In 1924, five young Italians founded the Studio Ars et Labor Industrie Riunite (SALIR) with the aim of modernising the ancient art of glass-decorating: Giuseppe D’Alpaos, Decio Toso, Guglielmo Barbini, Dino Martens, and Gino Francesconi. In 1928, the emergence of Franz Pelzel, a Bohemian glass engraver, and Guido Balsamo Stella, an all-round artist, marked the start of the production for which SALIR is most remembered today: contemporary glass-engraving. After Balsamo Stella’s departure in 1932, Franz Pelzel took the lead role of designer, occasionally also executing designs by other reputed artists. Based on the factory’s archives, Marc Heiremans illustrates the artistic evolution of SALIR through numerous drawings and period photographs. As well as being a catalogue raisonné, it is also an in-depth study shedding light on paramount developments in Murano’s glass-making history.

Arte Vetraria Muranese (AVEM) emerged from the liquidation of Successori Andrea Rioda in November 1931. The new factory placed a very personal accent on contemporary artistic glass production on Murano: while designs prior to the Second World War were generally still the responsibility of master glassblowers themselves, after the war designers and freelance artists increasingly determined production. Giulio Radi began experimenting in 1940, obtaining the company's signature chromatic effects by superimposing mould-blown layers of glass, often opaque and transparent in alternation, and inlaying them with gold and silver foil. This latest volume of Marc Heireman's ongoing Murano manufactory books features over 800 design drawings, numerous archive images and new photos of AVEM masterpieces, making this anthology of the company's history indispensable for all Murano glass lovers.

In 1932 Antonio Seguso and his sons Archimede and Ernesto joined forces with Napoleone Barovier and Luigi 'Olimpio' Ferro to found Vetretia Artistica Barovier & C.; the name of the firm was changed to Seguso Vetri D'Arte in 1937. The turbulent era of the company's history - marred by some severe economic downturns - ended in 1973 when it was taken over by Maurizio Albarelli. On entering the firm in 1945, Flavio Poli turned the program around to make it fresh and contemporary. Thus Seguso Vetri D'Arte became the leading glass factory on Murano. Flavio Poli's designs chimed perfectly with the 1950s and '60s zeitgeist. We are indebted indeed to Marc Heiremans for devoting years of hard work at various Murano sites to tracking down almost all the Seguso archive material: an incredible treasure trove which he has been evaluating, working up and subjecting to meticulous scholarly treatment. The fruits of his labors are presented in this book, which is essentially a catalogue of works.