Rachel Spence on innovation in Italian glass

A comprehensive article by arts journalist Rachel Spence about trends in modern glass affecting it's birthplace. She has many great articles over at Financial Times.

2009 Rachel Spence:

"If the island of Murano wants to survive, it must turn its back on drinking glasses and embrace the vogue for contemporary sculpture in glass. Since the first workshops lit their furnaces nearly a millennium ago, the island of Murano in the Venetian lagoon has been synonymous with the finest glassware in the world. As aesthetic styles evolved over the centuries, the glassmasters kept pace. Their wafer-thin Renaissance goblets, baroque chandeliers and modernist vessels were in demand across the world.

Recently, however, the island’s fortunes have plummeted. A tide of cheap glassware from Asia has torn into profits. The pre-eminence of Murano’s masters has been challenged by glassmakers from elsewhere, such as the late Czech sculptor Stanislav Libensky, and Dale Chihuly, the Seattle-based figurehead of the American “studio glass” movement whose other stars include William Morris and Toots Zynsky. Although Chihuly learnt much of his craft on Murano, the island’s own furnaces have been slow to innovate.

The latest recession has swept the industry close to the abyss. Sales have dropped by an average of 40 per cent. According to FILCEM-CGIL, the union that represents the artisans, more than half of its 900 workers are on government-subsidised home leave. A further 100 have been laid off entirely.

Yet visitors to the Venice Biennale this autumn could be forgiven for thinking that Murano has never been in better shape. A clutch of exhibitions has been devoted to glass with many new works realised on the island.

Historically, the most significant show is in the Venice Pavilion in the biennale gardens. Built in 1934 to showcase local decorative arts such as glass, ceramics and lace, the pavilion was abandoned in the 1970s and only re-opened in 2007. This year it is showcasing artists who work on Murano.

Ferruccio Franzoia, the show’s curator, says: “The Veneto region [which owns the pavilion] wanted to show that there is still extraordinary creativity on Murano and remind people of Venice’s history as a crucible of decorative arts.”

Yet to describe many of these works as decorative is a misrepresentation. The austere slabs of Laura de Santillana, their opaque surfaces disturbed by iridescent ripples, have the quality of ancient archetypes. The organic forms of Cristiano Bianchin, their impenetrable surfaces sheathed in woven fabric, are charged with mute, expressive potency. Long fascinated by marine biology and astrophysics, Maria Grazia Rosin has created a multimedia installation where trailing LED-lit threads sway like jellyfish to a moody techno soundtrack above a video projection of a black hole swirling with mercurial liquids. Surely these works possess the metaphysical power of fine art?

“The distinction between decorative arts and fine arts is becoming increasingly artificial,” agrees Franzoia. “These artists use glass as other artists use bronze, marble or wood.”

Rosin, who studied painting at the Fine Arts Academy in Venice, says: “I started using glass after I became interested in the idea of three-dimensional colour on canvas. You could paint in marble but it’s not the same thing at all.”

Rosin’s gallerist in Venice, Caterina Tognon, was one of the first to specialise in glass as fine art. “I could see there was little future in artisanal production,” says Tognon, who opened her first gallery in Bergamo in 1994. “At first, it wasn’t easy but now art critics are opening their horizons.”

Rosin has recently enjoyed a run of solo museum shows, in Venice, Pittsburgh and, next month, in Seattle. Another of Tognon’s regular artists, the late Stanislav Libensky, broke auction records for glass when one of his sculptures sold for $400,000 at Bonhams in 2007. Meanwhile, a recent show by Toots Zynsky, whose exquisite glass-cane sculptures appear to have been carved from spun sugar, was a sell-out: “We sold everything and had to ask her to produce more,” Tognon says.

Tognon has gone a step further with her current exhibition. She invited two artists who have never worked in glass before, Venice-based painter Maria Morganti and Roman installation artist Bruna Esposito, to realise their new pieces on Murano.

By layering small squares of clear and coloured glass with gold and silver leaf, Morganti has created a vast, glowing checkerboard that pulsates with visceral, painterly power. Esposito has created an installation that uses different materials – tiny balls of straw, clear glass cylinders enclosed by metal propellers – to conjure a poetic lagoon landscape. In subordinating the material to just one aspect of an ensemble piece, these works signal a new approach to glass.

A similar vision animates Glass Stress, an exhibition of 45 artists at Palazzo Franchetti. Here, glass is cast into replicas of car tyres by Robert Rauschenberg, blown into amethyst-hued pigeons and their droppings by Jan Fabre, washed with acid in Kiki Smith’s constellation of black eggs, and carved into a table complete with witty, incised place settings by Silvano Rubino. The material proves itself as versatile as the vision of each artist.

Many of the newer pieces in Glass Stress were made in the Murano furnace of Adriano Berengo, the show’s organiser. “I am interested in offering artists the possibility of using glass when they want to in the service of their art,” says the Venice-born entrepreneur.

After a slow start – “the art world was sceptical about glass and the glass world did not approve at all” – Berengo’s business is one of the very few on the island to flourish. He has four showrooms in Venice, more than 6,000 collectors, and relationships with 150 artists.

If Murano is to survive, more furnaces must build relationships with contemporary artists from across the spectrum. Meanwhile glass art is extending its appeal beyond Venice. Earlier this year, Bonhams dedicated its first sale to modern and contemporary glass.

Last year, Berlin saw the city’s first gallery dedicated to the genre open in the heart of its contemporary art scene. Owned by Nadania Idriss, whose passion for glass was sparked when she studied in Seattle, the current show features one of Berengo’s artists, the Lebanese-Canadian Marya Kazoun. Looking at Kazoun’s spectacularly ethereal installation in Glass Stress, it’s easy to see why Idriss is feeling confident."

Spence, R. "Glass conciousness." October 9, 2009. Financial Times. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/ffa13f62-b3c9-11de-98ec-00144feab49a.html

Times obituary for Dan Klein

2009 The Times:

"Dan Klein, who began his career as an opera singer, became a leading authority — and commercial force — in the field of 20th-century decorative arts. Several of the record prices he achieved as an auctioneer during the 1990s remain unbeaten. Glass was Klein’s chief passion, and he did more than any other to embrace the emerging British studio glass movement, encouraging its artists and promoting them to a wider audience.

