Alfredo Barbini (1912-2007) Blown Glass Vase Around 1970

Alfredo Barbini, a glass artist born in 1912 on the islands of Murano in the lagoon of Venice, Italy, was one of the prominent figures of 20th century Murano. His parents were members of families who had played an important role in the Murano glass industry for generations as glassblowers and bead makers. Barbini began his long career in 1925 at the age of 13, working in the SAIAR Ferro Toso factory. In 1929, he joined the Cristalleria di Venezia e Murano as master glassmaker. He left this company in 1932 to work in a glass workshop in Milan, but returned to Murano to work first in the new company Zecchin & Martinuzzi, then at Seguso Vetri d'Arte. From 1936 to 1944 he was partner and master glassmaker of the Societa Anonima Vetri Artistici Murano, known as SAVAM After World War II, Barbini worked as a master glassblower and designer successively with Archimede Seguso and Napoleone Martinuzzi, then became a partner of Vetreria Vistosi and, later, of Gino Cenedese. With the financial help of the company Salviati & C., for which he manufactured products, he created in 1950 his own glass company, Vetreria Alfredo Barbini (reorganized in 1983 under the name Alfredo Barbini Srl). His company exhibited his work at the Venice Biennials from 1950 to 1961. He died in 2007.