{"title":"Alfredo Barbini (Murano, Italy)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlfredo Barbini\u003c\/strong\u003e was a Murano glassblower, designer and entrepreneur whose work helped shape twentieth-century Italian art glass. His career brought together the practical skill of the furnace maestro and a sculptor’s interest in volume, balance and the expressive possibilities of molten glass.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis early career included work at Ferro Toso and a formative collaboration with sculptor Napoleone Martinuzzi at the Zecchin-Martinuzzi furnace during the 1930s. Working with Martinuzzi was particularly important to his development in \u003cem\u003emassiccio\u003c\/em\u003e, or solid-mass glass, a medium that became central to his sculptural approach.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1937, Barbini became a partner and leading maestro at V.A.M.S.A., where he continued experimenting with thick glass and executed designs by artists including Ermenegildo Ripa and Luigi Scarpa Croce. In 1946, he joined Gino Cenedese \u0026amp; C. as a partner and artistic director. His work with Cenedese included the acid-textured sculptures shown at the 1948 Venice Biennale.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1950, he established \u003cem\u003eVetreria Alfredo Barbini\u003c\/em\u003e with financial assistance from Salviati \u0026amp; C., for whom the new workshop also produced glass. Having his own furnace allowed Barbini to develop a more individual body of work, exploring increasingly essential forms alongside the heavy, sculptural glass for which he is remembered.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis practice extended across solid glass sculpture and substantial vessels, with colour, transparency and surface treatment playing an important part. He explored \u003cem\u003esommerso\u003c\/em\u003e glass, in which coloured layers are enclosed within transparent glass, as well as engraving and textured finishes. Fish and tulip forms presented at the 1960 Venice Biennale, followed by thick glass vessels with finely engraved surfaces in 1962, demonstrate the breadth of this experimentation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBarbini’s son Flavio joined him in 1968, continuing the family’s involvement in the glassworks. Alfredo remained active as a maestro and artistic director for decades, and his work is represented in museum collections, including the Corning Museum of Glass. His legacy rests not simply on the weight of his glass, but on his ability to make that material feel fluid, expressive and sculptural.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRead more about Alfredo Barbini’s career \u003c\/em\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/olnickspanu.com\/artist\/alfredo-barbini\/\"\u003e\u003cem\u003ehere\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cem\u003e, and explore works in the Corning Museum of Glass collection \u003c\/em\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/glasscollection.cmog.org\/people\/objects\/7567\"\u003e\u003cem\u003ehere\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cem\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"alfredo-barbini-murano-italy-26-decanter-bottle-in-persimmon-and-gold","title":"Alfredo Barbini (Murano, Italy) 26\" Decanter\/Bottle, in Persimmon and Gold *RARE FIND*","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eModel\u003c\/strong\u003e 26\" Decanter\/Bottle \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eColour\u003c\/strong\u003e Persimmon, Gold\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions\u003c\/strong\u003e 65.5cm (26\") tall\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e Excellent condition with no wear that we can see.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWe've included a picture of the original Barbini catalogue from 1961, which shows this piece which was made available for Weil Ceramics \u0026amp; Glass Inc. The full catalogue can be viewed at 20th Century Glass, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.20thcenturyglass.com\/glass_encyclopedia\/glass_catalogues\/#Murano\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e. \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alfredo Barbini","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45673903882407,"sku":null,"price":2605.65,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0405\/5839\/5559\/files\/bit_dc334436-cad0-4486-9553-dee0d5298333.jpg?v=1718946498"},{"product_id":"alfredo-barbini-murano-italy-art-glass-19-centrepiece-in-purple-blue","title":"Alfredo Barbini (Murano, Italy) Art Glass 19\" Centrepiece, in Purple\/Blue *RARE FIND*","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eModel\u003c\/strong\u003e Centrepiece \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eColour\u003c\/strong\u003e Purple, Blue\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions\u003c\/strong\u003e 14cm (6\") tall, 49cm (19\") long\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e Excellent condition with no wear that we can see.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(128, 128, 128);\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eWe've included a picture of the original Barbini catalogue from 1961, which shows this model which was made available for Weil Ceramics \u0026amp; Glass Inc. The full catalogue can be viewed at 20th Century Glass, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.20thcenturyglass.com\/glass_encyclopedia\/glass_catalogues\/#Murano\" style=\"color: rgb(128, 128, 128);\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e. \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alfredo Barbini","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46986412032167,"sku":null,"price":0.87,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0405\/5839\/5559\/files\/IMG_4087.png?v=1756181369"},{"product_id":"alfredo-barbini-murano-italy-art-glass-11-conch-shell-in-alabastro-pink","title":"Alfredo Barbini (Murano, Italy) Art Glass 11\" Conch Shell, in Alabastro Pink *RARE FIND*","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eModel\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eConch Shell\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eColour\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eAlabastro Pink\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProduction\u003c\/strong\u003e 1960s\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions\u003c\/strong\u003e 10cm (4\") tall, 28cm (11\") long\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e Excellent condition with no wear that we can see. Retains its original label on the base.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(128, 128, 128);\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eAlabastro - translating to alabaster in English - meaning ghostly, or white, used to describe this style and finish of these incredible Italian pieces.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(128, 128, 128);\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eWe've included a picture of the original Barbini catalogue from 1961, which shows this model which was made available for Weil Ceramics \u0026amp; Glass Inc. The full catalogue can be viewed at 20th Century Glass, \u003ca style=\"color: rgb(128, 128, 128);\" href=\"https:\/\/www.20thcenturyglass.com\/glass_encyclopedia\/glass_catalogues\/#Murano\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e. \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alfredo Barbini","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47027887866023,"sku":null,"price":0.87,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0405\/5839\/5559\/files\/IMG_4346.png?v=1757372683"}],"url":"https:\/\/thatretropiece.com\/collections\/alfredo-barbini.oembed","provider":"That Retro Piece","version":"1.0","type":"link"}