EU 2000: Digital Catalogue of European Glass Art

A comprehensive and yet innovative collection of International Glass Artists' work from World War Two through to the present day, is recorded in DVD format for ease of viewing and superior quality.

People have always been attracted to diamonds, precious and semi-precious stones. The magic of catching and reflecting light, of creating inner spaces, and not least the sometimes extraordinarily high value, is what these small light stones have in common with large - up to several hundred kilogram heavy - glass artifacts that started to appear in the second half of the last century.

Artists were captivated by glass as soon as they started working with it. Gradually the shapes of functional vases and bowls were transformed into objects of art in which artistic ideas were enhanced, and at times also restricted, by the qualities of the materials.

At present, glass structures are part and parcel of displays of modern art in major museums, glass is exhibited in galleries, bought for private collections, and hundreds of artists around the world work with glass. Yet glass art is still being somewhat overlooked, and not fully discovered by the general public mainly in Europe where it has its roots.

This catalogue aims to present the European glass scene at the time when it was filmed. It was not possible to record everything; there were time and financial pressures on the project makers, and the participation of artists on the actual filming was also limited by their own engagements.

Diversity of styles and techniques that can be found in various European glass centres today is fascinating. The value of works presented in this catalogue is enormous, however thanks to possibilities offered by film as a medium, they can show the general public in a way that no exhibition hall could achieve.

See below a small selection of images from the DVD.

To see more Images click to go to Gallery.

We would like to express our thanks to the European Union, for its support of this project as part of their Culture 2000 Programme; to the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, the University of Sunderland in the UK, the institute of Arts in Mechelen, Belgium (who as co-organisers were offered additional coverage in the catalogue); the Museums in Pardubice, Liberec and Düsseldorf; to the curators, experts and gallery owners who helped us, and also to the film production team. Last but not least our thanks go to the glass artists themselves for their noble, generous and patient nature with which they devote themselves to their chosen discipline.