VeArt

VeArt (initially written as Ve-Art) was founded in 1965 by Sergio Biliotti and Ludovico Díaz de Santillana. The company is generally described as a Venetian glass and lighting producer, active from the mid-1960s until the early 1990s.

Ludovico Díaz de Santillana (1931–1989) was born in Rome. Trained as an architect in Venice, he also worked in education and became closely connected to the Murano glass world through his marriage to Anna Venini, daughter of Paolo Venini of the renowned Venini glass company. After Paolo Venini’s death (1959), Ludovico Díaz de Santillana took on a leading role at Venini (together with the Venini family), a position he held for decades. He died in 1989.

VeArt produced art glass and lighting, often characterised by bold forms, strong colour contrasts and the expressive use of Murano techniques. In later sources and the vintage market, Mario Ticco is frequently mentioned as an artistic director associated with VeArt, reflecting the firm’s close ties to the Venetian glass scene.

Designers and artists associated with VeArt (as credited in catalogues and market documentation) include, among others: Tobia Scarpa, Renato Toso, Noti Massari, Toni Zuccheri, Paolo Zanotta, Umberto Riva, Lino Tagliapietra, Luciano Bartolini, Gigi Basso, Luisa Calvi, Giorgio de Ferrari, Sergio Asti and Guido Rosati, among others.

In the early 1990s, VeArt was acquired by Artemide. Artemide’s own company timeline records the acquisition in 1991 and notes that it enabled the launch of mouth-blown glass collections under the Artemide umbrella.

VeLuce: VeArt also marketed lamps under the name VeLuce. Both names appear together in the same catalogues. In these catalogues the VeLuce models are typically identified by numbers only rather than product names. VeArt was positioned as the more “high-end” line, but the design quality of VeLuce is certainly not inferior.

VeArt Quadrifoglio Tubes Chandelier – 1970s Catalogue Picture

These black-and-white catalogue pages present the VeArt Quadrifoglio system as a fully modular lighting concept. The hand-blown glass elements can be combined freely to create chandeliers, pendant compositions, ceiling lights, wall lamps and even luminous partitions, depending on scale and layout. The drawings and interior perspectives illustrate how the same glass modules are used in different architectural contexts, from compact domestic settings to large public spaces. All glass elements and mounting systems were individually checked before assembly, ensuring both technical reliability and consistent visual quality.