PARIS.- On November 22, PIASA is organizing a second auction devoted to prestigious collaborations between 20th century and contemporary designers and the influented Venetian glassworks: Venini. The auction offers a selection of international top names like Ettore Sottsass, Alessandro Mendini, Fulvio Bianconi, Fernando & Humberto Campana or Napoleone Martinuzi.

In 2015, PIASA staged a successful one-of-a-kind auction with the Museo Venini. The eighty prototypes and unique pieces choose for Venini in progress II illustrate decades of incredible creativity and the technical skill unique to Murano.

A selection of creativity & contemporary Innovation
A strong section of the sale will be devoted to prototypes by Ettore Sottsass (1917-2007), who first worked with Venini in 1988, designing many colourful pieces with geometric forms – epitomized here by Sole Basso, Luna d'Estate, Buco Nero and Medusa. Involved artist and nonconformist, Sottsass holds a significant position since 50's on the Italian scene. Always at the avant-garde, at the heart cultural movements of his time, he is behind the creation of Memphis and the spreading of ‘Anti Design'. He works with Venini since 1988, with whom he designed many emblematic pieces.

Deriving inspiration from popular culture, painting and the world of childhood, the designer and architect Alessandro Mendini (born 1931) likes to use colour to create original, offbeat pieces, and has collaborated with Italian designers like Ettore Sottsass, Andrea Branzi or Michele de Lucchi. Arcimboldo (2004), his sculpture of a mysterious winged man, embodies the gentleness and elegance of Italian art (est. €8,000-12,000).

«To me, doing design doesn't mean giving form to a more or less stupid product for a more or less sophisticated industry. Design for me is a way of discussing life.' explains Ettore Sottsass

Venini: Murano's Top Glassworks
Tradition, mastery, savoir-faire and prestigious collaborations have all helped Venini become the most important glassworks on the island of Murano. Founded in Venice by Paolo Venini and Giacomo Cappellin in 1921, the glassworks rapidly became the most prominent Venetian firm of the 20th century, thanks notably to illustrious collaborations with leading artists, backed by the savoir-faire of the island's top craftsmen. These exchanges made Venini the symbol of innovation and an artistic approach to art glass. The Venini heritage is preserved today in a museum that showcases a special and authentic history of a passion for glass. Venini Glass can be found in the world's most important museums – including the New York MOMA, the Fondation Cartier in Paris and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.