That time when Lino Tagliapetra came to New Zealand

Lino and Dante Marioni at Sunbeam Glass Studio, Auckland. (Picture Credit: NZ Listener)

With the recent announcement of Lino Tagliapetra’s retirement from the furnace, we thought it would be a good chance to get Garry Nash to recall bringing Lino to New Zealand.

Back in 1990 when he wasn’t quite as famous as he is now, Lino came to blow glass in New Zealand. Lino’s uncle on Murano took him under his wing to learn the family secrets of glass blowing at age 11. Now considered one of the world’s Masters in Glass and a significant influence on the Studio Glass Movement, Lino is also famous for being the first Murano trained glassblower to teach internationally, and shared techniques with Dale Chihuly. It’s extraordinary to realise that such a protected industry was finally allowed to be shared wider than the famed families of Murano Glassblowers. In 1271 Italy passed a law to ban foreigners from working the glass industry, and in 1295 Venetian glassblowers were banned from traveling overseas, punishable with risk of death. The legend goes that any who had tried to share the secrets experienced the sharp end of a glass dagger.

Why Lino was ‘allowed’ to share what he had learned is a bit of a mystery – maybe it was because his work was held in high regard, with the rest of Murano in awe of his new techniques and design? Or maybe it was when he was awarded the Title of Cavaliere Dell ‘Ordine’ (Knight of the Order) by the President of the Italian Republic. What’s not a mystery is how much the studio glassblowers around the world are in his debt.

Garry had struck on the idea of bringing Lino over to teach a masterclass when he discussed it with friend and previous visitor/teacher to NZ, Richard (Dick) Marquis. Wondering whether they should ask the ‘promising’ young glass blower Dante Marioni, Dick suggested ‘why learn from the apprentice? Get the Master!’ Dick had worked with Lino on Murano while doing a Fulbright scholarship. With lots of persuasion and help from Dick, Garry managed to bring everything together. With Peter Raos as president, NZSAG came onboard also, sharing the high costs involved.

Lino needed a team he knew to work in the hot shop with him. At that point, Dante was learning at the hands of Lino, and the perfect candidate to bring out, along with Dick, to make up Lino’s team in New Zealand. The result was the star-studded team of master glassblowers all working together in a New Zealand glass studio.

There was much disbelief that Lino would actually travel across the world to New Zealand. Traveling was stressful for Lino, (stories have it he had never traveled in a car until he began teaching internationally at Pilchuck in 1979), and Lino didn’t travel without his wife Lina. Garry and his wife then Anna organised a large house in Cox’s Bay overlooking the harbour, taking advantage of an accommodation scheme for the Commonwealth Games. This allowed Dick, Dante, Lino, and Lina to stay together, and all were impressed with the accommodation, and a lamb spit roast dinner at the house organized with a master chef.

Sunbeam Glass Studio in Ponsonby was the venue for the masterclass and for Lino to demo his glass blowing techniques. Packed out with eager spectators and people having to be turned away, 5 days in the hot shop went by quickly! Lots of work was completed, with demos from Dick, Dante and well as Lino, the opportunity for learning for onlookers was extraordinary. Just watching, Garry said it was clear that each member of the team played an integral part of the making of each piece. Each finished piece was the culmination of each part played by the team. Garry still talks about watching the work of Lino and his team, and having his mind blown!!

The visit had a great influence on his own work and technique, as with the other glass artists lucky enough to attend.