Czech Glassmaking

Since 1992  in the autumn , the Art gallery Annie Chevalley exhibits on a permanent-basis, a selection of works from contemporary Master glass artists. Works made by Brychtova/ Libensky, Hlava, Elias, Novak, Novak Vachtova {Dana VACHTOVA&alt=Vachtova, Rybak Rybak, Trnka Trnka,  Houserova, Kostka among the most famous ones are displayed to the public." intro_priv="

This approach of glassworking fills the public with ethusiasm even

beyond the Swiss borders, some of the collection makers rushed from every corner of the world (planet).

«In Bohemia, the glass art is expressed in all the fields, from design in industrial series up to individual work related to architecture. From the tiny small sculpture to monumental facilities requiring » lot of space. These different kinds are part of the art education provided in this country. His whole school background took eight or nine years .

Since the foundation of the first specialised school in Kamenicky Senov (Steinshönau) in 1856, an effort was made to improve teaching methods in glassprocessing.The school of applied Arts in Prague -changed into an academy in 1946 played a leading role there.

Teaching on an academic basis was available there since 1920, initiation to handicraftSkills was provided through the study of cases in point related to painting and sculpture.

In this exhibition « the magic of glass » the choice was focused on sculpture that remains man sized ones. It first right, we can guess the features of glass art in Bohemia, the latter are also related to a handicraft fmishing touch close to perfection. In order to achieve the global vision of the universe of Czech glass art, we could include the contemporary engravings and so many other examples of private works.

The fifteen short listed artists belong to the first three after war generations they all originate from - (except Jaroslav Svoboda et Jan Stohanzl) - the Academy of Applied arts in Prague. Its glass section was under the supervision of two personalities professor Karel Stipl and Professor Josef Kaplicky up to 1963. then, the supervision was handed to stanislas Libensky and the two glass section got merged in 1965.

Six of the artists who attended that exhibition were from the first generation - Jaroslava Brychtova, Vaclav Cigler, Pavel Hlava, Stanislav Libensky, René Roubicek  and Miluse Roubickova they're among the artist pioneers who set the foundations of contemporary glass art. Two of them Vaclav Cigler and Stanislas Libensky ruled the glass sections of the superior schools of Bratislava and Prague.

Bohumil Elias, Dana Vachtova and Stanislva Kotska are among the representatives of the second generation. The two former ones were trained by Kaplicky just like most of the artists mentioned.

Stanislav Kotska and the younger ones of the third generation were represented by lvana Houserova, Bretislav Novak, Jaromir Rybak and Pavel Trnka were trained Libensky.
If the disciples of Stipl and Kaplicky were to be compared to Libensky's disciples, you remark a big heterogeneity in the artistic, development of the first generation. « Libensky School »  impact is much easier to be recognized.

Eva schmitt, scientific assistant at Augustinermuseum. Freiburg-Breisgau.