Giustini / Stagetti

The history of Seguso Vetri d’Arte is among the oldest and most prestigious in Murano. The origins of the Seguso dynasty date back at least to 1397, the year in which a document preserved in the State Archives of Venice attests to the glassmaking activity of Filius Segusi. Since then, the glass tradition has continued uninterrupted, spanning centuries and establishing itself as one of the most significant in the island’s history. Over time, the Seguso family was involved in various entrepreneurial ventures, including the founding of Vetreria Artistica Barovier & C. In 1932, Antonio Seguso, along with Napoleone Barovier and Luigi Ferro, founded Artistica Vetreria e Soffieria Barovier, Seguso e Ferro, which in 1937 adopted its definitive name: Seguso Vetri d’Arte. Antonio’s sons also worked in the company: Angelo and Archimede as master glassblowers, Bruno as technical director, Ernesto as administrative director, and Isidoro as commercial director. The artistic direction was entrusted to Flavio Poli, a central figure in shaping the creative identity of the glassworks, who also became a partner. In 1963, he was succeeded in the role of artistic director by his pupil Mario Pinzoni. Seguso Vetri d’Arte stands out internationally for the excellence of its creations, receiving commissions from grand hotels, theatres, royal families around the world, and the Vatican, for which it created a majestic chandelier for Pope John XXIII. Since the 1950s, the works of the glassworks have become part of the permanent collections of over 75 major international museums, including the Murano Glass Museum, the MoMA and the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Victoria & Albert Museum and the British Museum in London, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and the Museo Nacional in Madrid. The company has also received numerous official accolades: in 1954, the prestigious Compasso d’Oro – established in the same year by Gio Ponti – was awarded to the Grande Vaso Blu Rubino (Large Ruby Blue Vase) designed by Flavio Poli. Seguso Vetri d’Arte also won the Grand Prize at the Milan Triennale four times, and in 1958, the Grand Prix at the Brussels World’s Fair. In 1973, the company was sold to outside ownership, but in the early 2000s, it returned to the hands of the family. Today, the twenty-third generation of the Seguso family – represented by brothers Gianluca, Pierpaolo, and Gianandrea – continues the activity, preserving and renewing a centuries-old tradition of glassmaking excellence.