Alfredo Barbini was born on the island of Murano in 1912. Both of his parents have a long lineage of Venetian art glass artisans, the Barbinis as bead makers and his mothers family "Fuga" as glass blowers. At ten years of age, Alfredo begins his studies at Abate Zanetti, a design school attached to the Murano Glass Museum and in 1925 he begins his glass blowing career at the Società Anonima Industrie Artistiche Riunite Ferro Toso (S.A.I.A.R. Ferro Toso). Four years later he begins a career as master glassblower the Cristalleria di Venezia e Murano workshop in Milan but quickly returns to Venice to work at a brand new firm Zecchin & Martinuzzi Vetri Artistici e Mosaici. In 1936 after a brief stay at Seguso Vetri d'Arte he became a partner and master glassblower at Società Anonima Vetri Artistici Murano [S.A.V.A.M.], where he remained until 1944. Following World War II he joins Archimede Segusos workshop and after receiving a grant to study with Napoleone Martinuzzi leaves the company in 1946. In the following years Alfredo Barbini worked at the Vistosi workshop and then became partner at the Gino Cenedese & C company. With financial assistance of the Salviati & Co. firm he established his own workshop "Vetreria Alfredo Barbini" in 1950. In exchange he did produce goods for them which are sold under the name of Salviati & Co. In the late 1960s Alfredo Barbini also works on a free-lance basis for the German glass producer Gral-Glashütte. His outstanding designs were exhibited on a regular basis at the Venice Biennale which earned him world wide recognition and made him one of the leading figures of the 20th Century Murano Glass industry. His many honors include the "Osella d'Oro" awarded (1975) by Venice's Associazione degli Industriale, the honorary title "Commendatore" (1978), and the honorific "Venetian of the Year" (1989) from the Settimare Associationor.