Emanuel Toffolo was born in Murano in 1982, already surrounded by the art of glass. His father, Cesare, is a world-renowned artist and belongs to a family lineage of famous glassmakers. After graduating from the Venice Art High School in 2000, he became passionate about lampworking. Due to his interest in natural subjects, particularly the world of invertebrates, he focused his work on recreating various types of insects in glass.
In 2013, Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the development and appreciation of glass art, chose Emanuel as Artist of the Month. His glass works were also exhibited at the Glass Weekend exhibition at the Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center in Millville, New Jersey, in 2013 and 2015.
In 2015, he was invited to the 28th Niijima International Glass Art Festival in Japan as an invited teacher for the lampworking workshop. His pieces are displayed at the “Nijima Glass Museum” and the “Kobe Lampwork Museum,” both in Japan.
In 2019, he exhibited his works in Miami at the “Wiener Museum of Decorative Art.” His glass works have also been displayed in South Korea, England, Switzerland, and other countries.
Combining his three passions—glass, music, and photography—Emanuel presented the documentary “Murano. The Unbearable Lightness of Glass” in 2016. The documentary was written with his brother Elia and Caterina Toso, directed by Emanuel, and produced by the InMurano association, of which they are founding members.
In 2016, the documentary was presented in Italy and the United States at the G.A.S. Conference in Corning, New York. In 2017, it was also presented in Lisbon, Portugal, at the Museum of Pharmacy. That same year, the film won the “Best Art Feature” award at the Eugene International Film Festival.
In 2018, his new documentary “ROSIN the Strong Side of Glass” was presented at the G.A.S. Conference in Murano, and in 2020, he created “The Engravers.”
In 2022, he made the documentary “The Flame – The Art and the History of Lampworking,” produced by the non-profit InMurano association in collaboration with the Corning Museum of Glass. The film participated in numerous festivals and won 40 international awards, becoming the most awarded Italian documentary of 2022.
Contact: www.emanueltoffolo.com
Instagram account Is @emanueltoffolo.