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 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.
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