Alex Gabriel Bernstein

Photo by Teresa B. ABJ Seattle Glass Online. Mt. Baker, Coleman Glacier, 2009.

The other day I went ice climbing with some co-workers on the Coleman Glacier on Mt. Baker. My forearms hurt, my toes hurt, and I finally gained an appreciation of Alex Gabriel Bernstein's work. He has a rapidly rising star. In May of this year he was the Artist of the Month for the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass. In Seattle, Traver Gallery represents him. But I never could quite grasp the work. Finally, after seeing Mt. Baker's surreal seracs, I now have a positive association with the jagged teeth and haphazard occurrence of the sharply carved glass in Bernstein's pieces. Glass is often compared to ice, but the breathtaking danger of a crevassed glacier is something other than the carved swan on the banquet table. For me it caused a minor sort of paradigm shift. (In the back of my mind I'm hearing, "Was it Clive Bell who warned against drawing from your emotions to understand art?")

Glass sculpture isn't always something I'm immediately smitten with, but through time and contemplation I can come to an appreciation of most of it. Seeing unfamiliar shapes in sculpture is not exciting, it's confusing and it's easy to look without seeing. But if I have a reference point, as I now do for Bernstein's work, I can enjoy it. This is probably not the most sophisticated method of appreciating glass. And it would probably be quite boring, if when I wrote about glass, I went on about what it reminded me of-- like a person describing a dream they had. Yet, this is a personal step, and maybe not everyone takes it, that I'd like to point out in this post.

The glacier on Baker is constantly morphing. The permanent ice pack was formed by a slow accumulation of snow. The seracs were made through the movement and melt of the glacier.

Photo by Teresa B. ABJ Seattle Glass Online. Mt. Baker, Coleman Glacier, 2009.

Alex Gabriel Bernstein. New Blue Figure.
Photo Credit: AACG Artist of the Month, May 2009
http://www.contempglass.org/seeing_glass/BernsteinMay09/ArtistBernstein5.html

Mt. Baker, Coleman Glacier.

Photo Credit: flickr user Silviabak.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/silviabak/2981047531/

Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass Awards

2009 From the AACG website:

"The AACG Annual Award

Each year the AACG selects an organization to be honored for its contributions to the contemporary glass movement. This organization receives an unrestricted grant from the Alliance, and is invited to present a public program at SOFA Chicago in conjunction with the AACG Annual Meeting. The Honorees have been:

• 1991: Rhode Island School of Design
• 1992: Penland School of Arts and Crafts
• 1994: Urban Glass
• 1995: Pilchuck Glass School
• 1996: Glass Art Society
• 1997: Bullseye Connection
• 1998: Glass Program of University of Illinois
• 1999: The Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass
• 2000: Glass Program of California College of the Arts (formerly California College of Arts and Crafts)
• 2001: Creative Glass Center of America (at Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center, Millville NJ)
• 2002: Mint Museum of Craft + Design
• 2003: Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
• 2004: Corning Museum's Mobile Hot Shop
• 2005: The Museum of American Glass at Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center
• 2006: The Glass Program of the University of Miami
• 2007: The National Liberty Museum
• 2008 (to be presented November 8, 2009 at SOFA Chicago): Museum of Glass, Tacoma.

AACG Honors

In 2001, the AACG began a new program of recognizing individuals of outstanding accomplishment in the field of contemporary glass art. Honorees may be artists, collectors, curators, critics, teachers, authors, gallery owners and directors,and any others whose contributions have been significant and important in the field. Recipients are introduced at the AACG Annual Meeting at SOFA-Chicago. These awards have been given to:

• 2001:
  • Harvey Littleton, Artist
  • Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová, Artists
  • Hilbert (posthumous) and Jean Sosin, Collectors
• 2002
  • George and Dorothy Saxe, Collectors
  • Joel Philip Myers, Artist
• 2003
  • Ferdinand Hampson and Doug Heller (joint award), Gallery Owners
  • Jack Pelisek (posthumous), Collector
  • Paul Stankard, Artist
• 2004
  
  • Tina Oldknow, Curator
  • Myrna and Sheldon Palley, Collectors
  • Mark Peiser, Artist.
• 2005
  • Marvin Lipofsky, Artist
  • William Warmus, Critic, Curator
• 2006
  • Richard Marquis, Artist
  • Natalie and Ben Heineman, Collectors
• 2007
  On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the founding of AACG, to the founders of the organization:

• Madeline Baer (posthumous)
• Wally Baer (posthumous)
• Mike Belkin
• Irvin Borowsky
• Gloria Kamm
• Sonny Kamm
• Elmerina Parkman
• Paul Parkman
• Bobbi Raphael (posthumous)
• Jerry Raphael (posthumous)
• Dorothy Saxe
• George Saxe
• Hilbert Sosin (posthumous)
• Jean Sosin
• Paul Stankard
• Laurie Wagman

• 2008 (to be presented November 8, 2008 at SOFA Chicago)
  
  
  • Simona and Jerome Chazen, collectors
  • Bonnie Marx and Ken Saunders, gallerists"

AACG. "Awards of the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass". Website list last updated June 5, 2008. Website accessed May 10, 2009. http://www.contempglass.org/activities/awards.html

Secondary Market: Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass

Habatat had their Masterworks Auction recently.