Son of Middle-European parents, Dan Klein was born in Bombay in 1938. The family moved to London around 1946, and he was educated at Westminster School and at Wadham College, Oxford, where he read Greats. A gifted linguist, he spoke fluent French, German and Italian.

After Oxford he studied singing and was an opera and lieder singer for 12 years from 1966. He became a soloist at Sadler’s Wells, and was a member of Benjamin Britten’s English Opera Group in 1968-73.

Throughout this time he maintained an interest in the decorative arts, buying and selling pieces that caught his eye. Realising that he would not reach the top as a singer, he changed careers in 1978 by opening a gallery in Canonbury, North London, specialising in 20th-century decorative arts and contemporary glass. A scholarly dealer, he staged numerous exhibitions accompanied by illustrated catalogues. They included the designs of Christopher Dresser, the Aesthetic movement and masters of Czech glass. He also staged one-man shows of British artists such as John Piper, Ivor Abrams and Quentin Bell.

In 1984 Klein joined Christie’s as director in charge of 20th-century decorative arts, responsible for sales in London, Monaco, Amsterdam and Geneva. Three years later he became vice-president of Christie’s Switzerland. As an auctioneer he helped to establish many landmark prices, including records for René Lalique, Emile Gallé and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The records for Lalique and Mackintosh still stand.

Klein’s interests were broad, but he specialised in decorative arts from 1850. His particular passion was for modern art glass, and he was one of the first in Britain to collect and write about it. In 1984, before he joined Christie’s, his collection of 1950s glass was sold at Sotheby’s. The first auction of its kind, it provided the market with a benchmark for the future.

Klein was also a prolific author. As well as articles for British and foreign arts magazines, he wrote several books, beginning with The All Colour Book of Art Deco (1974). Reference works which he co-wrote or edited included The History of Glass(1985), Decorative Arts from 1880 to the Present Day (1986) and In the Deco Style (1986). His Glass: A Contemporary Art (1989) is a standard work. His Artists In Glass: Late Twentieth Century Masters In Glass(2001) examined 80 of the world’s leading glass artists.

Klein served as external examiner to the Royal College of Art’s department of glass and ceramics and was on the board of Pilchuck, the world’s foremost glass school, near Seattle.

After leaving Christie’s in 1995 Klein held a variety of appointments. He advised Rosenthal, the German glass and ceramics manufacturer. He was art consultant to Byrne-Sutton & Bonnard, a firm of lawyers in Geneva, specialising in art law. In 1996 he was confirmed as Professor in Glass at the University of Sunderland and he founded Dan Klein Associates, with his partner Alan J. Poole, to promote British and Irish contemporary glass.

In 1997 he joined Phillips as a consultant. In May 2000 he made headlines when he auctioned a Malevich painting for $17 million.

Klein was patron of the Guild of Glass Engravers, a lifetime honorary member of the Contemporary Glass Society and president of the Scottish Glass Society. He and Poole staged an auction of contemporary and modern glass at Bonhams only six weeks ago.

Klein’s large, jointly owned collection of British and Irish contemporary glass is expected to be donated to a British museum.

Dan Klein, writer and authority on the decorative arts, was born on November 4, 1938. He died of cancer on June 28, 2009, aged 70"

The Times Online. "Dan Klein, writer and authority on the decorative arts." July 4, 2009. website accessed July 30, 2009. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article6632395.ece

More on Bonhams Contemporary Glass Auction

From Antony Thorncroft @ FT.com:

"Pots are earthbound; glass has an inner light, a kind of soul,” says Dan Klein. As a dealer in modern and contemporary glass he may be biased, but as a former director of 20th-century decorative art at both Christie’s and Phillips he also has the wider perspective.

His current task is to open the eyes of British collectors to the creative possibilities in contemporary glass, a message enthusiastically received in the US where glass sculptures regularly sell for upwards of $100,000. There are keen collectors in the UK, notably Elton John, Sir David Attenborough and Michael Portillo, but glass is associated with craft, and contemporary craft, unlike contemporary art, has an undeserved image problem.

Last month Bonhams held the first auction of modern and contemporary glass in London, with Klein acting as an adviser: to freshen the contents he asked 15 leading and emerging glassmakers (from the 2,000 now working in the UK) to create one-off pieces for the sale.

The results were mixed. The auction room was packed, with overseas bidders acquiring a quarter of the items, but only half the 164 lots on offer sold. (However, all but one of the commissioned sculptures found buyers.) Clare Beck of dealer Adrian Sassoon admits: “It was disappointing that it did not do better and a bit of a surprise considering the growth of interest. Perhaps a secondary market in glass has not yet become established.” However Bonhams reckoned the total of £200,000 encouraging enough to plan another auction in 18 months’ time.

It is for the best if the contemporary glass market develops slowly, in contrast to the rollercoaster upheavals that have convulsed contemporary art. Although glass has a history stretching back 3,500 years, the glass sculptures attracting interest today date back less than 50 years. It was in 1962 that Harvey Littleton melted glass in a homemade pot furnace in the grounds of the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, and liberated glass from the factory to the small workshop, allowing studio glass to emerge as a rival to studio ceramics. The creative possibilities in studio glass were quickly realised, most notably in the US, the Czech Republic and Australia. Progress in the UK was slow but this is changing. “Of all the crafts it is glass that is making the breakthrough,” says Mark Oliver, director of decorative arts at Bonhams.

“Now that people are throwing clutter out of their homes and going minimalist, one well-lit piece of glass can make a greater impact than contemporary art.”

Studio glassmaking is now taught in many British art schools, most notably at Sunderland, Wolverhampton, Farnham and the RCA, and in 2004 the Victoria & Albert Museum opened a gallery devoted to contemporary glass. Last month the Craft Council held Collect, its annual selling fair, which attracted over 10,000 visitors to the Saatchi Gallery, where 13 galleries were successfully offering glass. Sassoon alone sold 40 pieces and crafts gallery Katy Jones four works by Ritsue Mishima priced between £4,400 and £7,500.

