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Overview
"Veiling, shading, blurring...aethetic dignity of reality in all its smallest aspects, pure and rarefied"
– Laura de Santillana
Born in Venice in 1955, Laura de Santillana (1955–2019) studied classics and architecture before moving to New York City, where she worked with the Vignelli Associates studio whilst attending the School of Visual Arts. De Santillana went on to design art books and began designing objects and lamps for the family business, Venini, alongside her father Ludovico. Founded with her father and brother, de Santillana served as art director of EOS until 1993.
Following a commission to design a kaiseki range in glass, Laura began a long working relationship with Japan, notably alongside lacquer master Suzuki Mutsumi. From 1999 until her death in 2019, de Santillana committed herself to innovating glass techniques; it is during this period that she created many of her iconic works, including her signature standing glass series.
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Biography
Public Collections:
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York, USA
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California, USA
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, USA
Museum of Arts and Design, New York, USA
Musée des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, France
Museo Vetrario di Murano (Murano Glass Museum), Venice, Italy
Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland
Kunstmuseum Duesseldorf im Ehrenhof, Düsseldorf, Germany
Kunstsammlungen der Veste Coburg, Coburg, Germany
Glasmuseum Lette - Alter Hof Herding, Coesfeld, Germany
Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Die Neue Sammlung – The Design Museum, München, Germany
Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York, USA
Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, USA
Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado, USA
Mingei International Museum, San Diego, California, USA
Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Lowe Art Museum, Coral Gables, Miami, Florida, USA
Sao Paolo Museu de Arte, São Paulo, Brazil
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WorksOpen a larger version of the following image in a popup:
Courtesy of Douglas Dubler
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup:
Courtesy of Fabio Zonta
Laura de Santillana
Untitled (Lametta), 2019Hand-blown and slumped glassH11 3/8 x W9 x D3 1/2 in
H29 x W23 x D9 cmC27569_(LS2019_LAM10)Further images
Laura de Santillana was known as a master of color; often she allowed hues to withdraw behind the other qualities of glass, such as the slumping form and cold-worked surface. The tension of the glass, which is affected by the properties of each unique color, are in constant fluctuation and require careful coordination to yield deep layers of blue contrasted with complimentary orange.VideoExhibitions-
Laura de Santillana: Echoes of Her Gaze
Impressions of Tokyo and Kyoto in Glass 15 May - 29 Jun 2024Exhibition opens Wednesday, May 15, 2024 . Opening Reception : May 15, 6 PM to 8 PM. All visitors are welcome : Mon.—Sat. 11 AM to 6 PM. Private viewing...Read more -
Through Her Eyes
In Memory of Laura de Santillana 21 Oct - 18 Nov 2020An exhibition at Ippodo Gallery New York featuring artist Laura de Santillana's glass sculptures.Read more -
Moon : Tsuki wo koso …
Kondaya Genbey x Laura de Santillana 6 - 8 Oct 2018Moon : Tsuki wo koso… Genbey Yamaguchi, the tenth generation owner of the famous Kyoto obi specialist, Kondaya, is a rare breed of man. Kondaya has remained a leader in...Read more
Press-
Hube Magazine: Frieze Masters 2025
Julia Silverberg -
Elle Decor Italia: Masters of the Past
Antonio Di Mino -
Elle Decor Italia: Frieze director Emanuela Tarizzo on Japanese-Italian influences
Maria Chiara Valacchi -
The World of Interiors: Natural kinship with Kettle's Yard
Holly E J Black -
Frieze Highlights: Fashion designer reflects on de Santillana's glass
Roksanda Ilinčić -
This Starlit Night
Shoko Aono -
Beauty Revealed in the Twilight
Mari Hashimoto -
Laura de Santillana: Quiet Impact
Janet Koplos
Blog-
Remembering Laura de Santillana
Through the Eyes of Her Collectors, Collaborators, and Friends June 24, 2024Ippodo Gallery and Shoko Aono welcomed close friends of Laura de Santillana; Barry Friedman (art dealer), Janet Koplos (art writer), Benjamin Cobb (artist and collaborator)...Read more -
Laura de Santillana, "A Few Thoughts" (2014)
A Look Back at the Glass Artist's Impression of Japan May 28, 2024In 2014, Laura de Santillana exhibited her signature glass artworks with Ippodo Gallery in Tokyo, Japan. At that time she recorded her internal world in...Read more -
Design Miami/ 2023 Recap
February 19, 2024Ippodo Gallery’s presence at Design Miami/ for a second year is met with rave reviews. We are so grateful for the enthusiastic responses of our...Read more -
About Glass
A Short Introduction to Glassblowing Technique October 20, 2020Glasswork has been around for centuries and glassblowing as a technique was created in the middle of the 1st century BC. Glassblowing offered new lengths...Read more -
A Letter to Laura
October 13, 2020To Laura, whom I love and respect. Dear Laura, your glass works sum up your character— s oft, graceful, intellectual yet tantalizing . The way...Read more
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