Walter Furlan

Walter Furlan was born in 1931 in Chioggia, a small town near Venice. He started to work in a furnace called “VAMSA” very early. He apprenticed from one of the most famous glass masters on the island, Romano Tosi, better known as 'Mamaracio'.

Towards the end of the second world war (1940-1945) he worked in the furnace 'Gino Cenedese', where he met Alfredo Barbini along with the old masters from Vamsa (among others: Mamaracio and Gino Forte, better known as 'Peta').

During this period Master Walter Furlan learnt the particular technique called 'a massello' (i.e. he learned how to shape a quantity of glass that was not blown and therefore quite difficult to handle). In 1963 he exhibited his works of art in the official Glass Display on Murano Island sponsored by the Venetian Institute for Work and later on in Arts and Crafts Exhibition in Reggio, Calabria.

At the beginning of the 70’s he cooperated with Master Angelo Seguso and designer Mario Pinsoni in the glass factory 'Seguso Art Glass'. He studied how to work overwhelmed and stylized glass and he definitely developed his own style.

The fascinating artistic work of Picasso expressed in Furlan's glass sculptures is demonstrated by the experience acquired during his periods of work with the old masters. He has interpreted Picasso's paintings during his Cubic Period and has given them a 3rd dimension.

Each sculpture is hand-crafted and signed, the glass welded to remove fractures making it robust and able to refract the light beautifully. The colors are vivid and the work is profoundly dimensional. It is as if Picasso sculpted them himself!

In fact what greater accolade is there in that Picasso gave license to Walter Furlan to carry on using his name after his death in 1973.