Lilla Tabasso

Lampworker

A bouquet of emotions

Lilla creates glass flowers that express human feelings
She was awarded the Talent du Luxe prize in the category ‘Harmonie’
Her work is inspired by glass artists Rudolph and Leopold Blaschka

In 2000, when Lilla Tabasso decided to abandon her biology studies to dedicate herself to the art of glass, several master glassmakers in Murano advised her to give up, saying “it’s too complicated,” she explains with a smile. However, she did not give up and today she is internationally recognised for her splendid floral sculptures. When the Centre du Luxe et de la Création in Paris awarded her the prestigious Talent du Luxe prize she saw it as “an acknowledgement that has rewarded me for the many sacrifices I had to make. At the same time, it’s payback against those who thought I would never succeed because I am a woman, and glassmaking is considered to be a man’s craft.”

Interview

Why did you decide to specialise in glass flowers?: I made my first glass flower in 2003: it was a pansy. Right from the start I realised that through my flowers I could express human feelings and emotions. I choose the flower depending on the mood I want to express.
What inspires your work?: Everything starts with emotions. Then of course I also turn to the works by Rudolph and Leopold Blaschka, who in 1890 created 4,400 plant models in glass for Harvard University. It’s an impressive work, impossible to match for the perfection of every detail.
When we look at your works, what do we see?: The tears I have cried throughout these years, trying to come to terms with a material that seems so hard to work with. The master glassmakers in Murano were right to warn me, but they were wrong in thinking that I would never succeed!
Will you ever get tired of flowers?: I don’t think so, because through flowers I can express my feelings. I try not to repeat myself, and to keep pushing myself one step further technically, for example by creating oversized flowers.

Lilla Tabasso is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2001