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Venetian Masters

With “The Art of Craftsmanship. A Project by Venetian Masters”, Tod's celebrates the tradition of craftsmanship and Italian know-how on the occasion of the Venice Art Biennale, where the brand will partner with this year's Italian Pavilion. The project’s protagonists are 11 Venetian Masters of Art and Craftsmanship, who have interpreted the iconic Gommino and Tod's savoir-faire through their art, tools, and mastery. Each piece aims to share a message of art, beauty, wisdom, know-how, and carefully crafted work of craftsmanship: symbols of the most authentic values, ​where quality and tradition come together in a unified endeavor.

Roberto Beltrami

Roberto Beltrami is a young Master glassmaker and the founder of Wave Murano Glass, located on the island of Murano in a furnace dating back to 1850, and comprising the 10 most experienced glass craftsmen in Murano. His innovative approach has made him a reference point for creating artistic and personalized pieces for artists, designers, and architects, with a strong determination to carry on the ancient tradition of glassmaking on the Venetian island. Thanks to the constant innovation that characterizes it, Wave Murano Glass is now the only glasswork in Murano to have a glass fusion furnace compliant with industry 4.0 standards and an innovative energy recovery system for an increasingly reduced environmental impact.

For the project “The Art of Craftsmanship”, Roberto Beltrami created a special glass-blown, life-size Gommino, the iconic Tod's shoe.

Sergio Boldrin

Sergio Boldrin is a Venetian Master who, along with his brother Massimo, manages two historic workshops in the lagoon city, creating the traditional carnival masks inspired by characters from the Commedia dell’Arte. Over the years, he has collaborated with both theater and cinema, and has become famous for creating the spectacular masks featured in Stanley Kubrick's film "Eyes Wide Shut". Boldrin has exhibited his creations both in Italy and abroad, and in 2018, he received the Master of Arts and Crafts award.

For the project “The Art of Craftsmanship”, Sergio Boldrin created 8 masks characterized by warm and natural tones, which are enriched with details and inserts from the leather of Tod’s objects.

Federica Marangoni

Federica Marangoni is a Venetian artist and designer. Throughout her career, both in Italy and abroad, she has experimented with different materials and technological media. Following a precise professional and cultural choice that has led her to eclectically explore all interdisciplinary sectors of communication, she has paired her artistic path in sculpture with her activity as a designer. In 1970, she founded the Fedra Studio Design studio in Venice, and in the same year she began working with glass, collaborating with many Murano glassworkers. To this day, she creates design objects, glass sculptures, and large installations in which videos and neon lights are combined with the transparency and fragility of glass, making her works unique in the contemporary art scene.

For the project "The Art of Craftsmanship", Federica Marangoni has created two artworks: an external piece featuring a coil of red neon placed in front of the facade of the Tese San Cristoforo, and an internal piece with a wire running at a height of 4 meters along the central nave, leading to a three-meter sculpture depicting the sole of the iconic Gommino with a neon outline.

Marino Menegazzo

Master Marino Menegazzo is the current owner of the historic Venetian artisan workshop Mario Berta Battiloro but also the last true artisan 'battiloro' in Italy and Europe, honored with the Master of Arts and Crafts recognition. The workshop was established in 1969 just a few steps from the Rialto Bridge to continue the family craft which began in 1926. Battiloro is one of the oldest Italian craftsmanship traditions, and in the historic artisanal laboratory, gold, silver, and other precious metals are transformed into extremely thin leaves. The creations of Master Menegazzo have been used to decorate the Madonnina of the Milan Cathedral, the angel on the bell tower of San Marco in Venice, and the crown and cross of the Madonna on the Sanctuary of Lourdes.

For the project “The Art of Craftsmanship”, the savoir-faire and peculiarities of the ''battiloro'' art of Marino Menegazzo have enriched the iconic Gommino and its box, entirely covered in gold leaf.

Gianpaolo Fallani

In 1968, Fiorenzo Fallani opened his silk-screen printing workshop in Venice, after importing a printing technique from the United States that was still unknown in Italy. Over the decades, more than 200 world-renowned artists and prodigies of contemporary art have visited the workshop; a fertile environment where they can experiment with their ideas, alongside Fiorenzo as an attentive interpreter. With the advent of new digital technologies and thanks to the vision of his son Gianpaolo Fallani, the business has evolved and the workshop has become an industrial group, the Gruppofallani. In Venice, the artistic workshop remains a haven for artists and creatives from all over the world.

For the project, "The Art of Craftsmanship", the tools, craftsmanship, and precision of our artisans are interpreted by Gianpaolo Fallani using the technique of color silk-screen printing, in a proposal of artistic prints.

