Vittorio Costantini - Biography

Biography

Vittorio Costantini was born in Burano, an island near Murano, in 1944.

The son of a fisherman and a lacemaker (like most of the island’s inhabitants), he began working in the furnace at the age of eleven.

His first encounter with lampwork glass was at the age of 19; at first, it was just a pastime that kept him busy after a hard day’s work in the furnace.

But, with the opening of his workshop in Venice in 1974, “lamp glass” became his only real passion.

Vittorio Costantini - Biography

Vittorio has always been fascinated by nature. To create each individual object takes hours and hours of work: multicolored insects, iridescent butterflies, birds, fish, colorful flowers… are the result of his manual skills.

He considers himself a great observer of the small universe that, every day, surrounds us. With the deep vision of an artist, he can see into the meadows, the sky, the sea–and observe what many can easily miss.

His artistic talent has led him to participate in numerous cultural exhibitions in Italy and around the world.

Vittorio’s mission has always been to promote ‘lume glass’ around the world. In recent years, he has enjoyed considerable success, particularly through exhibitions and teaching.

At his workshop, in Venice, you can admire his “personal collection,” which is strictly “not for sale” – all of these pieces are evidence of many years of work and the evolution of his techniques.

Exhibitions, demonstrations, workshops and publications

THE TRADES OF ART AND DESIGN
Homo Faber 2024 – The Journey of Life (online magazine) – October 2024

 

CABINET DE CURIOSITES EXHIBITION (France)
MusVerre – 2022

 

INTO THE DEEP – Exhibit
Tacoma Museum Of Glass, Washington (WA), United States – September 2017

 

Interview for the Financial Times / Auriens (2017)

 

CROSS-POLLINATION: Honeybees and Murano Glass
Palazzo Franchetti, Venice, ITALY

 

Lecture by artist Judith Harvest at Franchetti Palace

 

APERITIF WITH THE ARTIST
Murano Glass Museum, Venice, ITALY

 

PROPAGATION BEES + SEEDS

 

OPALE – Other Transparencies
Galleria Bugno – Venice, ITALY

 

THE VENICE GLASS WEEK EVENTS
Venice, ITALY – September 10-17, 2017

 

MICROCOSMO – Solo exhibition of glass works by Vittorio Costantini
Asolo (TV), ITALY – August 4-27, 2017

 

MURANO TODAY – EMOZIONI DI VETRO
Murano, Venice – Italy – October 6, 2016-April 25, 2017

 

CASAMAESTRA BY ARK OF THE TALENTS
Feltre (BL), ITALY – JUNE 24-26, 2016

 

REFLECTED GLASS
Murano – Venice – June 27-August 7, 2015

 

VITTORIO COSTANTINI Solo exhibition
Via Venezia Gallery, Holland – May 10-June 25, 2015

 

GLASS IN THE 21st CENTURY
Murano – April 3, 2015

 

NATIONAL GLASS MUSEUM OF LEERDAM
Leerdam, Netherlands – November 1, 2013 – October 19, 2014

 

STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY, COLLABORATION, FORGING NEW BONDS
Chicago, Illinois, United States – 2014

 

Denizli Glass Festival 2013
Denizli, Turkey

 

MIND-BLOWING GLASS by CHIHULI & FRIENDS
Peoria Riverfront Museum – PEORIA, Illinois, United States – 2013

 

GLASS MASTERS – March 2013: Paul Stankard and Vittorio Costantini
New Jersey, United States – 2013

 

THE 2013 IINTERNATIONAL FLAMEWORKERS CONFERENCE
Salem College, Carney’s Point (New Jersey), United States – 2013

WORLD GLASS
Berck Sur Mer, France – 2012

 

MURRINO GLASS
Altino and Murano, Italy – 2012/2013

 

LOCAL INSPIRATION. GLOBAL INNOVATION – G.A.S. Conference.
Corning, N.Y., United States – 2009 (Demonstrations)

 

HAVING FUN AT LOREN’S CLASS, EXPERIMENT AND GREAT AMUSEMENT
California, United States – 2008 (demonstration and slideshow)

 

I S G B CONFERENCE
Oakland, California, United States – 2008

 

