NYAB Event - František Vizner Exhibition

František Vizner Exhibition

Barry Friedman Ltd.

This event has ended.

František Vizner’s elegant minimalist glass sculptures are a distillation of form and color. Devoid of function and with no decorative intent, his classical monochromatic forms-- bowls, plates, columns and cubic objects -- celebrate the essential qualities of glass and explore the relationship between material, form, and light.

Working alone without the aid of assistants, Vizner sculpts his fundamental and intelligent glass forms with a grindstone. This process allows light to softly penetrate each piece accentuating the subtle gradation of color that flows throughout. His deep respect for the diaphanous and malleable nature of glass is purely and beautifully conveyed. The artist explains, “My duty as an artist is to liberate the shapes from the accidental surpluses and to create my own concept of the shapes in connection with the material I use. The use of a grindstone allows me to experiment with the massive, bold glass objects and the interaction between their inner space and the smoothly structured surface. I keep pushing the boundaries of ‘the vessel’; the bowl often becomes rectangular; the vase more horizontal; the plate more plastic.”

With a confident use of bright colors, the artist is now exploring the qualities of opaque glass in densely vibrant colors. Highly polished and without translucency, these works affect high-tech plastics as well as traditional Japanese lacquer – a combination of weight and whimsy. “While absolutely minimal, they are at once playful, luxurious and restrained”.

This is a solo exhibition of more than 25 new works by this internationally acclaimed Czech sculptor. The exhibition will run concurrently with a retrospective exhibition of the artist’s work at the Corning Museum of Glass (Masters of Studio Glass: Frantisek Vizner: November 8, 2008 – March 22, 2009).