To help things along The Art Fund gave £75,000 to museums who wanted to add contemporary craft from the fair to their collections and two invested in glass: the National Museum of Wales bought a piece by Rachael Woodman for £7,500 (although small works by this glassmaker were on offer for £600) and the V&A acquired “Free-Essence -6” by Japanese artist Niyoko Ikuta, for £5,700. Another enthusiast for contemporary glass is the National Galleries of Scotland, which paid £7,200 at Bonhams for a wing goblet by Lucio Bubacco.

Perhaps the greatest appeal of contemporary glass is that the entry price for new collectors seeking attractive original sculptures can be a few hundred pounds. At the Bonhams auction “Soft cylinder”, a colourful bowl by Dale Chihuly, the biggest name in contemporary glassmaking, made just £840, while the highest price was the £13,800 which secured “Stonehenge”, a vase by Chihuly’s longtime associate William Morris. In comparison with contemporary art this is small change.

However, the prices commanded by the most admired glassmakers are rising rapidly: a decade ago one of Anna Dickinson’s vessels inspired by the antique might be acquired for £50; two sold at Bonhams for £5,400 each. With such inflation, and relatively few knowledgeable dealers (and collectors), questionable practices have already emerged. In the US, where the market is more sophisticated, many dealers take work on commission from the glassmakers and talk up prices.

For instance, there have been doubts about the reliability of the record $400,000 paid in New York for a sculpture by the pioneering Czech craftsman Stanislav Libensky. Another work by Libensky, “Queen”, a red cast glass sculpture almost 70cm high, also caused controversy at Bonhams. It was actually created after his death, under the supervision of his wife and fellow glassmaker Jaroslava Brychtova, from a mould. The appearance of limited editions of popular pieces can confuse potential collectors, and although “Queen” was estimated at up to £15,000 it went for £10,800. It had previously sold privately for a reputed £40,000.

A problem for prospective collectors of modern glass is that there is only one gallery in the UK, Vessel, specialising solely in glass. The major dealers, such as Klein and Sassoon, represent the leading glassmakers but lack exhibition space. For anyone interested, the first port of call should be the Crafts Council, which holds portfolios of all the leading British makers.

Adrian Sassoon will be showing at the International Ceramics Fair at London’s Park Lane Hotel this month (June 11-14) while in October the Craft Council holds Origin, a selling exhibition that includes glass, in the grounds of Somerset House. If you cannot wait, contemporary glass features in a 20th-century design auction that Bonhams is holding in New York on Thursday, where work by William Morris, Toots Zynsky and William Carson, who all sold well at Bonhams in London, is on offer, with estimates below $10,000. Despite its long collecting history decorative glass still seems remarkably cheap."

Thorncroft, A. "Glass is making the breakthrough." June 6, 2009. Financial Times, website accessed June 8, 2009. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/5e31a4e2-50a4-11de-9530-00144feabdc0.html

Bonhams 20th Century Decorative Arts. New York, 17 Dec 2008

After seeing the glass-only auction results from Bonhams May sale, I wanted to see how glass did at Bonhams last year. Certain artists like Littleton were sold at the 20th Century Decorative Arts sale last December in New York and weren't in the Contemporary Glass sale this year. I also wanted to see what prices were doing, even though it's only been 5 months since this 2008 sale.
Lot No: 4360

A pair of Murano glass leaf-form sconces

1950s
unsigned
height 17in (43.2cm)

Sold for $2,160 inclusive of Buyer's Premium
Lot No: 4425

Jaroslav Svoboda (Czecholslovakia, born 1938)

Sculpture, 1983
glass,
inscribed 83.
height 11½in 29.2cm); diameter 5½in (14cm)

Estimate: $1,000 - 1,500 Lot No: 4422

Concetta Mason (American, born 1950)

Spun Violet, 1988
blown, cut and polished, sandblasted and enameled glass,
inscribed 1988 SE 2984 SPUN VIOLET.
dimensions 16½in x 9½in x 9½in (41.9cm x 24.1cm x 24.1cm)

Sold for $1,680 inclusive of Buyer's Premium

Lot No: 4448

Maurice Heaton (American, born Switzerland, 1900-1989)

Three Untitled Platters, 1964-1967
blown and enameled glass,
each monogrammed MH.
lengths 12¼in and 8in (31.1cm and 20.3cm); diameter 8½in (21.6cm)

Estimate: $800 - 1,200 (unsold)
Lot No: 4445

Pavel Hlava (Czechoslovakian, born 1924)

Vase
blown glass
inscribed P. Hlava / Czechoslovakia.
height 6 1/8in (15.5cm); width 7 7/8in (20cm)

Sold for $1,920 inclusive of Buyer's Premium
Lot No: 4456

Dana Zàmecnikovà (Czechoslovakian, born 1945)

Lovers
painted, etched and engraved laminated glass.
height 16¾in (42.5cm); length 18¼in (46.4cm); depth 7¾in (19.7cm)

Sold for $4,800 inclusive of Buyer's Premium
Lot No: 4469

Dominic Labino (American, 1910-1987)

Two Vessels, 1970-1975
blown and internally decorated glass, each inscribed Labino one dated 8-1970 the other 8-1975.
heights 6½in and 4½in (16.5cm and 11.5cm) `

Estimate: $3,000 - 5,000 (unsold)
Lot No: 4478

Harvey K. Littleton (American, born 1922)

Optic Glass #6, 1979
blown glass,
base inscribed Harvey K. Littleton, 1979.
height 12in (30.5cm); length 21½in (54.5cm); depth 7¾in (19.7cm)

Sold for $9,600 inclusive of Buyer's Premium
Lot No: 4477

Harvey K. Littleton (American, born 1922)

Amber Loop, 1972
cast glass,
inscribed Harvey K. Littleton 1972 131/150
originally purchased with a signed and witnessed certificate of authenticity.
height 5½in (14cm)

