“I have spent my life playing. Art is my playground and glass is my toy.” – Roberto G. Rida, 2018

Roberto Giulio Rida was born in 1943 in Milan. He led a solitary youth due to his family’s frequent relocations, during which he quietly developed his skills in drawing and collecting small sculpted objects. His cultured and artistic aunt introduced him to museums, churches, and historical sites visits.

Later, he attended the Brera Academy, where he excelled as a student before completing his military service. Upon his return, he ventured into the art object trade and settled in Venice as an antique dealer. Close to the historical hub of glass production in Europe, he encountered the masters of Murano, who taught him the art of glass for eight years.

In 1973, he returned to Milan, specializing in 20th-century decorative arts. In parallel, he began creating lighting fixtures and furniture adorned, covered, or inlaid with glass and crystal. As an antique dealer, Rida had collected Italian glass elements from the 1900s to the 1950s for many years, sourced from renowned manufacturers such as Barovier & Toso, Fontana Arte, Venini, Cristal Art… He would then polish, cut, facet and incorporate these elements into contemporary lighting fixtures and furniture that he designed himself. These exceptional glasses thus gained a new life, blending the traditional craftsmanship of Murano’s great manufactures with Rida’s contemporary design sensibilities. References to Italian heritage and culture appear in every aspect of his work, with nods to ancient architecture, eccentric fashion, and maximalist aesthetics.

Today, the work of this glass alchemist is exhibited in several countries, not only in Europe but also in the United States, where his creations are collected by enthusiasts of rare glass and contemporary design alike.