Luciano Vistosi

It was not for nothing the island of Murano is called the glass capital of the world. The superior-most glass art pieces were produced on the island for centuries. Most of the important families were and even now, are involved in this wonderful heritage art.

Luciano Vistosi took birth in one of those families that have been engaged in the art for a very long time. He was born into a glass blowing family of Murano in 1931. Like any other youngster in such families, he was absorbed into the family’s business from a very young age. That is how and where he had learned about the techniques and the nuances of the art.

After getting a rich know-how of glass blowing from his family, Luciano set out to make his own special mark in the world of glass art. He started to conduct intensive and extensive experiments with this not-so-easy-to-tame medium – glass. He paid special attention to the quality of glass he was working with. Nothing but the top quality glass found a place in his furnace. Being a left-hander, posed great difficulties for him, as almost all the existing tools were meant for right-handed workers. So Luciano had to make a few amendments to them to suit his style.

By 1960s Luciano Vistosi had already carved out a place for himself in the ancient glass art scenario. He took part in many exhibitions all over the world and conducted many exhibitions on his own. Meanwhile, the death of his father made it necessary for him to be involved in the family owned ‘Vitreria Vistosi’. So he joined hands with his uncle Oreste and brother Gino and revamped the establishment and managed it admirably till 1984. Then the company had to be sold, following the death of his uncle and brother.

Luciano Vistosi’s works followed an entirely unprecedented track. He experimented with glass and strived to bring about a new verve in glass blowing. While using many traditional techniques, his shaping prowess created real poetry in glass. This was brought about by the fact that whenever an idea was formed in his mind, he visualized it in three-dimension. In Vistosi’s own words he always ‘thought three-dimensionally, in a sculptural way’. This explains the flowing contours in his sculptors.
Luciano Vistosi shaped his glass when it is in a semi-solid stage. It helped him to produce the sinuous forms. His sculptors that are crafted with almost no sharp corners, reflected light in a smooth fluid grace. He had managed to give his family brand a special identity through his versatile imagination and innovative ideas. When trend and tradition joined hands, the world recognized an unparalleled magnificence in Luciano Vistosi’s works.

He also worked with solid glass blocks, using a technique that is termed as ‘art of removal’. Vistosi made very impressive structures out of them. His works included glass buildings which stood up to a height of one meter. He has designed a number of special collections which adorn museums all over the world. His special automobile models were exhibited in the automobile exhibition conducted in Turin, to mark the 100th anniversary of the Italian Automobile Club.

Apart from sculptures he has crafted a number of lighting equipments like chandeliers, table lamps and wall sconces. They all bore the unmistakable mark of the Viscosi vision. This great artist passed away in 2010.

by Marina Chernyak