Andrea Tagliapietra

Simple and sophisticated, with a contemporary design rooted in the ancient art of Murano glassmaking, Andrea Tagliapietra's glass sculptures are a unique emotion.

Considered one of Murano's most talented glass masters, Andrea Tagliapietra is known by glass art collectors around the world for being, along with very few other glass masters, a virtuoso of the chalcedony and solid glass techniques.

The secret of the charm of Andrea Tagliapietra's works comes from his life story. He was born in Murano in the 1950s and, as the son of an artisan - his father Erminio was an admired master glassmaker - he became passionate about the art of glassmaking when he was only a child. Tagliapietra's professional path was clear. He fell in love with glass when he was only 14 years old when he entered the glass factory and started making glass objects from a very young age. From the very beginning everybody was highly impressed by his talent and personality.

He became a master glassmaker in 1979, and his great international success followed shortly afterwards. In the 1980s, Andrea Tagliapietra's expertise and research culminated in works of great intensity. During this period, he also established the company Arte80 with Renato Anatrà, further solidifying his prominence in the glassmaking industry. Sinuous and balanced shapes, harmonies of colours that envelop and enhance the glass: it was an absolutely innovative interpretation of the art of Murano glass.

Tagliapietra specialises in the chalcedony technique, which evokes precious hard stones such as agate, onyx, malachite and lapis lazuli.

He brought the process back to its ancient splendour, as the technique was already known in Roman times and it became widely used in Murano during the Renaissance. As it was customary at the time, the process was kept secret, so much that it was lost around the end of the 17th century.

It was only in the mid-19th century that the secret of chalcedony glass was recovered and the process resumed in the Murano glassworks. It is a technique where the master glassmaker must be very skilled at creating the range of colours with their shades and nuances, and he must simultaneously work to shape the incandescent material to create the art piece.

Using heat-forged solid glass and the iridescent tones obtained thanks to the mixture of metal oxides added to the molten chalcedony glass, Andrea Tagliapietra creates abstract figures, inspired by nature and man.

Famous are the series of Lovers and marine animals, such as Dolphins, Sharks, Turtles, where Andrea Tagliapietra captures the life essence and transforms it into harmonious forms full of dynamism and vivacity.

The style and research of Andrea Tagliapietra's works bring the master closer to the formal research of the great sculptors of the artistic avant-garde of the 20th century such as Henry Moore, Constantin Brancusi, Jeff Koons.

Today Andrea Tagliapietra's sculptures are part of many prestigious private collections in New York, Palm Beach, Chicago and Tokyo.

A glass sculpture by Andrea Tagliapietra placed in a home or office creates a unique atmosphere and gives great personality to the environment.

Precious and sophisticated objects, loved by collectors all over the world, Tagliapietra's sculptures are all collector's items.

It is a privilege and an honour for us to have Andrea Tagliapietra's glass sculptures in our catalogue.