Gaetano Pesce - Design & Design Art New York Thursday, December 13, 2007 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Caliari Family, Turin

  • Literature

    Gaetano Pesce, Gaetano Pesce: Cinq Techniques pour le Verre, exh. cat., Musées de Marseille, 1992, p. 125, fig. 37  for another piece of Pesce’s work in glass; Venini lamps catalogue, ca. 1981, n.p.

  • Catalogue Essay

    Fewer than four complete sets of "Canovacci" lights are known to exist.
     
    In 1979 Venini was offering artists the opportunity to improve their skills, they all came with different goals and objectives. Some were interested in acquiring a new theoretical knowledge whilst learning techniques and developing their manual skills. Others wanted to gain experience in the field of industrial design, with the hope to see their work going into production. The first group came to the company on their own initiative and were ready to be taken on in any capacity, the later arrivals were instigated by Venini. They all entered formal arrangements with the glass maker within which, as well as being given the opportunity to realize their sculptures, they were bound to work on the projects of the manufacturer. When Venini was still partially owned by the family, in October 1980 Gaetano Pesce submitted his portfolio of drawings (designs) and was invited to investigate the possibility of producing objects in a series of sculptures constructed from fused glass that was baked in a furnace. He spent a long period at Venini, observing the craftsmen at work and producing moulds for prototypes. He applied himself to build a computerized furnace capable of reaching the necessary high temperatures to fuse glass fragments into his moulds, however he encountered a number of technical problems and his glass designs never entered full production.   Anna Venini de Santillana

227

Set of four “Canovacci” lights

1981
Colored textured glass, bronze, bronzed metal.
25 1/2 x 97 5/8 x 4 1/2 in. (64.8 x 248 x 11.4 cm)
Produced by Venini, Italy in a small series.

Estimate
$80,000 - 120,000 

Sold for $97,000

Design & Design Art

13 Dec 2007, 2pm
New York