Sold for $1,200 inclusive of Buyer's Premium

Lot No: 4481

Harvey K. Littleton (American, born 1922)

Three Glass Arches, 1975
blown glass,
each inscribed Harvey K. Littleton 1975.
dimensions range from 5¼in x 6in to 9½in x 8in (13.3cm x 15.2cm to 24.1cm x 20.4cm)

Sold for $3,600 inclusive of Buyer's Premium
Lot No: 4500

Pino Signoretto (Italian, born 1944)

Embrace
internally decorated glass,
inscribed Pino Signoretto and Made for Julia.
height 46½in (118.1cm)

Sold for $3,300 inclusive of Buyer's Premium
Lot No: 4508

Mary Shaffer (American, born 1947)

Fired Twice, 1995
slumped, cast glass and metal.
height 5in (12.7cm); width 8in (20.3cm)

Sold for $1,200 inclusive of Buyer's Premium
Lot No: 4502

A Lino Tagliapietra Saturneo Plate and Bowl

circa 1988
blown glass,
each inscribed Taglipietra Angelin Effetre International / Murano Italy 1988 and numbered 59/100 and 52/100 respectively.
diameter of plate 9½in (49.5cm); height of bowl 8½in (21.6cm)

Sold for $4,800 inclusive of Buyer's Premium
Lot No: 4515

Mary Schaffer (American, born 1947)

Double, 1999
glass, metal.
height 19in (48.2cm); width 5in (12.7cm); depth 11in (27.9cm)

Estimate: $6,000 - 9,000 (unsold)
Lot No: 4516

Dale Chihuly (American, born 1941)

White eight-piece Seaform with black lip wrap
blown glass
inscribed Chihuly.
dimensions of largest. 15in x 10in x 6in (38.1cm x 25.4cm x 15.2cm)

Sold for $6,600 inclusive of Buyer's Premium
Lot No: 4518

William Morris (American, born 1957)

Rython: Etruscan Horse, 1999
cast glass,
inscribed William Morris 1999.
height 15in (38.1cm); width 12in (30.5cm); depth 5½in (14cm)

Sold for $21,600 inclusive of Buyer's Premium
Lot No: 4514

Mary Ann (Toots) Zynsky (American, born 1951)

Vase
fused glass threads,
monogrammed Z
height 11½in (29.3cm); length 20½in (52.1cm); depth 13in (33cm)

Estimate: $4,000 - 6,000 (unsold)
Lot No: 4511

Harvey K. Littleton (American, born 1922)

Double Arch, 1986
internally decorated, blown, cased, cut and polished glass
each inscribed Harvey K. Littleton 4 -1986.
dimensions 9in x 14in and 6½in x 16in (22.9cm x 35.5cm and 16.5cm x 40.6cm)

Estimate: $7,000 - 10,000 (unsold)

Lot No: 4540

Stanislav Libensky (Czechoslovakian, 1921-2002) and Jaroslava Brychtova (Czechoslovakian, born 1924)

Taking Off, 1998-2000
cast glass
inscribed LIBINSKY-BRYCHTOVA 1998-00
height 16in (40.6cm); width 33in (83.8cm); depth 22in (55.9cm)
Sold for $57,000 inclusive of Buyer's Premium Lot No: 4531

Dale Chihuly (American, born 1941)

Yellow five-piece Seaform, 1996
blown glass,
inscribed Chihuly 96.
dimensions of largest 6½in x 12in x 8in (16.5cm x 30.5cm x 8in 20.3cm)
Sold for $6,600 inclusive of Buyer's Premium

Sale 16154. Bonhams 20th Century Decorative Arts. website accessed May 26, 2009. http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.sh/pubweb/publicSite.r?sContinent=USA&screen=Catalogue&iSaleNo=16154

Bonham's Contemporary Glass Auction, May 2009

The Bonhams (first ever) Contemporary and Modern Glass Auction held on May 19, about a week ago, hardly made a splash in the larger world of art news. For this auction, there wasn't much outside interest; most press available online came from the artists in the auction themselves and from the local papers that supported them (see the Selkirk article on Annica Sandstrom and David Kaplan, whose commissioned works did not sell).

It was reported by Bonhams that this auction came on the heels of the 2007 sale of a Brychtova and Libensky which reached a record amount at auction for a glass piece. But what do record prices really mean except that there is someone with that much money to spend, and maybe the article should be about the buyer and not the piece of art, because astronomical prices paid for works of art seem to arouse our interest in the mind and lifestyle of the buyer rather than the art? So why is glass being marketed in this tedious manner? For glass, studio glass especially, this kind of hype is uncalled for, but maybe that is the only hype an auction house knows...and that is what is unfortunate for art in a market run by auction houses. But while the auction house perpetuates the stereotype that art is about money and not expression, it does give anyone the opportunity to bid on a piece of art that they like and want to own, whereas they might not have that opportunity in a gallery or elsewhere.

But who decided that what studio glass needed was to follow the trajectory of other types of contemporary art? As glass follows the path of other mediums, mainly painting and sculpture, and goes from main stream gallery to auction house, does it lose some of its identity (the hot shop, the performance, the technicality, the years of training to become a master, the history of the factory) to the hegemony of the art market?

I was not surprised that only 54% of the pieces sold. I was surprised that the artists commissioned to submit works did not sell very well, and most sold only one out of two pieces if at all, and those for extremely low prices. This was a grand experiment, however, and more experiments are called for to find out what will work to find appreciative homes for the art and to help artists make a living.

From the Bonhams website:
"On Tuesday 19th May Bonhams, in association with Dan Klein Associates, will be holding its inaugural sale of Modern and Contemporary Glass, the first of its kind in the UK. The decision follows the sale in 2007 of a piece of contemporary glass by Bonhams in New York, a cast glass sculpture by Czech artist Stanislav Libensky, which achieved the world record price of $400,000.

