This exceptional private collection is one we hold dear, as it was assembled by someone we admire greatly and with whom we have worked closely for over a decade. With a focus on Murano glass of the 1950s and 60s, this collection is composed almost entirely of masterworks by Fulvio Bianconi and Ercole Barovier. True visionaries, Bianconi and Barovier defined the post-war years on the island of Murano, using color and form to express the exuberance of the day.
With a focus on Murano glass of the 1950s and 60s, this collection is composed almost entirely of masterworks by Fulvio Bianconi and Ercole Barovier.
We are presenting this collection in two parts—a decision based solely on the strength of the material—as we want to give each work a chance to be seen and understood. Selections have been made carefully and with the goal of demonstrating a dialogue between two post-war masters.
Acting as artistic director for Venini in the 1950s, Bianconi was one of the most prolific designers in the company’s storied history. Trained as a graphic artist and illustrator, Bianconi brought a strong sense of color and form to the furnace. Experimenting brilliantly with the vessel as canvas, he made the most of the freedom afforded him by Paolo Venini, who encouraged his sense of playfulness and imagination. Bianconi’s genius is on full display in this collection with Pezzato and Fasce works in a variety of esoteric forms, an iconic Bikini vase, a wonderful Con Macchie vase, and a magnificent Scozzese model rarely seen on the market.
It is an unusual and thrilling experience to encounter a collection so brimming with exceptional examples, and rarer still to find a collector so devoted to exploring the work of only two designers.
During these same years, Ercole Barovier was enjoying his role as director of Barovier (a position he held for an unprecedented 40 years) by experimenting endlessly with the idea of color and pattern. Using tesserae—pieces of colored glass, both transparent and opaque—Barovier created a body of work like none other. As a counterbalance to the more abstract designs of Bianconi at Venini, Barovier played with the permutations of linear structure, producing vessels of extraordinary complexity and precision while always celebrating the unique properties of the material itself. Built with great attention to beauty and technique, this collection of Barovier tesserae vases, too numerous to mention here, is one of the finest ever to appear on the market.
It is an unusual and thrilling experience to encounter a collection so brimming with exceptional examples, and rarer still to find a collector so devoted to exploring the work of only two designers. It has been an honor to watch this collection grow and a great pleasure to present it to our fellow Italian glass enthusiasts.
Fulvio Bianconi 1915–1996
Born in Padua in 1915, Fulvio Bianconi initially rose to prominence as an illustrator, graphic designer and caricaturist working for Italy’s top companies during the 1930s. Designing for big names like Fiat, Pathé and Pirelli, Bianconi employed his passion for drawing as the creative mind behind one of Italy’s most prestigious publishing houses, Garzanti for over 30 years. However, it is perhaps his post-war collaboration with Paolo Venini and experimentation with glass which best defines his legacy as an artist.
On a business trip to Murano in 1947, Bianconi met with Paolo Venini who immediately recognized his talent and offered him a position as artistic director, a post which had recently been vacated by the celebrated architect Carlo Scarpa. Engaged on a free-lance basis, Bianconi’s arrangement with Venini was somewhat unusual but seemed to suit his idiosyncratic personality and artistic inclinations.
From the very beginning, Bianconi’s approach at Venini was entirely that of a fine artist, drawing inspiration from modern art, fashion and graphic design. As a cartoonist and caricaturist he was also able to re-envision cultural themes from Italy’s past and express them in a fresh, contemporary way. All of this was in fact encouraged by Venini, who seemed to have an innate understanding of Bianconi’s frenetic style and unique abilities.
From 1947 to 1950, Bianconi designed numerous series of sculptural objects and vessels including the Commedia dell’Art figures, Fazoletto (handkerchief) vases, Pezzati (patchwork) and con Macchie (stained) vessels, all of which have all now become icons of post-war Italian design. Sometimes surreal, often abstract, these series captured the spirit of the times and expressed the essence of La Dolce Vita and the exuberance of post-war Italy. While Murano had been demonstrating an awareness of modern art since the early part of the century, it is only with Bianconi that it found itself on equal footing.
Bianconi designed unique, modern art objects on a human-scale and for this, Murano glass was the perfect vehicle. From this point of view, one could say that Bianconi was instrumental in the liberation of Murano glass from its own cultural and historical definitions.
Auction Results Fulvio Bianconi
