Carlo Nason (1935 - 2026) was born in Murano into one of the island’s oldest glassmaking families. His father, Vincenzo Nason, founded V. Nason & C., where Carlo was introduced to the most refined glassmaking techniques.
Although his formal studies were in economics and administration, his true education came at the furnace, where he mastered traditional skills while developing a passion for design, photography, and graphics. His earliest works from the late 1950s are still preserved today in the collection of the Corning Museum of Glass, New York.
In the 1960s he began working formally for the family glassworks but quickly expanded beyond it, collaborating with other Murano workshops and pursuing a distinctly modern vision. His designs combined craftsmanship and innovation, balancing Murano traditions with the clean forms and modularity of contemporary design.
From the mid-1960s until the 1980s, Carlo Nason designed an entire generation of lamps for AV Mazzega. Under Gianni Bruno Mazzega’s direction, he enjoyed extraordinary creative freedom. He explored vetro in piastra, opaline, pulegoso, and layered glass, developing the poetic, diaphanous lighting effects that became his signature.
Unlike many designers, Nason oversaw the entire production process – from drawings to kiln work and metal fittings – ensuring absolute precision. These years produced numerous icons of Italian design, today regarded as cornerstones of Mazzega’s history.