The preview at Bonhams in New Bond Street will coincide with the major contemporary decorative arts event of the year ‘Collect, organised by the Crafts Council and held at the Saatchi Gallery on King’s Road, Chelsea. Prices are expected to range from £500 to £15,000'

Mark Oliver, Bonhams Director of 20th Century Decorative Arts, firmly believes “The sale in May is an exciting first in Britain, and a marvelous opportunity for collectors of post-war glass to secure some key pieces, many of which will be one-off examples produced exclusively for this sale. Our working relationship with Dan Klein Associates coupled with Bonhams’ International network has meant that the profile of the sale is likely to attract many keen bidders from around the world.”

LEADING ARTISTS TO MAKE WORK SPECIFICALLY FOR THE AUCTION

As a special feature of the Bonhams auction eighteen artists, some emerging, some firmly established, have been invited to make work for the auction. The established artists include Alison Kinnaird whose installation is a feature of the Scottish Parliament building and Peter Furlonger, who is known for his exquisite lettering on glass. Among the emerging artists are three recent graduates from the Royal College of Art, Heike Brachlow, Sabrina Cant and Joseph Harrington, all of whom have already exhibited widely.

The body of the sale will include glass dating from 1950 to the present day with work from American and European artists. Among the earliest pieces included in the sale are a rare vase designed by Piero Fornasetti for the Venetian firm of S.A.L.I.R and two experimental Isle of Wight pieces.

“I was first attracted to the whole area of contemporary glass in the mid 1970s”, recalls Dan Klein, of Dan Klein Associates. “Then it seemed different from any glass I had ever seen. It was exciting, innovative and I felt here was the beginning of something new that had great potential for development. I was not alone in my enthusiasm and new ideas in glass spread like wild fire from America to Europe, the Far East and Australia.”

The thirty years between than and now have seen more artistic and technical innovation than perhaps any other area of the arts. Contemporary glass plays a significant role and has earned its place in art history with various museums around the world devoted solely to the medium. As the collecting public becomes more aware of the current state of the art along with its brief but exciting history it is exactly the right moment to hold the first auction in Great Britain devoted to this art form. Mark Oliver’s invitation to Dan Klein Associates to collaborate with Bonhams was enthusiastically accepted and the auction promises to offer a mixture of excellent new and historical work”

Artists began working with glass in a studio as opposed to a factory environment in the 1960s. Since then the impact of artists working in glass worldwide has been nothing short of amazing. Artists such as Stanislav Libensky and Jaroslava Brychtova in the Czech Republic, Dale Chihuly in the United States, Erwin Eisch in Germany and Bertil Vallien in Sweden (all of whose work is included in the sale) are all in major museum collections, with Dale Chihuly’s chandelier extravaganza the centre piece of the entrance to the Victoria & Albert Museum.

The sale will include work by some of Britain’s best-known artists in glass such as David Reekie, Anna Dickinson and Steven Newell. All over Britain from John O’Groats to Land’s End artists have set up studios and the response to their work has been enthusiastic. In Britain The Contemporary Glass Society is a thriving organisation as is the Guild of Glass Engravers. In 2004 The V&A Museum, opened the new Merit Rausing Gallery devoted to international contemporary glass, next door to the older glass gallery. Jennifer Opie, senior curator of Glass & Ceramics at the V&A at the time, wrote in her book ‘Contemporary International glass’ (published to coincide with the opening of the new gallery) “In the last two decades, glass has come of age as a material for a global art form. There is an increasing conviction that it is the material for the future – for art, and for science.”

This is the first collaboration between Dan Klein Associates (Dan Klein and Alan Poole) and Bonhams, although Dan Klein is no stranger to Bonhams, having been International Executive Director of Phillips from 1998-2001 prior to its merger with Bonhams. Dan Klein Associates has been involved in staging major exhibitions including two Venice Glass Biennales ‘Venezia Aperto Vetro’ in 1996 and 1998, 21st Century British Glass in association with Daniel Katz Limited in 2005 and Lucio Bubacco’s extraordinary installation entitled ‘Eternal Temptation’ at SOFA Chicago in 2008."

Bonhams. "World Record Of $400,000 Contemporary Glass At Bonhams Triggers First Modern & Contemporary Glass Sale In Britain" website accessed May 26, 2009. http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.sh/pubweb/publicSite.r?Screen=HeadlineDetails&iHeadlineNo=4054

From the Wall Street Journal:
"Bonhams on May 19 will hold an auction of contemporary glass objects. The catalog cover features a vessel formed from threads of bright color, "More Tropical Chaos" (1999), by American artist Toots Zynsky (estimate: £8,000-£10,000). The auction illustrates the enormous variety of the handmade glass market -- from the purely aesthetic to objects that make more of a statement, such as British artist David Reekie's "Mindless Technology" (2003), a group of four helpless-looking glass robots (estimate: £6,000-£7,000)."

Studer, Margaret. "Combining Craftsmanship and Contemporary Design." May 15, 2009. The Wall Street Journal. Accessed May 26, 2009. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124231769595420031.html

HERE'S A FEW OF THE AUCTION RESULTS: I've inserted post-auction updates into this Bonhams pre-auction press release in square brackets [-], and I've converted from GBP to USD using the conversion rate of May 26, 2009 of 1 GBP to 1.59541 USD. -ABJ

"Bonhams in association with Dan Klein Associates is excited to announce the first sale of modern and contemporary glass to take place in the UK on Tuesday 19 May 2009 which will be on view at the same time as ‘Collect’ here in London.

Please find enclosed a complimentary catalogue for the sale, if you would like further information, condition reports or would like to register for the sale please contact one of the department, details below.

