Marcantonio Brandolini d’Adda (b. 1991) is an artist and designer who lives and works in Venice, Italy. His sculptural practice has glassmaking at its core, whilst exploring new and sustainable techniques within the historical context of Murano. Brandolini’s pieces surprise visitors with the vivacity of their colours and their unexpected compositions, both of which are at the heart of the artist’s innovative approach.
With the body of work definted as vessels, Brandolini has developed his technique of repurposing cotissi (remnants of glass from previous firings in Murano), ensuring that his practice takes a fresh perspective on the place of glass in contemporary art. The use of these leftover cotissi began as a celebration of emotive colour, rawness and imperfection, and has since evolved as part of a broader study on waste and re-use.
Brandolini has been included in important group shows: The Glass Ark. Animals in the Pierre Rosenberg Collection (Le Stanze del Vetro, Venice) and Vitrea (Triennale Milano, Milan) (2021). Previously, his sculptures have been shown in group and solo exhibitions at Palo Gallery, New York (2023), PATERSON ZEVI London (2022), the Glass Museum in Murano, Venice; ALMA ZEVI in Venice and New York City (2017, 2018, 2020); and David Gill Gallery, London (2017).
His work can at present be seen in Piazza San Marco, Venice in Murano Lights Up the World, a project where artists including Michael Craig Martin, Cornelia Parker and Ritsue Mishima have made chandeliers which light up the iconic architectural portico of this famous square.
Alongside his artistic practice, Marcantonio Brandolini d’Adda is involved in several activities developing new, sustainable glass techniques. He also runs the Venetian glass company LagunaB, founded by his mother Marie Brandolini d’Adda in 1994. As part of its mission, LagunaB co-founded AUTONOMA, an international exchange programme with the Pilchuck Glass School in Washington, USA. AUTONOMA is also a founding partner of the VITAL carbon sequestration project in the Venice lagoon.