Simone Crestani

Lampworker

©Atelier Crestani

A young star in the world of glass

Simone is well known for his lampworked bonsai trees
In 2018 he was awarded the Talent du Luxe prize
He uses a technique originally developed for scientific purposes

Simone Crestani was only 15 years old when he started his training in the workshop of his neighbour Massimo Lunardon, who was a master lampwork glassmaker. He was looking for a summer job that would enable him to earn a little money, but in the space of a couple of weeks he decided to leave school and dedicate himself to this craft. Today, still in his 30s, Crestani is internationally renowned as one of the most outstanding craftsmen of his generation, whose works have been showcased in a number of exhibitions around the world. For him, receiving the Talent du Luxe prize in 2018 was “the perfect way to celebrate my ‘coming of age’ in the professional world”.

Interview

©Laila Pozzo

Has there been a defining moment in your career?: In 2006, when I was still working in Lunardon’s workshop, I created my first project, a series of wine glasses that played with the image of a bonsai. Gallerist Jean Blanchaert asked me to develop the concept and, in 2008, he hosted my first solo exhibition in his Milanese gallery.
How did the special lampworking technique you use come about?: It was developed in the 1960s by Giovanni Parise, an artisan of the Veneto region who moved to Germany to work in a factory producing test tubes and glass instruments for the medical industry. When he returned to Italy, he combined these techniques with the traditional skills of glassmakers in Murano.
What aspect of your work do you love the most?: The freedom to create what I have in mind and to experiment, knowing I can count on a group of admirers who appreciate everything I do. I am well aware of the fact that at my age this is a very special privilege.
What will be your next challenge?: I love to try my hand at bigger sculptures. My record until now is the head of a deer with antlers measuring 1.6m. I could never have created these objects in my parents’ garage, which was for a while the improvised studio in which I set out on my solitary career.

Simone Crestani is a master artisan: he began his career in 2000 and he started teaching in 2012