Glass Study Centre

The most important archive of 20th-century Venetian glass

With over 200,000 documents and a specialized library which includes 2,300 titles, the Glass Study Centre studies and promotes 20th-century and contemporary glass art.

Established in 2012 as part of the Giorgio Cini Foundation’s Institute of Art History, the Glass Study Centre aims to research and promote modern and contemporary Venetian glass art. It is currently the primary General Archive of Venetian Glass, located in the Messina Hall (Sala Messina) of the
Giorgio Cini Foundation on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore.

The Glass Study Centre overlooks the Cypresses Cloister (Chiostro dei Cipressi) and borders the adjacent Borges labyrinth, just a few steps away from LE STANZE DEL VETRO.

The Centre has always been engaged in organizing conferences, educational events and exhibitions, and in awarding scholarships to researchers focusing on glass, its history, and its future developments.

The Glass Study Centre, with over 250.000 documents from the end of the 19th century to the present day – including original drawings, sketches, and executive projects – is unique: the graphic collections are accompanied by almost as many photographic prints, in addition to correspondence, albums, administrative archival material, and valuable production catalogues drawn entirely by hand.

All the collections of the Glass Study Centre – including those related to books, drawings, and photographs – are accessible to the public, and some sections are already available online.

The Venice Glass Week 2023 / Massimo Pistore PIXU studio

The Venice Glass Week 2023 / Massimo Pistore PIXU studio