The Manufacturer
VeArt
Founded near Venice in 1965 by an architect from Venini's own family
circle, VeArt turned hand-blown glass into sculptural, design-forward
lighting for less than three decades.
Founding & History
A design house born from Venini's own family
VeArt was founded in 1965 by Sergio Biliotti and Ludovico Diaz de Santillana, the architect who, after marrying into the Venini family, went on to direct Venini & C. itself following Paolo Venini's death. That connection gave the young firm instant credibility and a direct line to Venini's own circle of designers. VeArt is often described simply as a sister house to Venini.
Through the late 1960s, 70s and 80s, VeArt produced sculptural lighting and thick blown-glass objects under artistic
director Mario Ticco, also a Venini alumnus. It was a short life by Murano standards. In 1991, the firm was acquired by the Milanese lighting company Artemide, which used the VeArt name for a few more years before retiring it. VeArt no longer exists as an independent company today.
The Design Approach
A house built on sculptural, design-led glass
VeArt's identity was never built on one signature series pioneered by a single name. Under artistic director Mario Ticco, the company brought in a rotating group of architects, designers and Murano maestros, each working in their own sculptural register, from
thin structural glass skins to heavy, color-inclusion blown forms.
What ties the catalog together is less a fixed look than an approach: treating Murano glass as a material for genuine sculptural experimentation rather than repeating historic decorative forms.
Individual designers, including Toni Zuccheri, Umberto Riva, Tobia and Afra Scarpa, and Lino Tagliapietra, each brought their own techniques to that shared brief.
"An ambitious exploration of the plastic properties of Murano glass."
— by design gallery Spinzi
VeArt Signature Techniques
Membrane
A thin inner skin of glass structures the piece and traps its color, while the outer wall stays transparent. Toni Zuccheri's defining VeArt technique.
Opaline / Lattimo
Milky, semi-opaque white glass used across many VeArt lighting diffusers, softening and warming the light that passes through.
Thick Blown Glass
Heavy-walled glass with color inclusions, giving pieces real physical weight and presence. Used in Umberto Riva's "Medusa" lamp, among others.
Murrine & Cane Work
Multicolor glass rods and wheel-carved detailing used in Zuccheri's most ambitious sculptural pieces, made in very small quantities.
Spiral / Incamiciato
Cased, striped or spiraled blown glass. The technique behind VeArt's signed and dated 1980s bottles and vases.
Caged-Glass Lighting
Blown opaline globes set within spiraling brass or brass-plated metal cages. A recurring VeArt lamp form.
Who Designed For VeArt
The Names Behind The Glass
| Toni Zuccheri | 1965–1991 | Created the "Membrane" series and VeArt's most recognized sculptural vases, centerpieces and lighting. |
| Umberto Riva | early 1970s | Milanese architect who designed the "Medusa" table lamp, published in Domus. |
| Tobia & Afra Scarpa | 1980s | Designed several glass collections, including a ground-and-cased limited edition of 99 signed, numbered pieces. |
| Lino Tagliapietra | 1980s | Celebrated Murano maestro who produced signed, dated pieces for VeArt, including candy-striped swirl bowls. |
| Jeannot Cerutti | 1980s–90s | Designed sculptural lamp models including "Coppa" and "Afna" for VeArt and later Artemide. |
Held In Permanent Collections
A Small House, Well-Regarded Designers
VeArt's own trade catalogs are preserved in the Corning Museum of Glass's Rakow Research Library. Its designers carry broader institutional recognition too.
