Luciano Vistosi

Luciano Vistosi (1931–2010) was an Italian designer and sculptor, widely regarded as a master of glassmaking. Born in Murano, he grew up in a family that ran a glass furnace on the island, and from an early age he developed a deep fascination with the many techniques of glass working. In 1952, following the death of his father, he founded his own company together with his uncle and brother: Vetreria Vistosi, which remains active and highly esteemed to this day. Today, the Vistosi brand is one of the leading names in Italian design for Murano glass lighting, featuring in its catalog the work of outstanding designers such as Vico Magistretti, Angelo Mangiarotti, and Ettore Sottsass—all of whom were brought in with great foresight by Luciano Vistosi to complement his own creations with new and original designs. Vistosi also designed glass lamps for other brands, including the celebrated Onfale lamp (1978) produced by Artemide. Beyond lighting design, his other great passion was artistic glass sculpture. From the 1970s onward, this activity became increasingly central to his practice, leading to numerous solo exhibitions around the world, from San Francisco to Cologne, from Madrid to his native Venice. A purity of line with an almost classical sensibility, combined with a refined mastery of light effects, defines both his work as a designer and as a sculptor, reaching an ideal culmination in 1994 with the creation of a large green glass cross for the crypt of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice.