Lino Tagliapietra “Journey”

Heller Gallery

[Image: Lino Tagliapietra "UNTITLED" (2004) glass, 14 ¼ x 11 ¾ x 9 ¾ in.]

This event has ended.

Journey is an exhibition of work by the octogenarian Italian glass maestro Lino Tagliapietra. The exhibition focuses on prime examples of new and archived works and honors the unprecedented 75 years Tagliapietra has spent practicing his art.

Seeing Tagliapietra at work, you witness a bravura performance during which maker and medium merge. Like an improvisational jazz musician, at one with his music, he pushes beyond previous boundaries, exploring new possibilities. Born of a fire-fueled transfiguration of the ordinary into the extraordinary, glass has shaped Lino as much as he has shaped it.

Arguably the greatest ambassador of Italian glassmaking in the service of art, Tagliapietra has been a most sought-after teacher, collaborator and consultant to artists, architects and designers working with glass worldwide. He broke open the treasure trove of Italian glassblowing techniques and taught them with courage and generosity to generations, changing the world of blown glass forever. Recounting his first experience of teaching in the United States: “The boldness was so new to me … on the one hand, it was a shock—the lack of a cultural base, the absence of traditions. But on the other hand, it was exhilarating—the lack of restraint in the process, the exciting results.”

The exhibition is curated by Douglas Heller, a leading authority on contemporary glass. Doug notes that “Heller Gallery has represented Lino since 1996. It has been a great privilege to select the work for this exhibition. I invite you to join me for Journey, a collection of artworks that reflect on twenty of the greatest years of Lino Tagliapietra’s practice.”