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At the Glasfachschule Zwiesel students and teachers have a common goal: expressing their passion for the material glass – with technical know-how and creative ideas, “with plenty of feeling and calm hand“, as accurately phrased by a female student. The enthusiasm for the material with its mere unlimited possibilities, the interaction between shapes and colors, the fascination of the hot glass and the joy in refining the cold glass characterize here the education.

Amid the Bavarian Forest with its great glass tradition, the Glasfachschule Zwiesel has developed itself to one of the most modern competence centers for design, craftsmanship and technology in the glass sector in Europe. The oldest glass school in Germany was founded as early as in 1904. Thanks to a future-oriented management it defies all upheavals in the glass industry and offers an outstanding infrastructure for the education and further education. Young people from the entire German-speaking region come to Zwiesel to work creative artistic, to obtain further education or to learn a glass technical or industrial profession. Many renowned glass artists come from the Glasfachschule Zwiesel, to some extent they also work there as teachers. In the vocational technical school the students obtain a comprehensive education that depending on the main focus range from the glass painting via glass refining like engraving, grinding and flat glass processing, design glass blowing up to creative glass making at the studio furnace. In this process, a quick transformation of concepts in the hot glass area is accomplished by the teaching and test glass factory of the school. New at the Glasfachschule Zwiesel is the education for creative design.

The works exhibited reveal that all students bear glass in their genes. All of them reflect the high aesthetic and technical standard of the education at that end. The exhibition will be accompanied by Hans Wudy, who has been acting as principal since 1997 with great success and Franz Xaver Höller, renowned artist and devoted teacher at the Glasfachschule Zwiesel since 1981.

 

Photos:

Markus Marschmann, Heimat und Ferne, 2011 (Glasfachschule Zwiesel, Abt. Lampenglas) – Photo Horst Kolberg

Doris Heymel, Schale, 2006 (Glasfachschule Zwiesel, Abt. Produktdesign) – Photo Gunther Fruth, Franz X. Höller

Alina Li, Gesellenstück, 2006 (Glasfachschule Zwiesel, Abt. Kaltveredelung) – Photo Gunther Fruth, Franz X. Höller

Michael Stangl, Heimat und Ferne, 2011 (Glasfachschule Zwiesel, Lampenglas) – Photo Gunther Fruth, Franz X. Höller

What is happening in the European glass scenery? We have intensively followed up this question during the past year 2012. During our trips to exhibitions, trade shows and galleries we met artists from all over Europe. A large part of more than 70 new acquired works originate from Czech artists. This is mainly due to the fact that we exhibit the students of the three significant Czech art academies in Prague, Ústí and Labem and Zlín as well as subsequently their professors Rony Plesl, Ilja Bílek and Peter Stanický with remarkable works. In addition, well-established galleries in Germany often display Czech glass.

Even the exhibition activity of the glass museums at home and abroad was very much on the go. For instance, the glass museum in Belgian Lommel showed for the first time the International Glass Prize 2012. Intuitively, we acquired later the prize-winning works of the first prize winner Yoshiaki Kojiro and the prize winner of the audience, Siobhan Healy. Both works characterize through their enormous attractiveness: Thus, one likes to touch the huge and hackly glass cube of the Japanese despite possible danger of injury. And the tender glassy plants appear to emerge from the massive, oversize formate herbarium of the British female artist.

Our journey to Sweden was impressive. There we met artists who had been known to us since the beginning of the collection, but also outstanding and very productive artists and designers of Sweden. Ingegerd Råman, for instance, is one of the most prominent personalities of the Swedish design. Her artistry is uncomplicated, reduced to the essential with simple, timeless beauty and excellent cut. Martti Rytkönen on the contrary likes the playful poetic element. He says about himself: “When glass is concerned I am a babbler“.

The fantastic world of glass of Sweden has inspired us to present an exhibition with Swedish artists this spring. In the summer we will then show the prize-winning works of state prize winners of different German federal states and in autumn/winter works of students from the IKKG (Institute for Artistic Ceramics and Glass) Höhr-Grenzhausen.

