Light filtered through glass, between Venice and Switzerland – an unexpected dialogue through 20th-century stained glass.
Conceived in close collaboration with the Centro Studi del Vetro at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice, the exhibition draws parallels between the aesthetic explorations of Carlo Scarpa (1906–1978) in the field of stained glass in Venice during the 1920s and 1930s and the work of outstanding Swiss artists active throughout the 20th century. Scarpa, one of the most important Italian architects and designers of the 20th century, trained in Venice during the interwar period, where he developed the sensitivity to the material and compositional rigour that would later characterise his work. Among his early works is a set of leaded stained-glass windows, little known but particularly revealing. This brief yet significant period of experimentation with stained glass is closely linked to the Venetian glassworks Maestri Vetrai Muranesi Cappellin & C., for whom he was working at the time. Although Scarpa’s contribution to stained glass lasted only a few years, it is of considerable importance. His work constitutes a veritable laboratory for material and formal research, rooted in a tradition of craftsmanship in dialogue with modernity. Whilst the context of Scarpa’s creations differs from that of the Swiss artists, the aesthetic similarities are by no means insignificant, as evidenced by the works on display in the exhibition.
Guided tour
28 June from 3pm to 4pm: Guided tour of the exhibition with curator Jennifer Burkard
