"Stromboli,” 2004, designed and made by Lino Tagliapietra, blown glass with murrine; cut. Courtesy Lino Tagliapietra, Inc. —Russell Johnson photo
:"Lino Tagliapietra in Retrospect: A Modern Renaissance in Glass," on view at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum October 3–January 11, is the first exhibition to thoroughly examine the art of Lino Tagliapietra, widely revered as a master of glass blowing. The exhibition explores the evolution of his work and documents his unparalleled contributions to the studio glass movement through his teaching, which fostered a new generation of artists.
Tagliapietra, who was trained in traditional Venetian glass-blowing techniques, traveled between the glass centers of Venice, Italy, and the Pacific Northwest and brought with him the closely guarded techniques of the Murano glassworks.
In 1979, he was invited by Dale Chihuly and Benjamin Moore to teach at the recently established Pilchuck Glass School near Seattle, Wash. Tagliapietra is widely credited with changing the course of contemporary studio glass through his teaching.
The exhibition will feature 140 works from Tagliapietra's 40-year career, including pivotal works from the artist's own collection and collections around the world, as well as designs made for industry and objects that have never been exhibited. "Lino Tagliapietra in Retrospect: A Modern Renaissance in Glass" was organized by the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Wash. The exhibition curator is Susanne Frantz, former curator of Twentieth Century glass at the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, N.Y.; the coordinator in Washington is Robyn Kennedy, chief of the Renwick Gallery.
Red "Occhi” vessel, 1991, designed and made by Lino Tagliapietra, blown colorless glass with vertical orange, red and amethyst canes, red overlay, black trailed spiral; cut and polished lenses. Collection of the artist. —Russell Johnson and Jeff Curtis photo
The exhibition will include Tagliapietra's impressive "Endeavor" series inspired by designs from Viking boats and Amazon canoes; groupings of his masterful goblets; a selection of rare bonbonniere, tiny glass replicas of some of his favorite works given as party favors to friends; a series of bowed vessels he calls "Batman"; and his signature "Dinosaur" forms, a series of perfectly balanced abstract vessels with swooping necks that combine color, form and texture.
Born in 1934 on Murano, a small island in the Venetian lagoon, Tagliapietra left school at 10 and began working in the glassmaking industry, mastering the age-old techniques and working his way up to maestro by the time he was 22. Tagliapietra was developing his own designs by the late 1960s and early 1970s, which were put into production or limited production. In 1977, he became head glass blower, designer and overseer of production at a new company, Effetre International, where he made unique pieces and limited series.
The Smithsonian American Art Museum's branch for craft and decorative arts, the Renwick Gallery, is on Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW. For information, 202-633-1000, 202-633-5285 (TTY), or
www.americanart.si.edu
.
