery) and from important sales at major auction houses, the collectors focused on high quality Italian glass with strong forms and vibrant colors. While this collection contains rare pieces by Venini, Barovier, Archimede Seguso and others its real strength lies in the beauty and quality of each piece as well as the aesthetic appeal of the collection as a whole.
Paolo Venini 1895–1959
Paolo Venini was born in Cusano, Italy on January 12, 1895 to a middle class Lombard family. As a young man he studied law in Milan. During the first war he was stationed near Venice where he became fascinated with the glass mosaics and stained glass of St. Mark’s cathedral. After the war he began a law practice but soon came under the influence of Venetian art and antiquities dealer Giacomo Cappellin who convinced the young Venini to join him as a business partner in a new Murano glass enterprise in 1921. Since then it has become almost impossible to discuss the life of Paolo Venini as separate from his company—all the available biographical material about him lacks personal detail and inevitably lists towards the celebrated history of the company. Venini’s biography is, therefore, the story of a man whose literal personality has been subsumed by his professional life and persona.
Auction Results Paolo Venini
