Vittorio Livi – Collectors’ Island
At the historical Villa Miralfiore located in Pesaro, Italy, Vittorio Livi has assembled the world’s largest collection of transparent objects by the greatest designers and architects of the last thirty years, from Cini Boeri and Vico Magistretti to Philippe Starck and Massimiliano Fuksas.
“I immediately understood the allure and potential of glass, this material that represents our soul. It protects you from what is outside, from vandals and storms. It allows you to inspect the heavens and the depths of the sea. The contemporary era belongs to this substance composed of silica and lime, thus the most ecological material on earth, the only one that is solid in liquid form.” – Vittorio Livi
Each year the Genevan watchmaker Vacheron Costantin releases an art book titled Collectors’ Island, this year I photographed the entire book and this is one of eight stories included.
Many thanks to Bradley Seymour at Studio Sibling for the invaluable creative direction, and to Lara LoCalzo for her exceptional work as Editorial Manager. All text and captions written by Luca Bergamin.
Umberto Mariani’s work Window on the Universe stands in the centre of the lush 18th-century Italian garden at Villa Miralfiore, in the heart of the city of Pesaro yet immersed in an old woods.
Jesus, Energy of the World, a glass crucifix designed and crafted by Vittorio Livi and donated to Pope Francis. Livi has a copy in the chapel at the villa: 230 glass blocks symbolizing all the world’s peoples united by the word of Christ.
Shell, a work by the artist Danny Lane, one of Livi’s favourite contemporary designers for his ability to work at the borderline between art and design with versatility and imagination.
Vittorio Livi at Villa Miralfiore, built in 1200 and owned by noble families and popes of central Italy, where he lives and cares for his collection of glass objects and sculptures. Owner of Fiam Italia, Livi began his career as a shop boy for a glassmaker.