Who’s Who – Italianissimo – WMODA

Italian Murano glass is in the spotlight this month with the opening of the Animalia selling exhibition presented by Sergio Gnesin. We are also highlighting the work of Diane and Mauro Gennaretti, the founders of Italianissimo, who specialize in wearable glass art from Murano. See their spectacular collection in the WMODA Museum Shop.

In the mid-1980s, Diane and Mauro, who are known in Italy as the “Americana” and the “Romano”, began representing exciting and emerging Italian designers working in many media. In 2012, they started to focus on glass fashion jewelry with the launch of their unique TUBINO range. TUBINO translates to "little tube" and it is also Italian for the legendary "little black dress." The TUBINO collection features luxuriously soft Italian rubber bracelets and necklaces in endless colors that link together with an array of handmade Murano glass beads. Each glass jewel is hand-made using age-old techniques of glass blowing, flameworking with a torch, and a furnace.

Diane and Mauro travel regularly to Italy to commission the modern Murano glass maestros to create “art to wear.” Their passion for art and glass has flourished in their Cubist collection with Picasso-style features in molten glass deftly trailed on the surface of blown glass medallions. In their Sketch collection, they celebrate the art of Matisse and Modigliani and the iconic mustache of the Surrealist Salvador Dali adds a whimsical touch to one of their designs. Their fun portraits in Murano glass make you smile!

The Italianissimo collection is timeless, versatile, chic, and “very Italian”. It is beautifully displayed in the WMODA shop on hanging glass shelves, which were donated to the museum by Diane and Mauro. Their generous gift has transformed the museum’s shopping experience and purchases of their popular necklaces, bracelets, and earrings have benefited the museum’s programs. Many WMODA visitors have enjoyed meeting Diane and Mauro in our Hot Glass Gallery as they are great supporters of the museum’s special events with their trunk shows.