ITALIAN WAYS IN CONTEMPORARY CRAFT
Cheongju International Craft Biennale, Korea – 2007

 

PUBLIC GLASS
San Francisco, United States – 2006 (demonstration and teaching)

 

PILCHUCK SCHOOL OF GLASS – 2006
(teaching)

 

PERLES D’ ECUME
Musee Berck-Sur-Mer, France – 2006

 

GOOD THINGS SMALL PACKAGES, An Intimate Look at Small Glass
California, United States – 2006

 

THE STUDIO
Corning (N.Y.) United States – 2006 (Teaching)

 

PENLAND SCHOOL OF CRAFTS
Penland, N.C. United States – 2006 (Teaching)

 

ISLANDS OF GLASS, The Art of Murano Glass 1920-2005
Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv – 2006

 

INTERNATIONAL LAMPWORK FESTIVAL
Kobe, JAPAN – 2005 (Demonstration)

VITRARIA
S. Vito al Tagliamento, Italy – 2005

 

THE STUDIO
Corning (N.Y.) United States – 2005 (Teaching)

 

VITRARIA
S. Vito al Tagliamento, Italy – 2004

 

THE STUDIO
Corning (N.Y.) United States – 2004 (Teaching)

 

GLASS WORKSHOP – KANAZ FOREST OF CREATION
Japan – 2004 (Teaching)

 

EXHIBITION
Venetian Art Museum
Otaru, Japan – 2003

 

VITRARIA
S. Vito al Tagliamento, Italy – 2003

 

NATURE IN GLASS Solo Exhibition
United States – 2003

 

SAN SERVOLO 2002 WORKSHOP
San Servolo – Venice, Italy – 2002

 

LEOPOLD AND RUDOLPH BLASCHKA: GLASS AQUARIUM
The National Glass Centre, Sunderland, England – 2002 (Exhibition and Demonstration)

 

SOURCES of INSPIRATION – G.A.S. Conference
Amsterdam, Netherlands – 2002 (Demonstration)

 

VENICE – NEW YORK
Via Torshalla – Sweden – 2000.

Vittorio Costantini - lampworking

THIRD INTERNATIONAL GLASS ART FESTIVAL
Hsinchu, Taiwan – Italian Pavilion (Exhibition and Demonstration) -1999

 

VITRARIA
S. Vito al Tagliamento, Italy – 1999

 

L’ITALIE EN MINIATURE – Musée de la Miniature
Montelimar, France – 1999

 

THE SEA IN GLASS
United States – 1999

 

OPEN VENICE GLASS
Venice, Italy – 1998

 

ART AND NATURE
Museum of Natural History – Bologna, Italy – 1996

 

POISSONS DE VERRE
Musée Océanographique – Monaco – 1996

 

THE MARINE WORLD OF VITTORIO COSTANTINI
Museum of Venetian Art – Otaru, Japan – 1992

 

A THOUSAND YEARS OF GLASS ART IN VENICE
Doge’s Palace – Venice, Italy – 1982

 

VETRI MURANO TODAY
Palazzo Grassi – Venice, Italy – 1981

 

SPARK THE CREATIVE FLAME: MAKING THE JOURNEY FROM CRAFT TO ART 2013
Paul Stankard

 

CONTEMPORARY LAMPWORKING – Bandhu S. Dunham, 2009 Volume III

 

THE PENLAND BOOK OF GLASS: MASTER CLASSES IN FLAMEWORK TECHNIQUES
published by Lark Books – 2008

 

CONTEMPORARY LAMPWORKING
Bandhu S. Dunham, 2nd Edition, 1997

 

THE FLOW
United States – 2014

 

GLASHAUS – GLASSHOUSE – 2006

 

THE FLOW
A Glass Journal for the Flameworking Community vol.3 – 2005

 

PROFITABLE GLASS – 2004

 

FORMED OF FIRE
Corning Museum of Glass – New York, United States – 2002

 

GLASS MAGAZINE
Venice, Italy – 2001

 

GUIDE TO VENETIAN GLASS – 1991

 

CONTEMPORARY GLASS – 1989

 

GLASS ANIMALS – 1988

The Flow