For 2013 we wish you many fascinating insights and experiences with the glass!

 

Photos:

Rony Plesl, Scene of Red, 2012 – Photo Tomáš Brabec & Patrik Borecký

Yoshiaki Kojiro, Shiro former 2, 2010 – Photo Yoshiaki Kojiro

Martti Rytkönen, Puppet Show 7, 2010 – Photo AHH

Siobhan Healy, Herbarium, 2011 – Photo Lighthouse Photographics

Everyday life means for many people routine and boredom. Continuous repetition of familiar sequences offers safety and security though it enlivens at the same time the wish to break out and to look for the particular and unexpected to spontaneously make a festive day out of the everyday life. A longing that connects all adult people irrespective of their sex, age, origin and social status. In order to shake off the everyday yoke and to bring magic into life everybody acts very individually. The one furnishes his new apartment, the other improves his external appearance with new things or makes life colorful with a few flowers. Someone changes his life, takes flight from everyday life that, in turn, may again be a trap.

The stunt to maintain here the balance and to arrange with the inevitable everyday life, to find magical moments in the putative sadness has also inspired artists. Their quest for the poesy in everybody life documents our exhibition carrying the same name. The glass collection proves itself to be an enormous source in this subject: A very big part of the stock reflects the commonplace items whether they are bowls, vases, bottles or cans. Even associations with varying textiles are frequently found. With it the art escapes the item as in a metamorphosis from its everyday reality – it mutates from an appropriated commodity to the independent work of art. The observer will be confronted with a new view of the material world that surrounds him everyday effective for the incredible aesthetics of the totally normal everyday articles. The artists dismiss the items from their banality, assign even to a saw or a scissor a new task and confer a glamorous appearance to Dutch clogs.

Escape the everyday life and go underground. Have a good journey!

 

Photos:

Patula Berm, Memories of Lavander, 2007 – Photo Richard Willebrands

Louise Rice, Safe as Houses , 2003 – Photo Ron Zijlstra

Caroline Prisse, Dutch Cinderella, 1997 – Photo Ron Zijlstra

Drew Smith, o.T., 1980 – Photo Ron Zijlstra

The huge success of our exhibition “Made in NRW – Staatspreisträger des Landes NRW in der Sparte Glas” [NRW State Prize winner in the glass division] in 2007 inspired us to take a look at the rest of the country. For decades now, several other German states have also been awarding prizes for excellence and innovation in artistic creations. Bavaria honours internationally renowned artists and artisans, Hessen focuses on German artists in its annual awards, whilst every two years NRW recognises artists who live and work in NRW.

The masters of their craft in this unique exhibition are

• Michael Behrens from Düsseldorf who was honoured for his inspiration in glass taken from the underwater world in 2009
• Bert Frijns from the Netherlands who impressed the Bavarian State Prize jury in 2012 with an installation of large-format vases made from flat glass
• Wilfried Grootens from Kleve who made an impression on the North Rhine-Westphalian jury with his laminated glass cube made from flat glass and the changing life within in 2011
• Gabriele Küstner from Göttingen who received the award for creative use of the ancient technique of melted-glass mosaics in 2012
• Ritsue Mishima from Japan who was awarded the Bavarian State Prize in 2012 for her mouth-blown work in Murano glass entitled “Tre Gole” because she united Far Eastern design with European glass technology.

All the artists have established themselves in the world of glasswork with their own individual styles, and the State Prize marks a significant milestone in their career. This exhibition is the first time the participants have worked together. The foundation is proud that the works of these established artists have been part of the collection for many years.

 

Photos:

Wilfried Grootens, Where the shark bubbles blow 10-13, 2013 – Photo Norbert Heyl

Ritsue Mishima, Tre Gole, 2009 – Photo Horst Kolberg

Gabriele Küstner, Mosaikteller 4.E.2013 – Photo Gabriele Küstner

Bert Frijns, Zwei Vasen, 2012 – Photo AHH

Michael Behrens, Seaforms 2013-74, 2013 – Photo Nele Siebel

The renowned Institute for Artistic Ceramics and Glass, briefly IKKG, is a department of Koblenz University. It‘s not incidental that it is located in Höhr-Grenzhausen: In the southern Westerwald, the “Kannenbäckerland“, a unique ceramic culture has developed in the course of the centuries characterizing the entire region until this date. In order to maintain and to continue this close correlation between handicraft, technology and art the IKKG 1987 was initially founded as an Institute for Artistic Ceramics.

