fabio novembre's muse for venini draws on the metaphysical art of giorgio de chirico

fabio novembre pays tribute to the italian avant-gardes of metaphysical art with ‘muse’, his latest collection of luminous sculptures for venini. created in close collaboration with the master craftsmen of the company’s furnaces, based in the venetian island of murano, muse comes in opaline glass of three color variants, grass green, milk white, and red, signaling its italian origins.

image © designboom

‘in 1916, to escape the atrocious folly of the war, a group of six young men had themselves admitted to villa seminario military hospital in ferrara,’ mentions fabio novembre, ‘their names were: giorgio de chirico, carlo carrà, alberto savinio, and filippo de pisis. their rejection of reality led them to construct an alternative reality that they called metaphysics, a world made up of muses and enigmas, angst and enchantment.’ drawing from the figures of that alternative, metaphysical reality, and particularly from de chirico’s famous artwork ‘the disquieting muses’, the italian designer’s piece takes the shape of a tailor’s mannequin, cold, still and devoid of emotions. the enigmatic and silent figure appears trapped within a cage-like metallic structure, which at the same time serves as the mold that defines its figure.

image © designboom

available in a limited edition of nine pieces per color, the muse collection features opaline glass combined with a base of white carrara marble – another reference to the metaphysical artists’ works where the material was found in abundance. to create the pieces, venini‘s glassworks master craftsmen blow glass inside the cage-like structure, following the tradition of the venetian lantern, where skilfully controlled energy is impressed into the raw material and alternates with the precision of the manual processes, demonstrating the material’s elasticity despite the presence of a rigid mould.

the italian designer with the muse sculpture in milk white

‘after the success of happy pills and murana, which became venini best-sellers, we are proud to partner once again with the unconventional and creative spirit of fabio novembre,’ states carlo longagnani, CEO of venini. ‘venini has always promoted innovative projects that extend and enhance the ancient art of glassmaking through their design. since 1921, the year of its establishment, venini has succeeded in an extraordinary undertaking, that of reviving and renewing the glassmaking art, contributing to the definition of contemporary culture. and great artists, the likes of – to mention just a few – gio ponti, mimmo rotella, gae aulenti, gaetano pesce, tadao ando, ron arad and, of course, fabio novembre have discovered in the furnace experience optimum conditions to test new creative frontiers.’

see images of designboom’s recent visit to the venini furnaces in murano below, to follow the making of the muse sculptures.

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

image © designboom

muse in grass green

muse in red

muse in milk white

venini’s glassworks can be found in many permanent collections around the world, from the metropolitan museum to the moma in new york, from the fondation cartier in paris to the victoria and albert museum in london. the venini museum is no less significant: with its 45,000 drawings, 10,000 vintage photos and 4,000 works of art, it is the most valuable historical archive of modern and contemporary glass art.
recognizing the value of the ancient glass art and the importance of safeguarding the manufacturing heritage that the glassworks represent, today venini has rediscovered a new, extraordinary vitality, thanks to new partnerships with designers of international fame and the investments of the damiani group, which acquired the brand in 2016.