The Lette Glass Museum will celebrate three anniversaries in 2026 with a special exhibition.

With the exhibition “DEVELOPMENTS 50 – 30 – 20,” the Lette Glass Museum will celebrate three significant anniversaries in 2026: 50 years of passionate collecting of contemporary glass art, 30 years of the Lette Glass Museum, and 20 years of the Glass Depot.

The exhibition focuses on 30 international artists whose works are already part of the collection. They were invited to select current works and juxtapose each with an earlier work from the collection. This creates exciting dialogues between past and present, between artistic beginnings and current positions.

The exhibition brings together different generations of artists and showcases the extraordinary range of technical and artistic expressions within the international glass art scene. Some artists have consistently refined their visual language over decades, while others have continually broken new ground. The works on display highlight these individual artistic journeys while offering a glimpse into the diversity of contemporary art.

The starting point of this story is the passion for collecting of Lilly Ernsting (1930–2023). Together with her husband Kurt Ernsting (1929–2011), she laid the foundation for one of the world’s most significant and, in its diversity, unique collections of contemporary glass art. Over the course of 50 years, a collection of international stature emerged, one that continues to be expanded to this day.

Driven by a desire to share their enthusiasm for contemporary glass art with a broad audience, the Ernstings founded the Glasmuseum Lette in 1996. Ten years later, the Glasdepot followed, offering a comprehensive view of the ever-growing collection since 2006. The founders were initially supported by gallery owner Jaap de Harder, and later by Dutch artist Mieke Groot as well as art historian and long-time executive director of the Ernsting Foundation, Dr. Ulrike Hoppe-Oehl.

For 30 years now, the Glasmuseum Lette has served as a place for the discovery, presentation, and promotion of contemporary glass art. For the past 20 years, the Glasdepot has made the entire collection accessible to visitors. Today, it comprises nearly 3,000 objects and documents the development of international artists from the 1970s to the present who use glass as an artistic medium.

“DEVELOPMENTS 50 – 30 – 20” draws attention to the diverse paths of artistic development, the continuous growth of a unique collection, and the creative possibilities of a material that continually inspires artists worldwide.

The exhibition was curated by Wilhelm Vernim, artist, curator, and lecturer, who has served as director of the Lette Glass Museum since 2026.

ARTISTS: Klára Horácková (Tschechische Republik), Karin Hubert (†, Deutschland), Jack Ink (Österreich + USA), Anja Isphording/ (Kanada + Deutschland), Menno Jonkers (Niederlande), Micha Karlslund (Dänemark), Runa Kosogawa (Japan), Louise Lang (Deutschland), Silvia Levenson (Italien + Argentinien), Markus Marschmann (Deutschland), Katrin Maurer (Niederlande + Österreich), Rasmus Nossbring (Schweden), Momoo Omuro (Japan), Sibylle Peretti (USA + Deutschland) + Stephen Paul Day (USA), Rony Plesl (Tschechische Republik), Rini Ronckers (Niederlande), Tiina Sarapu (Estland), Verena Schatz (Österreich), Lada Semecka (Tschechische Republik), Korbinian Stöckle (Deutschland), Ilse Van Roy (Belgien), Nataliya Vladychko (Niederlande + Ukraine),  Emma Woffenden (Großbritannien)

 PHOTO CREDITS:

Photo top: Klára Horáčková, Purple Microcosmos (Detail), 2020 – Photo Anna Pleslová

Photos from left:

Anja Isphording, #202, 2026 – Photo John Watson, Vancouver

Emma Woffenden, Elephant Escape, 2024 – Photo Emma Woffenden

Silvia Levenson, 7 kg of love, 2024 – Photo Marco Del Comune

Matthew Curtis, Periphery Blue Red-Yellow, 2501 – Photo Brooke McEachern

Kalina Bánka-Kulka, Purification, 2025 – Photo Kalina Bánka-Kulka

Scott Chaseling, Pink Plush Terrain, 2025 – Ginotto Photo

Masami Hirohata, Shade of Luminous Flowers, 2021-2023 – Photo Masami Hirohata

Clare Belfrage, Group, 2023, 2026 – Photo: © 2026 Connor Patterson Photography

Jack Ink, Baden bei Wien, 2023 – Photo Jack Ink

Korbinian Stöckle, Star Stone IV, 2026 – Photo Peter Hübbe

Markus Marschmann, Cerebral N°62, 2022 – Photo Markus Marschmann

Jesse Günther, One More Sip (2) – Continuum, 2026 – Photo Jesse Günther

Rasmus Nossbring, Memory nest 4, 2026 – Photo Rasmus Nossbring

Runa Kosogawa, Beneath the Luminous Sun, 2025 – Photo Runa Kosogawa

Momoo Omuro, Red Bowl (Town), 2025 – Photo Keisuke Osumi

Nataliya Vladychko, Fetching White Little Feed, 2023 – Photo Nataliya Vladychko