Friday, October 25, 2024

Venice - Palazzo Bragadin - Atelier Visconti - Presents - Maria Grazia Rosin - Sigrid de Montrond - Vincent Lajarige

Palazzo Bragadin - Atelier Visconti

Maria Grazia Rosin - Sigrid de Montrond - Vincent Lajarige

On the occasion of the Venice Glass Week, in the splendid rooms of Palazzo Bragadin, Xavier and Sigrid de Montond's Venetian home to their Parisian art gallery Atelier Visconti, a special viewing of the works by Maria Grazia Rosin - Sigrid de Montrond and Vincent Lajarige where on show by special appointment.

Maria Grazia Rosin - Soft Silica Light -2024

Maria Grazia Rosin

Soft Silica Light is a new collection of luminous objects designed by Maria Grazia Rosin, blending traditional glassblowing techniques with modern aesthetics. These pieces are part of the larger Morbida Macchina Silicea - Soft Silica Machine - project, first presented at the Murano Illumina il Mondo exhibition in Venice. Inspired by 19th-century pastel stucco ceilings in Palazzo Bragadin, the objects feature soft pinks, ancient greens, and golden yellows.

When designer Sigrid de Montrond discovered in a Murano furnace boxes and boxes of singular pieces of antique lighting fixtures, some dating back to the eighteenth century, she was inspired to salvage and reassemble them into stunning lamps, chandeliers, candleholders, tiebacks and necklaces.

Sigrid de Montrond

Sigrid de Montrond - Curtain Tieback

Vincent Lajarige, a lifelong painter and sculptor, who also trained as a doctor and worked with the Red Cross and Medecins du Monde, traveling extensively. His visits to the Amazon deeply impacted him, the tropical forests evoking a powerful emotional and aesthetic revelation about humanity's connection to the planet. His sculptures feature driftwood, found wood with pigment inlays, and resin incorporating shavings and sawdust, with variable dimensions. Lajarige's work invites viewers to explore the mystery of things, emphasizing themes of rescue, resurrection, and the enduring continuity of life.

Vincent Lajarige - Foret - installation

Vincent Lajarige

Lunch

Palazzo Bragadin - Piano Nobile

Monday, October 21, 2024

Venice - Caterina Tognon - Vladimir Kopecky - Not a Picture but an Event - Exhibition

"The painter no longer approaches the easel with an image

in mind, but approaches it with the color-matter, with the intent of transforming

that other matter, the canvas, that was in front of him."

Harold Rosenberg

poet - educator - philosopher- art critic

Caterina Tognon

Vladimir Kopecký - Not a Picture but an Event

For his first solo exhibition in Italy at the Caterina Tognon gallery, Vladimír Kopecký – Not a Picture but an Event - until November 23 - the 91-year-old Czechoslovakian artist showcases sixteen glass works painted with vitreous enamel. These pieces were blown in Murano at the Anfora furnace by Maestro Andrea Zilio. Each work is unique, highlighting Kopecký's vitality, spirit, and dedication to his craft. Known for making experimentation with glass and painting the centerpiece of his artistic journey, Kopecký's latest creations are a testament to his lifelong commitment to pushing boundaries in both mediums.

The Murano glass objects here extend Kopecký’s early 1960s experiments improvising with paint and etching on glass sheets, his 1970s assembled paintings that incorporate industrial and found materials, and his 1990s performative installations generated in the theatre of the glass foundry.

"This exhibition is a testament to the vitality, spirit, and dedication of Vladimír Kopecký, who has been experimenting with materials, form, scale, and colour throughout his art life."

Caterina Tognon

The works on display are large in size and have great chromatic energy. The actions that Kopecký performs, with vitreous enamels, on their smooth and shiny surfaces, are guided by the imperfections of the bubbles - resulting from the blowing process - and the intense colors of the Murano glass. Venetian blown glass and Bohemian vitreous enamel: an art form dating back to the Roman Empire that Kopecký, an extraordinary performer masterfully interprets.

The title of the exhibition - Not a picture but an event - was first coined by Harold Rosenberg in his 1952 essay, The American Action Painters, to argue that art cannot be separated from the artist's life. That every splash, dip or spray of paint, every mark made, is a choice.

Vladimir Kopecký

Not a Picture but an Event

Thursday, October 10, 2024

Venice - Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore - Homo Faber 2024 - Favorite Works and Artisans

Venice - Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore

Homo Faber 2024 - The Journey of Life

Favorite Works + Artisans

Set in the historic Fondazione Giorgio Cini on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, Homo Faber 2024 - The Journey of Life - celebrating artisanal mastery - inspiring objects - talented artisans - took visitors on a unique journey into the world of fine craftsmanship. Guests explored centuries-old spaces, from the Renaissance Cypress Cloister to the Palladian Refectory, all enhanced by stunning scenography - curated by the Michelangelo Foundation - art direction by Luca Guadagnino and Nicolò Rosmarini. The gardens and Gandini swimming pool were also opened especially for the event, immersing visitors in a blend of artistic creation and storytelling. In addition, they experienced hundreds of handcrafted pieces from global artisans and live demonstrations.