Ermanno Nason, was born on the island of Murano in 1928. Born into a family of famous glass-makers, he started work in the glass furnace when he was 9 and passed his exam as maestro when he was just 18. His talent was clear from the very beginning, in particular in his creations of the human figure and animals.
From 1952 to 1957 he was “maestro di prima piazza” at Mazzega and then went on to open his own furnace, working together with his brother-in-law Scarpa in V.A.M. He worked at Cenedese from 1964 to 1972, and then had his own business, “Arte Ermanno Nason” from 1973 to 1992.
His fame is intricately connected to his collaboration with “Centro Studi Pittori nell’Arte del Vetro” founded in 1951 by Egidio Costantini, and later called “La Fucina degli Angeli” as suggested by Cocteaus, where he worked with the greatest artists of the period, using their designs and projects for his creations in Murano glass.
The mastery of “a massello” production he acquired during that period resulted in his preference for large sculptures, the bold, modern re-interpretation of diverse Pietàs by Michelangelo, soft shapes inspired by Henry Moore and the stunned faces of Campigli, and, in general, all the repertoire of the prolific 1960s.
Just like any good “Muranese” who sees an ineludible challenge in each and every shape and subject, a mountain to be scaled to prove to oneself and the others in particular that they are the best, Ermanno threw himself into his work with both enthusiasm and courage, creating such a vast variety of works that one remains speechless in the face of such omnivorous curiosity and vitality.