Matteo Seguso

Matteo Seguso became acquainted with the ancient art of engraving after inheriting his father Master Bruno Seguso’s passion, and today, he is one of the most talented engravers in Murano. Over the years, he has collaborated with internationally renowned artists and designers, creating truly incredible pieces of design. His work is part of many private collections worldwide, and he has been honored with the recognition of Master of Arts and Crafts.

For the project “The Art of Craftsmanship”, Matteo Seguso reproduced a handcrafted table with a concrete top interspersed with irregularly shaped and transparent glass inserts, displaying Tod's artisanal tools engraved in life-size.

Giuliana Longo

Venetian artist Giuliana Longo is a Master of the art of hat-making, and her atelier between Rialto and San Marco is recognized as a Historical Locale of Italy. In her workshop, one can find headwear of all kinds, from straw to fabric hats through to traditional gondolier hats, which are all bespoke and handmade. Awarded the prize for Venetian artisan excellence, The Blue Artisan, Giuliana continues her family craft which began in 1901, becoming a keeper of unique and precious knowledge in the process.

For the project "The Art of Craftsmanship", Giuliana Longo has created a hat-sculpture composed of natural agave fibers, each 3.5 meters long with a metal core, to produce a helical movement. Among the agave fibers, small details of hemp have been inserted, which are reminiscent of the iconic Gommini, symbols of Tod's footwear.

Romuald Mesdagh & Alessandra Di Gennaro - Artefact

Alessandra Di Gennaro and Romuald Mesdagh met at the prestigious Scuola Mosaicisti del Friuli, where they graduated as master mosaicists and established Artefact Mosaic Studio: a Venetian art laboratory where they handcraft Italian mosaics and contemporary artworks. Their work, carried out according to tradition to ensure the highest quality, is based on the value of craftsmanship and the pursuit of beauty, creating unique artifacts using the finest Murano glass and a selection of marbles from around the world.

For the project "The Art of Craftsmanship", Alessandra Di Gennaro and Romuald Mesdagh have crafted a special sole for the iconic Gommino, using a mosaic technique. The mosaic tiles that make up the distinctive rubber Gommini are applied to a honeycomb panel. A wooden wall, with drawers for storing the tiles, frames the artwork.

Lucio Bubacco

Lucio Bubacco was born in Murano and owes his passion for glass to his father Severino, a renowned glass master. Since adolescence, his passion for the craft led him to exclusively choose the traditional Venetian technique of lampworking, where an oxy-propane flame heats glass canes, producing works marked by prolific and multifaceted creativity. Today, honored with the title of Master of Arts and Crafts, he is one of the few artisans who use this technique for artistic expression, and his works are displayed in important private and public collections worldwide.

For the project, “The Art of Craftsmanship”, Lucio Bubacco has created a special sculpture depicting a human face in a light amber color and all its nuances. A strand of glass intertwines sinuously to form the figure of a craftswoman, with a needle in her hand and a table with footwear and tools beside her.

Sebastiano Lunardelli

Born in Venice, Sebastiano Lunardelli has inherited from his father a love for wood, incredible manual skills, and a passion for craftsmanship. In 2018, after working for many years in the family's historic company, he created Lunardelli Venezia with his sister Agnese. His masterpieces explore innovative production techniques using materials from local tradition: wood, Murano glass, and fabrics closely connected to the architectural elements that characterize the lagoon, such as the "Ca' Pesaro" oak wood stools and benches. He has been awarded the title of Master of Arts and Crafts.

For the project “The Art of Craftsmanship”, Sebastiano Lunardelli created a 180 cm lamp made of Canaletto walnut wood with rice paper enriched with leather details.

Saverio Pastor & Piero Dri

The fórcola is a tool with characteristic curves and inclinations, used in Venetian boats, and Saverio Pastor and Piero Dri are two skilled remèr oar masters.
In 2002, Saverio Pastor opened the LE FORCOLE workshop in Venice, transforming the traditional tool from a working object to a remarkable sculpture with countless forms. Today, honored with the title of Master of Arts and Crafts, he creates unique pieces while keeping the tradition of the lagoon alive.

Piero Dri opened his Bottega in 2013 and produces oars and fórcolas for the nearby gondoliers of S. Sofia, rowing competitors, and the city's rowers, showcasing rowing as an alternative way of seeing and experiencing life in Venice.

For the project “The Art of Craftsmanship”, Saverio Pastor has crafted a wooden oar shaped like a needle, resting on the arm of the fórcola. From the needle, a leather thread outlines the profile of a life-size gondola covered in leather. Piero Dri has created a wooden fórcola, sculpted to resemble an arm with a stylized hand.