Studio glass is absent from Sotheby's and Christie's.
What are prices like elsewhere in the secondary market for contemporary glass on May 1, 2009?Richard Marquis "Tall Teapot" (15½" x 5" x 4½"--blown glass, signed.)
asking price: $7,000Richard Marquis "Large Orange Teapot" Large Orange Teapot (6½" x 7½" x 7½", blown glass. Includes glass signature cane, also signed.)
asking price: $13,000.Richard Marquis "Crazy Quilt Murinni Teapot 1979 (5" x 5½" x 4½"--blown glass, clear bottom includes signature cane, also signed)
asking price: $6,500Dan Dailey "Bird with Worm / Man with Cigarette" (9" h x 7¼" x 4¾"--"Done at Daum, but signed by Dailey and one-of-a-kind; not part of Daum edition")
asking price: $10,500Richard Marquis "Rocket Jar" ("blown glass clear bottom includes signature cane signed also") asking price: $10,000 for the pairDante Marioni "Leaf Vase" 1993 (33¾" x 9" x 7"--blown glass)

asking price: $8,000Martin Blank "Willing" (26" high--"hot sculpted glass torso with gold leaf")
asking price: $27,000

These pieces are all for sale on the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass Marketplace website. Here is what a glimpse of the "Offered for Sale" page looks like:

• Dante Marioni. Leaf Vase, 1993, 33¾" x 9" x 7" blown glass. Click here for photo. $8,000. Inquiries: baisdengallery@aol.com
• Paul Marioni. 2 "Nudes - Windows," 1982, 28" x 24" x ¼" & 28" x 21" x ¼" leaded glass, freehand cut and assembled, hanging rings for installation, signed. Click here for photo.bw1234@mac.com
  $10,000. / pair. Inquiries:
• Paul Marioni. "Powder Vase," 14" x 6½" x 6½" blown glass. Click here for photo. $8000. Inquiries: bw1234@mac.com
  
  
• Paul Marioni. "Life on Mars," 1980, 8½" x 7" x 7" blown glass
  with figurative inclusions and canes, signed. Click here for photo. $13.000. Inquiries bw1234@mac.com
  

• Richard Marquis. 2 "Rocket Jars," blown glass, signed. Click here for photo. $10,000 / pair. Inquiries: bw1234@mac.com

• Richard Marquis. Crazy Quilt Murrini Teapot, 1979, 5" x 5½" x 4½", blown glass, clear bottom includes signature cane, also signed. Illustrated in "Richard Marquis- Objects" pg 23. Click here for photo. $6500. Inquiries: bw1234@mac.com

• Richard Marquis. "Tall Teapot," 15½" x 5" x 4½", blown glass, signed. Click here for photo. $7000. Inquiries: bw1234@mac.com
  

• Richard Marquis. Large Orange Teapot, 6½" x 7½" x 7½", blown glass. Includes glass signature cane, also signed. Click here for photo. $13,000. Inquiries: bw1234@mac.com.

• Richard Marquis. "Crazy Quilt Banded Cylinder," 1979, 13½" x 4" x 4" with signature cane and signed. Click here for photo. $9,000. Inquiries: bw1234@mac.com
  
  
• Mark Matthews "Midas Touch", grouping of 7 glass spheres and bowl. Tiger Predator sphere (3"), Filigrana sphere from 1993, Irridescent Aurene Pearl sphere, and a gold air trap rectangle sphere. Each sphere, and the bowl, are signed and dated. Spheres from ½" to 3" dia; bowl 10" x 6". Click here for photo. $9,800. Inquiries: Jonathan, 516-313-2218 or ninesfull@hotmail.com
  
  
• Mark Matthews "Blue & Orange, for Now", grouping of 11 glass spheres and bowl. Royal Blue Overlay sphere from 1993 and 4 complementary Opaque Banded Lutz spheres, clear blown bowl with sandblasted foot. Each sphere, and the bowl, are signed and dated. Spheres from ½" to over 3" dia; bowl 11" x 7". Click here for photo. $8,500. Inquiries: Jonathan, 516-313-2218 or ninesfull@hotmail.com
  
  
• William Morris, Vase and three stones (set); matching pieces in Morris' early tribal cave glyphics phase. Vase is 20"h x 14"dia; stones range 12" - 20" long, 10" - 14" wide, 5" high. Click here for photos. $50,000. Inquiries: lmiles@ma-ad.com
  
  
• William Morris. Early orange plate, 1979, approx. 15" diameter x 4" depth, blown glass, signed. Click here for photo. $24,000. Inquiries: bw1234@mac.com
  

• William Morris, "Standing Stone," 23" x 11" x 4" blown glass. Click here for photo. $15,000. Inquiries: bw1234@mac.com
  

• William Morris. 2 "Shard Vessels," Brown: 1982, 12" x !4" x 5", Purple: 1980, 11" x 10 " x 4." Blown glass, signed. Click here for photo. $ 26,000 for both. Inquiries: bw1234@mac.com
  

• William Morris, "Stones Vessel," 1984, 15½" x 16" x 6", signed. Click here for photo. $37,000. Inquiries: bw1234@mac.com

• William Morris. "Petro Vessel," 1988, 24" x 16" x 14", signed. Click here for photo. $44,000. Inquiries: bw1234@mac.com

Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass "MarketPlace". Website accessed May 1, 2009. http://www.contempglass.org/market_place/wantad.html