Massimo Micheluzzi

Glassblower

©Micheluzzi

Murano, mosaics and the Met

Massimo works with both transparent and opaque glass
His work is celebrated internationally as fine art
He says that glassblowing is a brutal job

Massimo Micheluzzi grew up in his father’s antique workshop in Venice, which had been active since the 1960s. In the late 1990s, after a long and fruitful apprenticeship in the well-known Venini furnace, Massimo took up his own journey and turned his father’s activity into a glassblowing workshop. He uses the techniques that have defined the Murano tradition, striving to balance it with innovation. He applies this heritage craftsmanship to achieve a very modern aesthetic. Massimo's work is exhibited all over the world in established museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Corning Museum of Glass in New York, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs de Paris, and naturally the Museo del Vetro di Murano in Venice.

Interview

©Micheluzzi

©Micheluzzi

How did you encounter glasswork in the first place?: I was friends with the grandchildren of Venini, the owner of one of Venice’s most well-known furnaces. I explored the technique just by hanging around with them. When I was older, I was hired by Venini to do photographs of the workshop and this eventually led to an apprenticeship.
How did you decide to open your own workshop?: Up until recently, glassworkers in Venice worked for a furnace and their final products bore the name of the furnace, not of the artisan who had created it. This changed in the 1990s, with the American “glass movement” which helped designers to rent privately owned furnaces by the hour and create and sell their pieces under their own name.
What are the main characteristics of your work today?: I work with both transparent and opaque glass. The works done with opaque glass are created as a sort of mosaic by assembling multiple tiles into precise shapes. When I work with transparent glass, the peculiarity is always in the shape of the vessel.
Is there something about your work that people usually don’t know?: Working with glass is extremely tiring. Glassblowing in particular is one of the most brutal activities in the world. It requires huge strength and you get burnt all over. A lot of youngsters come to the furnace to try it out, but hardly any of them continue. You must be very driven to become a glassblower.

Massimo Micheluzzi is a master artisan: he began his career in 1980 and he started teaching in 2005