With over 200 works by the greatest 20th-century Italian glassmakers, the collection of Dimitri Levas will be auctioned today at Wright’s in Chicago. Levas started collecting Italian glass in 1979, eventually building one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of 20th-century Italian glass. Many of his acquisitions came through New York’s Fifty/50 gallery, which sold Italian glass between 1981 and 2002.
Fulvio Bianconi, Con Macchie vase, Venini, Italy, c. 1950, glass with abstract internal decoration and lightly iridized surface
Napoleone Martinuzzi, Monumental Soffiato vase, model 3120, Venini, Italy, 1925, soffiato glass
Ercole Barovier, Vaso Mosaico, Vetreria Artistica Barovier, Italy, 1924-5, clear glass murrines edged with cobalt, amethyst and emerald
Carlo Scarpa, Sommerso a Bollicine vase, model 3569, Venini, Italy, 1932, clear glass with gold inclusions
Installation of Levas Collection at Wright/New York Preview, 6-20 May 2014