Lino Tagliapietra - Visionary

LINO TAGLIAPIETRA VISIONARY

SCHANTZ GALLERIES

LINO TAGLIAPIETRA VISIONARY

SCHANTZ GALLERIES CONTEMPORARY GLASS 3 Elm Street, Stockbridge, MA 01262 (413) 298-3044 Cover and left: Acquilone, 2019, 28 x 14.5 x 8" www.schantzgalleries.com

LINO TAGLIAPIETRA VISIONARY The more we learn about the details of Lino Tagliapietra’s work and life, the more we comprehend his great understanding of world culture. As a young man, Lino was exposed to the historical classical paintings and mosaics in the Venetian churches, works by Tintoretto and Titian. The contemporary museums, such as the Peggy Guggenheim, offered major works of Cubism, Futurism, Metaphysical painting, European abstraction, avant-garde sculpture, Surrealism, and American Abstract Expressionism, by some of the greatest artists of the 20th century. Lino has witnessed and is part of the most current International art exhibitions practically from his front door at the Venice Biennale. We see an attention to the painterly or graphic qualities in his work. His flat panels certainly lend themselves to that association. However, in looking at the graphics, and the continual exploration of color combinations, shape, pattern, line, and space within the blown forms, one can see the influence of his early, and recent, discoveries.

In this publication, we have attempted to focus on both the Maestro’s classic forms, such as the Dinosaur and Fenice, while also featuring the details within that form. We have many beautiful photos; however, the works presence, texture, the relationship between the inner and outer sides as well as the kinetic aspect will have to be seen in person to be appreciated. We hope you can attend this exhibition.

We would like to express how very honored we are to represent this great artist, who has had a major role in re-defining the glass medium as an art form.

Jim Schantz and Kim Saul Schantz Galleries, July, 2019

The Secret Garden, (Laguna), 2019, 62 x 72 x 11"

A

visionary artist is marked by foresight and imagination. Though his intellect—in which reason, problem-solving and judgment reside—may be impressive, he transcends his thinking mind to embrace his intuition and access the mysterious and the beautiful. He sees and visualizes the unseen, interpreting the people, places and things he has encountered in a completely visceral way. He begins, in the case of visionary artist Lino Tagliapietra, with a clear piece of glass, and with it he reimagines the world. He dares to experiment, demonstrating humility and vulnerability because he is not afraid of failure. Michelangelo said that “the greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim to low and achieving our mark.” Well into his 80s, Lino Tagliapietra continues to push himself and his medium, endlessly shifting his mark in a way that leads the viewer beyond the expected and into the uncharted and profound.

Though these visionary qualities are naturally ingrained in Tagliapietra, they are strengthened by an unfailing work ethic, the joy he clearly takes in the process, and his utmost grace as a maestro and mentor. In his artistic process, he envisions the final product before he even begins, carefully designing the murrini to create unique color combinations and patterns that, once in the hotshop, seem to materialize as if from a dream. He has continued to envision bold new color combinations, patterns, and forms that make his work feel perpetually fresh. The key, he has written, is to “listen to the intuition and make space for the imagination and then…you must do it.”

The spectacular new works in this exhibition astonish with their extraordinary murrini, intense coloration, and original techniques. The flawless orb of Hanoi (2019; pictured left) pulsates like a breathing organism, the predominant murrine swaying like tropical violet and pink coral, the center ribbon of murrine unfurling like blooming, vivid orange petals. That a flat surface can have such bewildering depth speaks to Tagliapietra’s unparalleled insight into, and handling of, the material. Equally stunning is another Hanoi (2019; previous spread), whose band of indigo, gold, and aquamarine recalls a bridge on one of Hanoi’s famous lakes, the bright colors of an electric Vietnamese night reflected below. A new murrine named Aquilone (Italian for kite) also appears in this exhibition.

On the vase’s elegant teardrop shape, soft-hued pastel murrini reach upward towards a delicate point, demonstrating the airiness of colorful, summer kites lifting on the breeze.

In 2019, Tagliapietra created a new panel form in Aurora, which sits in a custom-built frame backed by LED lighting to highlight the dramatic tones of the northern lights.