In the year 2000 the newly booted liberal art glass class also enormously enriching the institute as well as the region. As one of the few international top-ranking facilities in the fine arts, the IKKG has since then been offering a comprehensive practical and artistic training to talented young people in the material areas of ceramics and glass. In 2007 the degrees of Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts were accredited for the first time to the course of studies so that the institute is on a par with the leading art faculties in Europe.

At the IKKG the artistic course of studies aims at keeping the talent of the student in line with his personality. The focus of the artistic process is on the independent, material thinking – idea, concept, criticism, reflection, technology, manual skills and curiosity constitute the means on this path. The course offers the scope to formulate questions the creative response to which may become the artist’s life-work. The material, the medium glass is an offer in this connection to transport or to visualize ideas, topics or emotions in an appealing as well as complex manner. As yet the facets of the glass have in no way been fathomed out since its range offers a big scope to the artistic possibilities of expression. At the IKKG unusual, suspense-packed, installations, sculptures, blown and moulded glass objects come into being. Currently, also in association with different other materials that altogether sensually and quietly narrate stations of the life.

Fascinating insights in the work of the glass class were already provided through our first common exhibition “Experiment Glass“ in spring 2008. Now we are delighted to present the current works of the new glass generation at the IKKG. The students will be accompanied by two reputed artists: Professor Jens Gussek, head of the glass class since 2011, and professor Ingrid Conrad-Lindig, who had been in charge of the institute until her emeritus in 2011.

 

Photos:

Anne Petters, Notizen, 2013 – Photo Horst Kolberg

Michéle Janata, Raum, 2013 – Photo Masami Hirohata

Judith Röder, Kristall-Konstruktion II, 2013, Leihgabe Judith Röder  – Photo AHH

Lena Feldmann, o.T., 2013 – Photo AHH

“Working with glass offers me an unlimited variety of possibilities“, says the Swiss artist Veronika Suter about the world of glass. Her friendly, bold, but also seriously sheepish looking “Onlookers“ welcome you from now on outside on the way to the museum. In search of new objects for the glass collection it is always discovered that glass as a material and medium conceals an endless depth of options. Like that every year turns out differently again and again than the preceding one – similar to life: One never knows what will happen und whom one will meet. To react openly, unbiased and flexibly in respect of all artistic events has the highest proposition in this process.

In the new exhibition we present the fascinating results of the expeditions of 2013. Nearly 60 new works have been acquired almost clockwise from artists from all over Europe: Denmark, Sweden, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany, Netherlands and England. This time the main emphasis is on sculptural works. There are partly abstract works like the blazing blue “Propagate“ of the British artist Shelley Doolan or the “Between Fragment and Whole” made of a multiplicity of blown and cut glass fragments by Jeannet Iskandar from Denmark. However, there are figurals as well, e.g. the mysterious “Portrait“ of the Bulgarian Hari Arabyan.

Today we would like to tell you about two exhibitions in this year:

In spring we will repeat the topic lamp glass and to this effect we invited three excellent masters of their craft: Anne Jeitz and Alain Calliste from Luxemburg as well as their German colleague Jörg Hanowski. Specifically for the exhibition they will work out a composite work. On international scale it will continue in summer: Artists from Estonia will present their remarkable works which have been independently developed apart from the traditional glass strongholds.

Do not miss the inspiring, limitless world of glass!