The 164 lot sale [of which 54% of works sold during the auction] encompasses works from glass artists worldwide, made between 1950 to the present day including Italian artists and producers include
Lucio Bubacco [Lot 19, goblet, 1995, sold $11,478],
Dino Martens [Lot 76, sculptural bottle, 1954, not sold. Lot 77, blown glass vase, 1950, sold $3,826],
[Gian Paolo] Martinuzzi [Lot 78, clear sphere on drift wood base, 1985, not sold. Lot 79, clear bowl on drift wood base, 1985, sold $2678. Lot 80 clear panel drift wood base, 1985, not sold],
[Archimede] Seguso [Lot 111, Merletto leaf bowl, 1952, not sold. Lot 113, rare Merletto vase, sold $9,947],
Barovier and Toso [Lot 4, stylized bird form vase, 1950, sold $1,817. Lot 5, Vetro Barbarico, tapered vase, 1950, sold $1,626. Lot 6, vase, 1960, sold $2,104. Lot 7, Lenti vase, 1940, sold $1722. Lot 8, tall vase, 1965, not sold],
Fulvio Bianconi [Lot 10, rare vase, 1950, not sold. Lot 11, Venini Spicchi vase, 1950, sold $1,626. Lot 12, Venini Spicchi vase, 1950, sold $1,243. Lot 13, Venini Pezzato, 1951, sold $8,034], and
Venini [of 12 lots under Venini, 9 sold],

as well as other European and Scandanavian works by
Bengt Edenfalk [Lot 36, Talata vase, 1960, sold $1,913. Lot 37, Iitala vase, 1962, sold $1,339. Lot 38, Talatta vase, 1960, sold $689],
Mieke Groot [Lot 44, mold blown free formed vase, 1987, not sold. Lot 45, mold blown free form vase, 1987, not sold.],
Jirí Harcuba [Lot 50, rare charger with deer, 1959, sold $4,973. Lot 51, 'Zak' engrave panel, 2008, sold $669],
Klaus Moje [Lot 85, mosaic bowl, 1989, not sold] and
Stanislav Libensky [Libensky and Brychtova, Lot 73, large cast glass sculpture 'Queen', sold $17,217], amongst others.

From America there will be works by
Dale Chihuly [Lot 22 (above), soft cylinder, 1992, sold $13,391. Lot 23, sea form, date ?, sold $5,739. Lot 24, sea form 3 piece, 1987, sold $4,975],
Toots Zynsky [Lot 137, "More Tropical Chaos" vessel form, 1999, sold $17,217.],
William Morris [Lot 81, "Stonehenge" sculptural vase, 1984, sold $21,999],
Steven Newell [Lot 94, glass charger 'King's Counsel', 1985, not sold. Lot 95, 'King's Counsel" series vessel, 1985, sold $2,582],
Sam Herman [Lot 52, vase, 1971, sold $1,052. Lot 53, bowl, 1975, sold $1,913. Lot 54, form, 1979, not sold],
Steve Klein [Lot 63, kiln-formed sculpture, 1979, not sold] and
Danny Lane [Lot 69, irregular spun glasses 'Bass n Flute', 1990, not sold].

Alongside Australian glass by
Giles Bettison [Lot 9, murrine vessel, 1996, sold $3,061],
Gerry King [Lot 65, large steel/glass sculpture "Toledo Blade 65/06", date ?, not sold],
Nick Mount [Lot 89, 'Female Nude', 1992, not sold],
Brian Hirst [Lot 61, 'Cycladic Series-Guardian II' blown and cast vessel, 1990, not sold. Lot 62, votive vessel, 1990, not sold] and
Ann Robinson from New Zealand [Lot 106, cast vessel, 1990, not sold].

As well as pieces by Japanese artists
Etsuko Nishi [Lot 96, pate-de-verre vessel, 1996, sold $8,608],
Kyohei Fujita [Lot 43, square mold blown box and cover, 1985, sold $5,739],
Naoko Sato [Lot 112, 'Transisiton' cast and kiln form glass, 1999, sold $1,913] and
Keiko Mukaide [Lot 75, vessel form, 1997, not sold].

From the UK there will be amongst others works by
Tessa Clegg [Lot 25, lost wax cast glass vessel form, 1998, sold $4,782. Lot 26 (shown above), lost wax cast glass 'Play box III', sold $5,739. Lot 27, lost wax cast glass form, sold $4,209],
Matthew Curtis [Lot 29, glass sculpture, 2005, not sold],
David Reekie [Lot 102, 'Unimpressed' sculpture, 1991, not sold. Lot 103, 'Mindless Technology, figural glass group, 2003, not sold],
Anna Dickinson [Lot 34, vessel, 1999, sold $8,608. Lot 35, vessel, 1992, sold $$8,608 as well],
Patrick Reyntiens O.B.E [Lot 107, 2 commissioned leaded glass panels, 1989, sold $3,443] and
Richard Morrell [Lot 93, kiln cast sculpture, 1990, sold $8,608].

The sale will culminate with a section of 26 new or recent works by 15 British based artists asked to consign works for the sale by Dan Klein.
They are
Karen Akester [Lot 138, 'Bug Boy' sculptural figure, 2009, sold $1,434. Lot 139, 'Rocket Boy' sculptural figure, 2009, sold $1,148],
Heike Brachlow [Lot 140, cast glass sculpture, 2009, not sold. Lot 141, double cast glass sculpture, 2009, sold $5,356],
Sabrina Cant [Lot 142, kiln cast sculpture, 2009, sold $11,478. Lot 143, kiln cast and concrete sculpture, 2009, not sold],
Suresh Dutt [Lot 144, cast glass and panels, 2006, sold $7,652. Lot 145, cast glass form, 2009, not sold], Fiaz Elson [Lot 146, 2 part sculpture, 2008, sold $9,182. Lot 147, 2 part sculpture, 2006, not sold],
Peter Furlonger [Lot 148, vessel, 2009, sold $2,009. Lot 149, cast charger, 2009, sold $1,626], Stephen Gilles and Kate Jones [Lot 150, sculptural bowl, 2009, not sold],
Joseph Harrington, [Lot 151, cast glass sculpture, 2009, not sold. Lot 152, cast glass sculpture, 2009, sold $1,339],
Jonathan Harris [Lot 153, cameo vase, 2009, not sold. Lot 154, cameo vase, 2009, not sold],

