Venetian glass artist Laura de Santillana dies at 64

Laura de Santillana, a Venetian artist renowned for her work with glass, has died. The announcement was made by Cramum, where she served as Artistic Director. Born in Venice in 1955, she studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York (1975–1976) and briefly worked as a graphic designer at Vignelli Associati before returning to Italy in 1976 to join the family company Venini, founded by her grandfather Paolo Venini in 1921. She collaborated there until 1985, applying Murano techniques to create works with unusual colors, including mosaic glass plates. She often worked with her brother Alessandro Diaz de Santillana; together they exhibited at Le Stanze del Vetro in Venice, the MAK in Vienna, and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in 2015. After Murano, she returned to the US to study at Urban Glass in Seattle, blending traditional Venetian glassmaking with innovative experimentation. In 2009, she participated in the Venice Biennale. Her works are held in major museums including the Museo Vetrario di Murano, Victoria and Albert Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Seattle Art Museum, Museu de Arte de São Paulo, and Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Shortly before her death, she completed two exhibitions: 'ab – l’Essenza dell’Assenza' at Gaggenau DesignElementi Hub in Milan (open until November 14) and 'Soffi' at her studio in Venice (currently suspended). Cramum expressed gratitude for her decision to inaugurate the shows despite her illness.