 

Photos:

Shelley Doolan, Propagate, 2012 – Photo Simon Bruntnell

Oldrich Pliva, Un-Endlich, 2012 – Photo Horst Kolberg

Hari Arabyan, Portrait, 2012 – Photo Sandro Arabyan

Emmanuel Babled, Osmosi Vase, 2013 – Photo Nicole Marnati

Lamp glass is an old technique by which glass objects are shaped not in the furnace, but at the open flame of a gas burner, the so-called “Lamp“. Traditionally, it is the art of the small shape that allows shaping pearls, miniatures, molds or small-size jars perfectly. In the past years artists have almost revolutionized this type of glass: With free, plastic, partially also large-size objects they currently pave completely new paths for the lamp glass.

We already presented this development in summer 2010 in our exhibition “Network, Rod, Barb – World View and Poetry. Contemporary Lamp Glass from Five Nations“ Now we are carrying on the topic and present you works of the Luxembourger Anne Claude Jeitz and the Frenchman Alain Calliste and the German Jörg Hanowski. All three have crossed the limits of the traditional lamp glass long ago. They know each other for many years meeting again and again through artistic projects. Specifically, for our new exhibition they have even created a joint work with „Playground“.

Anne Claude Jeitz and Alain Calliste are spouses and also closely associated with each other artistically. They jointly create poetic artworks according to the filigrane technology by which they have set international standards in the meantime. Their works in “verre filé“, a netlike spun lace fabric from glass narrates stories of their numerous trips and human encounters with a critical, but warmhearted view of the things and the people.

Inspired by the shapes and organic structures is the artist Jörg Hanowski living in Witten. He also has equally the command of the technology and the art. His works are voluminous and interactive- they appear to create a secret connection with the respective environment. In addition, he works with the luminous inert gases neon and argon. These illuminated objects with their partially pulsated, partially graphic shapes mislead to play with the perspective.

Lamp glass is a technology that one can experience closely and directly. It allows that the artists can finally demonstrate onsite live and stirring how their artworks are created.

The demonstrations will take place: Sunday, 30.03.2014 and Sunday, 22.06.2014 from 14 – 17 hours respectively at the Glasmuseum Alter Hof Herding.

 

Photos:

Anne Claude Jeitz u. Alain Calliste, Symphony, 2009 – Photo Anne Jeitz

Jörg Hanowski, Biogenese 1, 2003 – Photo Lutz Naumann

Jörg Hanowski, Phytoplankton 2, 2014 – Photo Norbert Dähn

Anne Claude Jeitz u. Alain Calliste, Patience, 2010 – Photo Anne Jeitz

“Estonian glass strongly fits in its type into the country from which it originates. It is robust as well as vulnerable, it radiates a sense of calm and sometimes restlessness“, the extraordinary art of glass of her native country is described in this way by Mare Saare, one of the most popular Estonian artists.

When we were confronted with Estonian glass for the first time a few years ago we were immediately fascinated from its expressiveness and clear speech of shape – and we were extremely surprised that in the small Baltic country an independent glass culture has developed at high level almost unnoticed from the West European art scene.

Estonia’s glass scene is still young: It could only freely develop itself in the course of the nineties. During the Soviet period from 1940 thru 1991 there were scarcely any possibilities to work artistically with glass neither conceptionally nor technically. The former glass workshops which were founded in the third of the 20^th century were characterized by the mass production to refine imported glass and crystal goods with cold techniques like cutting and engraving. Therefore, the studio glass movement reached Estonia rather late: In 1991 the first furnace was erected by Viivi-Ann Keerdo and Kai Koppel in Tallin. Works of these two pioneers can be seen in the new exhibition. Even though traditionally the cold techniques as well as optical glass play a big role as before the young generation prefers today the work on the furnace that enables almost endless artistic experiments.

With our new exhibition we give an insight into this unusual, young glass scene of Estonia, which is still scarcely known in these parts. Thanks to the great commitment oft he Estonian artists and the curator Kati Kerstna we can present nearly 40 unconventional works which to some extent have been created for our exhibition. It involves 22 Estonian glass artists – renowned personalities who have established themselves in the international scene in the meantime, but also young, creative artists who are going their own particular way.

