Giampaolo Seguso Biography
Giampaolo Seguso was born in Murano in 1942. Belonging to a dynasty of master glassmakers active in Murano for over six centuries, he spent his youth far from the furnace, dedicating himself to studies and the world of culture. At 25, he entered the family furnace and thus began his bond with glass, a passion that accompanies him throughout his life. At almost thirty years old, feeling the need to introduce his hands to the art of glassmaking, he undertook a period of apprenticeship which he himself defines as "The seven years of dirty hands". His first work signed with his name dates back to 1983. In 1993, he founded the Seguso Viro glass factory together with his children. In the same year the "La Galleria dei 99" project was born, inspired by the Divine Comedy and divided into three studies. In 1994, the first 33 works of the first studio were published in the volume "L'Incalmo". In 2001 the volume "La Ragnatela" was published, which collects 33 works from the second study. In 2007, the publication of the volume "Pagine di Vetro" represents an important step forward in Giampaolo Seguso's expressive path, marking his transition from poet to "poet on glass". In 2011, the Municipality of Venice commissioned him to create the Monstrance which was donated to Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion of his visit to the city. In 2012 the collection "La Casa dei Battiti" was released, in which the term "Battito" was chosen to seal the union between the glass work and poetry, expressing the most intimate meaning of his art. In 2016 he published "La tua mano. Due Volti", a collection of poems and works dedicated to the love that lasts beyond death. Poet, philosopher and artist, Giampaolo creates works that express a personal synthesis between spirit and matter, using glass as a "page" on which to engrave his poems. He has held conferences in Europe and the United States and has been awarded numerous awards and an honorary degree in Communication Sciences from the "Giovanni Paolo I" University. His works are present in the most important museums in the world, such as the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Museum of Modern Art and the Corning Museum in New York. He currently works in his studio in Murano, where he receives collectors and glass experts from all over the world.
