One hundred years of NasonMoretti
In Murano the exhibition that reveals the history of the Murano glass family
The Glass Museum celebrates 100 years of NasonMoretti, a company that made the history of tableware, signing some of the most famous glasses and objects of Made in Italy.
The only family-run Murano artisan reality to have reached the milestone of 100 years, founded in 1923 by Ugo Nason joined shortly after by Francesco Moretti, hence the brand name, NasonMoretti, on the occasion of the significant anniversary, opened its precious archives revealing a long history made up of over ten thousand models, including real design cults.
The exhibition One hundred years of NasonMoretti. The Story of a Murano Glass Family, curated by Cristina Beltrami and Chiara Squarcina, can be visited from 19 May until 28 April 2024 at the Murano Glass Museum. The event opens with an artistic installation that leaves you breathless. Almost 400 colorful table models, from the 1930s to the present day, boldly displayed “naked”, without any showcases, in a spectacular sinusoidal structure that induces the compulsive desire to collect them all.
We are happy to remember our history, which maintains the same family imprint of the beginning, proud to hand down the art of Murano glass.
(Nason family)
The exhibition, organized in collaboration with the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, is the spearhead of a digitization work of the entire company production which has led to the cataloging of all the “families” of products from 1923 to today and to revealing chapters of history still unpublished. Like having discovered that the first set on display from 1930, in the section that exhibits the most important collections in chronological order, the N.460 in black and red coral glass, was part of Gabriele D’Annunzio’s personal collection, now kept at the Vittoriale.
On the other hand, as the gigantic panel with the brand’s timeline clearly illustrates, that of NasonMoretti is a story full of inventions and awards, being the first Murano furnace to win the prestigious Compasso d’Oro award in 1955 with the Lidia bowls, today part of the collection of the MoMa in New York, as well as the one with the highest number of participations in the Venice Biennale Arte.
Over the years, NasonMoretti has gained a strong uniqueness on international markets thanks to the extraordinary techniques acquired in the creation of colors. For example, they are the only one in the world to be able to create as many as 30 shades of green, including the famous Green Soraya, from the name of the Persian princess with magnetic eyes. A primacy told in the exhibition by the 72 glass drops displayed on a wall, a taste of the extraordinary color samples produced by the company.
Along the way, in addition to the glasses, vases and lamps are also exhibited, we find many pieces that have made the history of Italian design such as Rep, the official goblet of the Quirinale tables, or the Gallone 236 from the 1960s, the classic shape of the mixer for Bellini cocktail with the “ice stop” edge, adopted by the legendary Harry’s Bar, as well as pieces designed by the most significant creatives of our century.
Most of the objects are displayed in the exhibition with their preparatory sketches, such as the beautiful 1998 drawings by Francesco Lucchese in colored pencils on cardboard.
The exhibition is closed by the “contemporary” room where you can admire the collections in production of the Murano brand, in particular the collaborations with living artists and designers such as Fabio Bortolani, Maria Grazia Rosin, Marco Zito, Matteo Zorzenoni.
Today the NasonMoretti company is carried on with dedication and pride by Giorgio, Marco and Piero Nason, faithful to the family tradition which perfectly doses, as in its colours, high craftsmanship, visionary entrepreneurship and a pinch of Murano genius.
The Secret
To buy the recent collections of NasonMoretti, you can go to the mono-brand store, located in Fondamenta Manin 52 in Murano, or visit the headquarters, where the company museum is also located, in Calle Dietro Gli Orti, in the periods of the year when the second choices outlet is opened. If, on the other hand, you have fallen in love with a vintage model, we advise you to go to the Campo San Maurizio market in Venice (dates of the future events are available on the market website).
