Carlo Scarpa (2 June 1906 – 28 November 1978) was an Italian architect, influenced by the materials, landscape, and the history of Venetian culture, and Japan. Scarpa translated his interests in history, regionalism, invention, and the techniques of the artist and craftsman into ingenious glass and furniture design.

An archi­tect who reno­vated exist­ing build­ings, Carlo Scarpa is often called one of the most under­ap­pre­ci­ated modern masters. His aesthetic was defined by an obses­sion with detail, numerol­ogy, and history. Scarpa is best known for his archi­tec­tural works, includ­ing the elegant reno­va­tion of the Museo di Castelvec­chio in Verona, but he also designed furni­ture, such as the award-winning Doge table for Simon/​Gavina.

Born in Venice in 1906, he grad­u­ated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Venice and went on to be the direc­tor of Venini Glass­works from 1932 to 1947. It is there that Scarpa’s distinct approach to mate­ri­als and crafts­man­ship began to emerge. His travels to Japan and the influ­ence of other archi­tects he admired — he idol­ized Frank Lloyd Wright — began to inform his work. The strict angular compo­si­tion of his struc­tures was always comple­mented by a spir­i­tual element. No project was alike, and each had a unique history and strong connec­tion to its surround­ings. In 1968, Scarpa took on his final project, a private burial in the Brion Ceme­tery near the Dolomite Moun­tains. The tomb would end up being the architect’s final resting place. 

A master of combining form with material, Scarpa honoured crafts with modern manufacturing processes delivering spaces that balanced old with new, none more so evident than in the renovation of Museo Castelvecchio (1964)  A revelation at the time, today this has become a common approach when renovating original buildings.

Scarpa's style is timeless, his attention to detail is masterful and his approach to architectural elements are unique. You need a lifetime to digest every element. above all, he was exceptionally skillful in knowing how to combine a base material with a precious one.