Alison Kinnaird M.B.E [Lot 158, lit glass panel, 2009, not sold. Lot 159 (with Dante Marioni), engraved glass flask, 2007, sold $1,243],
Karl Harron [Lot 155, glass sculpture, 2009, sold $4,782. Lot 156, glass sculpture, 2009, sold $4,974],
Clare Henshaw [Lot 157, vessel, 2007, sold $2,678],
Carl Nordbruch [Lot 160, blown glass sculpture, 2009, sold $3,826. Lot 161, blown glass sculptrue, 2009, sold $3,826],
Annica Sandström and David Kaplan [Lot 162, blown glass on metal stand, 2006, not sold. Lot 163, blown glass on metal stand, 2006, not sold] and
Anthony Scala [Lot 164, 3 part sculpture, 2009, sold $13,773]. "

Bonhams. "Modern and Contemporary Glass May 19 New Bond Street". website accessed May 26, 2009. http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.sh/pubweb/publicSite.r?sContinent=EUR&screen=Design1860GlassSale

Photos: http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.sh/pubweb/publicSite.r

Bonhams Modern and Contemporary Glass Sale

Sale 17045 - Modern and Contemporary Glass
New Bond Street, 19 May 2009

Here's a list of pieces I'm interested in at the Bonham's Contemporary Glass Auction on May 19, 2009. I agree with the pricing for the most part; while it's not what the artists want or deserve, nor does it compare to contemporary painting and sculpture in other mediums, it is more likely to sell at these prices--and selling, in my opinion, is more important at this stage, than the hammer price. Prices will go up on their own if demand increases (increase in demand is unrelated to increase in artistic talent) so why price everything extraordinarily high (with everything in the thousands as some galleries do)? (Is it only to keep the illusion alive or do they really sell in that range often enough? I don't know.) The auction lacks any famous piece to center around which might have driven prices up. Though their are many famous names present, there are many famous names not present. Because of the names not present this is neither a great nor a comprehensive catalogue to reference as "Modern and Contemporary Glass", but because it is the first of it's kind, and it's best not to tarnish the big pieces and big names on this first go round should the auction tank, we'll play wait and see yet again with the studio glass market and maybe next time there will be some big commissions. Bonham's is priced to sell. The low pricing may bring in a lot of bidders and in doing so drive the prices up.

Lot No: 137

Toots Zynsky (American, born 1951)

'More Tropical Chaos' a sculptural glass Vessel form, 1999
pulled and fused glass threads, in shades of blue, green, red and yellow
50 x 22 x 35cm, marked 'Z' in red

Estimate: £8,000 - 10,000, €8,900 - 11,000
Toots Zynsky's work stands out from all other contemporary glass because of the way it is formed from coloured threads of glass to build a vessel, a technique that may well have been inspired from nest-building. Her work is instantly recognisable not only from its physical appearance, but the colour palette that she uses which has been compared to the plumage of exotic birds.
Please see Jennifer Hawkins Opie' Contemporary International Glass: 60 artists in the V & A', V & A Publications 2005 pp. 138-139 and D. Klein 'Artists in Glass Late Twentieth Century Masters in Glass' publ. Mitchell Beazley, pg's. 226-229

Lot No: 159

Alison Kinnaird M.B.E. (British, born 1949) and Dante Marrione (American, born 1964)

'Stream' an engraved glass Flask, 2007
copper-wheel engraved
approx 25cm high, signed 'Alison Kinnaird'

Estimate: £1,000 - 1,500, €1,100 - 1,700
This piece is a collaboration between Alison Kinnaird and glassblower Dante Marrione. The form was blown by Dante Marrione when leading a master class at North Lands Creative glass and later engraved.
Generously donated by the artists, the proceeds going to the North Lands Creative Glass Trust
Please see D. Klein 'Artists in Glass Late Twentieth Century Masters in Glass' publ. Mitchell Beazley, pg's. 102-103

Lot Notice

Please note this piece is blown by Dante Marioni and not as stated in the online catalogue

Lot No: 124

Venini

'Cannette' a black glass Vase, circa 1960
with orange streaks, of compressed globular form
25cm diam, etched 'Venini, Italia'

Estimate: £500 - 700, €560 - 780
Please see Marc Heireman 'Murano Glass Themes and Variations (1910-70)', Arnoldsche Art Publishers, pg. 112.

Lot No: 101

Charles Parriott (American, born 1952)

'Apathy, Prosperity, Privacy' a blown white glass bowl with burgundy lip decoration , circa 1983
with lettering and powdered colour, trailed glass rod and photographic transfer imagery
30cm diam, 11cm high, with paper label CP004

Estimate: £1,000 - 1,500, €1,100 - 1,700
Please see Carole E. Phillips 'American Glass Northwest', 1982.

Lot No: 89^*

Nick Mount (Australian, born 1952)

'Female Nude' a figural Sculpture, 1992
the glass blown through wire frame work, on metal stand
32cm high, signed and dated to stand

Estimate: £4,000 - 5,000, €4,400 - 5,600

Lot No: 81

William Morris (American, born 1957)

'Stonehenge' a blown glass sculptural Vase, 1984
in shades of red, green, blue, yellow and grey
40.3 x 32.4cm, signed and dated

From boyhood Morris sought inspiration from the woods and hills surrounding his home in California, where he explored caves and dug the earth in search of ancient artifacts. He has a serious interest in ancient civilisations, their primitive tools, their brutal rituals. He is a hunter who shoots deer and welk with a bow and arrow, preferring to hunt alone. Among things that have inspired him are cave drawings and as shown in this piece Stonehenge. The imagery in his works reflects these many interests and influences.
Please see Suzanne K.Frantz 'Contemporary Glass, A World Survey from the Corning Museum of Glass', Harry N. Abrams Inc. New York, 1989 p.97, similar example illustrated and D. Klein 'Artists in Glass Late Twentieth Century Masters in Glass' publ. Mitchell Beazley, pg's. 152-153.
Estimate: £10,000 - 15,000, €11,000 - 17,000

Lot No: 73

Marvin Lipofsky (American, born 1938)

'Sketch' a glass abstract form, 1981
blown into a wooden mould created by the artist, manipulated whilst hot 'splashed' with colour, cut, ground, polished
26cm wide, 20cm high, signed in diamond point 'Lipofsky, 1981 sketch'

Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000, €1,700 - 2,200
For a comparable example see Lipofsky, A Glass Odyssey, Oakland Museum, California, 2003, p.92 and D. Klein 'Artists in Glass Late Twentieth Century Masters in Glass' publ. Mitchell Beazley, pg's. 122-123

Lot No: 55

Pavel Hlava (Czech, 1924-2002)

'Vase-Object' a mould blown glass Vessel, circa 1975
'punctured' with an indentation
40cm high, signed in diamond point Pavel Hlava Czechoslovakia

Estimate: £1,200 - 1,500, €1,300 - 1,700
For a similar example of this technique see Pavla Hlava, Sylva Petrova, 1994, p.32

Lot No: 56

Pavel Hlava (Czech, 1924-2002)

'Vase-Object' a mould blown glass Vessel, circa 1975
'punctured' with an indentation
17cm x 26cm, signed in diamond point 'Pavel Hlava, Czechoslovakia'

Estimate: £1,200 - 1,500, €1,300 - 1,700
For a similar example of this technique see Pavel Hlava, Sylva Petrova, 1994, p.32.

Lot No: 39^AR

Erwin Eisch (German, born 1927)

An opalescent white glass Buddha head, circa 1985
mould-blown, the glass with figurative decoration in gold-leaf
59.5cm high, unsigned

Estimate: £2,500 - 3,500, €2,800 - 3,900
Please see D. Klein 'Artists in Glass Late Twentieth Century Masters in Glass' publ. Mitchell Beazley, pg's. 68-71 and Suzanne K.Frantz 'Contemporary Glass, A World Survey from the Corning Museum of Glass', Harry N. Abrams Inc. New York, 1989 p.56 for similar examples.

Lot No: 43

Kyohei Fujita (Japanese, 1921-2004)

A mould-blown glass square Box and Cover, circa 1985
blue glass with silver and gold leaf applications, in original wooden box and cover with ties
7cm square, the box stamped with the artist's monogram (4)

Estimate: £1,000 - 1,500, €1,100 - 1,700
For similar examples see F. Lyngaard 'Kyohei Fujita, The Man and his Work', Borgen, 2000 and D. Klein 'Artists in Glass Late Twentieth Century Masters in Glass' publ. Mitchell Beazley, pg's. 76-79

Lot No: 33^AR

Steffen Dam (Danish, born 1961)

A blue glass Bowl, 2001
blown glass
21cm diam, 11.7cm high, signed and dated

Estimate: £400 - 500, €450 - 560
Please see Dam Karlslund Glas, Glasmuseets forlag, 1997

Lot No: 16^*

Jane Bruce (British/American born 1947)

'Sentinel' a large yellow, red-saffron and blue Vessel form, 2004
blown glass, wheel-cut
83cm high, 14cm diam, signed and dated

Estimate: £2,000 - 2,500, €2,200 - 2,800
Please see exhibition catalogue '21st Century British Glass', 11-21 January 2005, Daniel Katz Limited in association with Dan Klein Associates, pg. 19.

Lot No: 22

Dale Chihuly (American, born 1941)

'Soft Cylinder' with green lip, circa 1992
blown glass
35 x 25 x 18cm, signed

Estimate: £7,000 - 9,000, €7,800 - 10,000
Please see 'Chihuly', Harry N.Abrams Inc, New York, 1997 and D. Klein 'Artists in Glass Late Twentieth Century Masters in Glass' publ. Mitchell Beazley, pg's. 36-41

Lot No: 23

Dale Chihuly (American, born 1941)

'Sea-Form' blown glass with white mottling and red lip wrap
47cm wide, signed in diamond point 'Chihuly 1986'

Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000, €1,700 - 2,200
Please see Chihuly, Harry N.Abrams Inc, New York, 1997 and D. Klein 'Artists in Glass Late Twentieth Century Masters in Glass' publ. Mitchell Beazley, pg's. 36-41

Lot No: 24

Dale Chihuly (American, born 1941)

'Sea-Form' a white three piece form, 1985
each segment in thin blown clear glass inlaid with fine white lines and marks, two with white lip wraps
largest segment: 25 x 20cm, signed and dated

Estimate: £1,000 - 1,500, €1,100 - 1,700
Please see Contemporary Glass, A World Survey from the Corning Museum of Glass, by Suzanne K.Frantz, Harry N. Abrams Inc. New York, 1989 for similar examples and D. Klein 'Artists in Glass Late Twentieth Century Masters in Glass' publ. Mitchell Beazley, pg's. 36-41

Lot No: 9^*

Giles Bettison (Australian, born 1966)

A Murrine amber glass Vessel, 1996
25.5cm high, 15cm diam, signed and dated

Estimate: £1,000 - 1,500, €1,100 - 1,700
In Bettison's work he has more or less reinvented the ancient Venetian tradition of incorporating murrine into glass vessels along with the Bullseye Glass Company in Portland, Oregon, USA. The semi-transparency of the glass looks like the vessels have been lit from within and give a three dimensional feel to his patterns. His inspiration comes from the landscape and colours of the South Australian landscape.
Please see D. Klein 'Artists in Glass Late Twentieth Century Masters in Glass' publ. Mitchell Beazley, pg's. 28-29P and Margot Osborne 'Australian Glass Today' Wakerfield Press, 2005 – p96 and Helen Schamroth '100 New Zealand Craft Artists', Godwit, Random House, New Zealand, pg. 72, 73.

To be sold for the benefit of North Lands Creative Glass, Caithness

Bonhams. Sale 17045. website accessed May 8, 2009. http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.sh/pubweb/publicSite.r?sContinent=EUR&screen=catalogue&iSaleNo=17045

From Dan Klein Associates website: "Bonhams in association with Dan Klein Associates is excited to announce its first sale of contemporary glass scheduled to take place on May 19th 2009. The sale will be composed of glass from 1950 to the present day (with a distinct preference for historic pieces dating from before 2000) and the catalogue will be distributed to Bonhams clients worldwide. The sale, timed to coincide with Collect 2009, will be previewed at Bonhams, New Bond Street from Friday May 15 to Monday 18 May 2009."0
Accessed May 9, 2009. http://www.dankleinglass.com/auctions/auctions.html