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Stanislav Libensky & Jarolslava Brychtova receiving their Honorary Doctorates

Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová
receiving their Honorary Doctorates

On the banks of the River Wear outside the National Glass Centre

On the banks of the River Wear outside
the National Glass Centre.
(From left to right : Professor Flavia Swann,
Professor Stanislav Libensky,
Jaroslava Brychtova,
Professor Sylva Petrova)

Brychtova, Libensky and Vice Chancellor Peter Fiddler

Brychtova, Libensky and Vice Chancellor
Peter Fiddler at St. Peter's Campus,
University of Sunderland

Institute for International Research in Glass | research | visiting professors | Stanislav Libensky and Jarolslava Brychtova

Stanislav Libensky and Jarolslava Brychtova

The award of Honorary Doctorate has a long tradition in UK universities. The University of Sunderland and IIRG have been honored that first the Honorary Arts Doctorates in glass were accepted by the husband and wife team Professor Stanislav Libensky and Jaroslava Brychtova in 1999. Both artists are seen as one of the most important contributors of glass art of 20th century.

June 17th 1999 - a special ceremony to honour two of the world's most distinguished glass artists heralded another milestone in Sunderland's illustrious history of glass making and education.

Husband and wife team Stanislav Libensky and Jarolslava Brychtova, from the Czech Republic, received honorary arts doctorates (HonDArt) from the University of Sunderland, which has an international reputation for teaching and research in glass and ceramics.

University of Sunderland Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Fidler, who presented the awards, said "The ceremony is a further milestone in the University's history and the city's long association with glass making. It is a pleasure to welcome our distinguished visitors and I hope that these awards are just the start of a long and fruitful partnership with them."

The celebrations started with a lecture by Professor Sylva Petrova, director of IIRG, during which she discussed the contribution made by Libensky and Brychtova to glass during the past 50 years.

Stanislav Libensky and Jaroslava Brychtova are among the world's greatest glass sculptors. A team since 1954, their unique work is characterized by simple, colourful block shapes that draw in the light. Their monumental sculptures are displayed in the world's best museum collections, including London's Victoria and Albert Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Their work is also incorporated in architecture in Prague, Paris, Geneva, Tokyo, Stockholm, New Delhi, Teheran and other major cities. During the 1960's they designed new windows for the St Wenceslaw Chapel in St Vitus Cathedral, Prague, a building of great national significance in the Czech Republic.

Libensky and Brychtova's major impact on the world of glass art is also underlined by the numerous international awards they have won during the past 30 years.

Professor Libensky was head of the Glass Department of the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague for 24 years and has had key role in educating some of the world's leading glassmakers. At the time of writing Libensky and Brychtova continue their education work today as guest lecturers and workshop leaders throughout the world.

 
 
 

University of Sunderland