Clarity of vision, incomparable technical skill, and an insatiable energy for discovery have placed Lino Tagliapietra in the highest echelon of his media. We are inspired by his relentless and exuberant pursuit to convert clear, molten glass into a beautiful, personal, and moving expressions. Glass art has been forever changed by his contributions to the field, and as his audience, we are enlivened anew by his ability to capture and visualize the ineffable essence of the human experience.

Hanoi, 2019, 12.5 x 11 x 5.5"

Hanoi, 2019, 25 x 12 x 8"

Dinosaur, 2019, 45.75 x 14 x 8.75"

Dinosaur, 2019, 51 x 32 x 9.5"

Fenice, 2019, 18.25 x 13.5 x 6.75"

Fenice, 2019, 18 x 12 x 5"

Florencia, 2019, 24.75 x 11.25 x 6.25"

Dinosaur, 2019, 53 x 25 x 8"

Lipari, 2019, 14 x 14 x 15.25"

Florencia, 2019, 14 x 11 x 11"

Florencia, 2019, 19.5 x 11 x 8"

Nebula, 2019, 16 x 15.5 x 7"

Stromboli, 2019, 27.5 x 8 x 5.5"

Florencia, 2019, 14 x 17.5 x 17.5"

Aurora, 2019, Illuminated panel, 17.125 x 29.5 x .375"

Venice Panel, 2013, 14.75 x 30.25 x .5"

Venice Panel, 2012, 14.5 x 32.5 x .5"

Angel Tear, 2018, 46.5 x 17.5 x 5.5"

Niomea, 2009, 27.25 x 16 x 8"

London, 2018, 33.25 x 7.25 x 7.25"

Osaka, 2012, 22.75 x 11.75 x 11.75"

Osaka, 2011, 15.75 x 8.75 x 6.25"

Osaka, 2011, 17.75 x 12 x 11.75"

Osaka, 2012, 21.75 x 9 x 8.75"

Osaka, 2012, 10.25 x 11.75 x 11.75"

Africa, 2017, 10.5 x 19.25 x 19.25"

MUSEUM COLLECTIONS

photo: Sabine Von Falken

CHINA: Shanghai Museum of Glass, Shanghai DENMARK: Glasmuseum, Ebeltoft · Danish Royal Museum, Copenhagen FRANCE: Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris GERMANY: Kestner Museum, Hannover ITALY: Aperto Vetro, Venice Biennale di Venezia · Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti, Venice Palazzo Grassi, Venice JAPAN: Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Sapporo · Kitazawa Museum of Arts, Takane-cho · Tokyo National Modern Art Museum, Tokyo · Toyama City Institute of Glass, Toyama MEXICO: Museo del Vidrio, Monterrey THE NETHERLANDS: Museum Boijmans, Rotterdam · Museum Het Paleis, The Haag SWITZERLAND: Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Lausanne UNITED KINGDOM: Victoria and Albert Museum, London UNITED STATES: Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA · Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass, Neenah, WI · Cantor Art Center, Stanford, CA · Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA · Chazen Museum, Madison, WI Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA · Colby College Museum, Waterville, ME · Columbia Museum, Columbia, OH · Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH · Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY · Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH · Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI · Flint Institute of Arts, Flint, MI · Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA · Hunter Art Museum, Chattanooga, TN The Jewish Museum, San Francisco, CA · Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles, CA · M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, San Francisco, CA · Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art, New York, NY · Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Chicago, OH · The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY · Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Charlotte, NC · Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL · Museum of Art, Washington State University, Pullman, WA Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY · Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA · Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX · Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA National Museum of Ceramic Art and Glass, Baltimore, MD · Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, FL · Orlando Museum, Orlando, FL Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, CA · Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI · Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, DC · Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Scottsdale, AZ · Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA · Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS · Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA · Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA · Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH

LINO TAGLIAPIETRA VISIONARY

Published by Schantz Galleries 3 Elm Street Stockbridge, MA 01262 (413) 298-3044 www.schantzgalleries.com jim@schantzgalleries.com © 2019 Schantz Galleries Essay: Jeanne Koles Design: Kim Saul and Jeanne Koles Photography: Russell Johnson

2019

schantz galleries

CONTEMPORARY GLASS