 

Photos:

Rait Prääts, Round table, 2012 – Photo AHH

Mare Saare, Double Fragile, 2013 – Photo Mare Saare

Piret Ellamaa, Do you hear, 2013 – Photo Horst Kolberg

Kati Kerstna, Drums 1+2, 2014 – Photo AHH

Wroclaw, Polish for Breslau, holds good even today as a traditional centre for glass. Once this city was metropolis of the historical region Silesia and in the 13th century the place of production for glass. In the 17^th century the glass conditioning (engraving, cut and painting) was pushed in such a masterly manner that glass from Silesia was an internationally demanded export article. However, new technologies from Italy like filigree and millefiori were picked here at an early stage and developed further.

After the 2^nd World War an amazing multilateral glass creation developed from these roots. Wroclow had its strong power of radiation thanks to the Academy for Fine Arts being founded in 1946 – one of the most dynamic art academies of the country until this date. The only Faculty for Glass and Ceramics was founded here that quickly developed as a centre for new artistic and glass technical impulse. It offers a well-founded training at technical-industrial level to qualify the students for the artistic contact with conventional and new technologies of the glass formation. New perspectives start developing inventively and discovering an own artistic expression.

Our guests from Poland are partly international renowned teachers, graduates and students of the glass department present to you about 60 works. All of them have one thing in common: They perfectly master the handling of the different glass technologies, break and interpret however the long-standing tradition at the same time continuously anew. Their works are abstract, sculptural, narrative, ironical or simply touching. Each work is unique in its character, statement, style and shape – an expression of the individual access of the artist to the medium glass.

Our special thanks are due to the Polish artist Marzena Krzeminska-Baluch. She acted as an agent between the artists and the Foundation. Even Marzena Krzeminska-Baluch is present with strong and still works.

Welcome! It’s nice that you are here – Serdecznie Witam, Cieszymy się że Państwo z nami są!

 

Photos:

Wojtek Peszko, Archa III, 2008 – Photo Stanislaw Sielicki

Marzena Krzeminska, Between 3, 2011 – Photo Stephen Vest

Patrycja Dubiel, Nihil Novi, 2010 – Photo AHH

Stanislaw Sobota, Turquoise Atoll, 2013 – Photo Stanislaw Sielicki

It’s time again – traditionally we invite you to the first exhibition with the new acquisitions of the preceding year. At the beginning of a new year we question us again and again: Which exhibitions we will visit, how many new artists we can win for the collection, will we meet well-known with fresh, cute and cheerful works or we will come to know new techniques?

We were amazed in the past year while visiting the Coburg Glass Prize. We hit the mark here – we were extremely lucky that we could have the work that won the first prize for our collection: “Blind Boxes for NoThing“ of the Danish female artist Karen Lise Krabbe. They are fragile boxes made of glass powder and olivine (like glass they belong to the silicates) which can only be recognized as such in open condition. With utmost perfection the material is cast layer by layer in a sand cast creating the illusion they have occurred naturally like sand layers created through wind and erosion. Ka­ren Lise Krabbe not only plays with the traditional shape and function of glass, but with the perception of the observer as well.

The lamp glass scene is running at full steam, the artist’s inspirations do not know an end as in case of Oliver Drobar from Germany. His works captivate through their incredible delicacy: They are precisely worked glass networks with waving structures that react even to tender air movements. Drobar himself describes his objects as living glass.

Another highlight was the Museum Glazenhuis in Belgian Lommel that presented us under the title “UK Glass“ new artistic glass from Great Britain. You can be sure that this visit also had consequence for the collection! The window images “Window I + II“ of the female artist Erin Dickson caught our attention. She attains her objective to understand her windows as autonomous works of art and not as a part of the architecture with a technique that makes the clarification of the motive impossible and manipulates the observer.

Be curious and look forward with us to a varied exhibition with our “New Acquisitions 2014“!

 

Photos:

Oliver Drobar, Eisschmelze, 2011 – Photo Daniel Heydecke

David Reekie, Daggers Drawn III, 2012 – Photo David Reekie

Julia Malle, Spheres, 2010 – Photo Horst Kolberg

Stanislaw Borowski, The Bird III, 2006 – Photo Sasa Fuis