Quotable Speaker Series: Glenn Adamson

Enter the Dragon: Lino Tagliapietra in Context

While other names like Dale Chihuly and Dante Marioni may be slightly better known in the USA, no single figure had a greater impact on the art glass movement than Lino Tagliapietra. He is also widely acknowledged to be the most skilled artist of his era to work in the medium.  In this talk, Glenn Adamson – historian, curator, and editor of a recent book on Tagliapietra- will relate the fascinating story of this artisan-turned-artist: his background in Murano, the famed glass-making island near Venice; his decision to come to America, and share his secret knowledge with the emerging community there; his collaborations with Chihuly and Marioni; and the genesis of his late, great work, among the most beautiful and technically accomplished glass artworks ever created. Throughout, Dr. Adamson will put Tagliapietra in context, comparing his work to that of other artists in the Basch collection (including Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová, Laura de Santillana, and Preston Singletary) and showing how he was shaped by the art, craft and design worlds of Italy, the USA and beyond.