FontanaArte. 90 years of history on show in Venice

"The Table with Wheels was born because Gae Aulenti, Art Director of FontanaArte in the 1980s, saw one day in the company some storage trolleys, which were nothing more than wooden boards with four industrial wheels carrying lamps. Starting from that model, he replaced the wood with crystal, while keeping the industrial wheels. The final result is an extraordinary piece that, thanks to the neutrality of the crystal, fits into any environment and style," recalled FontanaArte agent Vittorio Minucci in 2020, on the occasion of the product's 40th anniversary. This is just one of the many stories that have marked the brand's 90-year history, making it part of the legend of Italian design: a reality that has forever shaped the art of the relationship between glass and light. The events, people and masterpieces that have defined the company's identity are celebrated with the exhibition "FontanaArte. House of Glass", curated by Christian Larsen and now on show at Le Stanze del Vetro on the Island of S.Giorgio Maggiore, Venice.

The work of four art directors – Gio Ponti, Pietro Chiesa, Max Ingrand and Gae Aulenti – and 85 original works narrate the poetic possibilities of sheet glass, an industrial material worked by many designers and artists who have collaborated with the Milanese company throughout its history. The exhibition path – the set-up of which was designed by architect Massimiliano Locatelli – is divided into several rooms, each focusing on a specific designer, and culminating in a suite furnished in the FontanaArte style to evoke a home made of glass interiors. "FontanaArte. House of Glass" covers a time span of over 60 years: from the company's birth in 1932, thanks to the dialogue between Gio Ponti and Luigi Fontana, to Gae Aulenti's departure from the company in 1996. This traces a historical stylistic arc in 20th century design, from the rational logic of Modernism to the playfulness of Postmodernism.