This volume, edited by Marino Barovier and Carla Sonego, explores the exhibitions held between 1932 and 1942, from the inauguration of the Padiglione Venezia to the 23rd Biennale—the final edition before World War II brought a temporary halt to the event.
These were years of remarkable creativity and experimentation with materials and colours, involving the reinterpretation of traditional techniques as well as the development of new processes. Many glassworks and companies participated in the event over the years, including AVEM, Barovier (later Ferro Toso-Barovier and Barovier-Toso & C.), Barovier Seguso & Ferro (later Seguso Vetri d’Arte), Cirillo Maschio, Moretti Ulderico & C., S.A.I.A.R. Ferro Toso & C., S.A.L.I.R., Salviati & C., Successori Andrea Rioda S.A., Aureliano Toso, Fratelli Toso, V.A.M.S.A., Venini S.A., Zecchin Martinuzzi. Among the key figures working in the furnaces during this vibrant new period were Carlo Scarpa, Guido Bin (also known as Mario De Luigi), Ercole Barovier, Flavio Poli, Dino Martens, Vittorio Zecchin, Franz Pelzel, among others.
Resulting from extensive bibliographic and archival research in the Biennale’s Historical Archive of Contemporary Arts (ASAC) as well as in public and private archives, the catalogue features period photographs, drawings, and documentary material, often unpublished, offering a comprehensive documentation of the works exhibited in the six editions of the Venice Biennale between 1932 and 1942. A careful selection of 160 works, illustrated with stunning photographs, showcases the remarkable quality of the extraordinary Murano glass production.
