Arts du verre / Glass Art / Glaskunst
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Edited by:
Vitrocentre Romont
Topics
With contributions from outstanding specialists in glass art and East Asian art history, this edited volume opens a cross-cultural dialogue on the hitherto little-studied medium of Chinese reverse glass painting. The first major survey of this form of East Asian art, the volume traces its long history, its local and global diffusion, and its artistic and technical characteristics. Manufactured for export to Europe and for local consumption within China, the fragile artworks studied in this volume constitute a paramount part of Chinese visual culture and attest to the intensive cultural and artistic exchange between China and the West.
With contributions by Thierry Audric, Kee Il Choi Jr., Patrick Conner, Karina H. Corrigan, Elisabeth Eibner, Patricia F. Ferguson, Lihong Liu, William H. Ma, Alina Martimyanova, Christopher L. Maxwell, Rupprecht Mayer, Jessica Lee Patterson, Michaela Pejčochová, Jérôme Samuel, Hans Bjarne Thomsen, Jan van Campen, Rosalien van der Poel
Alongside many decorative arts, the artists of the Groupe de Saint-Luc invested in all fields of the glass arts during the first half of the 20th century and beyond. They reinvented traditional modes of expression and techniques, modernizing them in terms of composition, style and the use of diverse materials. Besides traditional arts such as leaded stained glass and reverse glass painting, they discovered other innovative processes, such as dalle de verre and stained-glass art without lead cames. Amidst this varied panorama, innovative aspects are dealt with, ranging from the importance of the creative process as reflected in graphic works, to the economic issues that shaped the construction sites. This research brings to light some documents that have never been seen before, offering a new perspective on this heritage.
Exhibition Vitromusée Romont
October 26, 2024, until April 21, 2025
The artistic society known as "Groupe de Saint-Luc" left its mark on the artistic and cultural heritage of Switzerland, in particular French-speaking Switzerland, throughout the inter-war period. Based on in-depth research into the abundant archival sources produced by the Society and its members, this publication proposes a re-reading of this major artistic phenomenon of the first half of the 20th century, from a plural perspective that combines history, sociology and history of forms in art and architecture. It aims to take the "Groupe de Saint-Luc" out of isolation and set it within a broad European field of action, in which the issues of architecture and modern art, the opening of religious circles to modernity, and the relationship between the Church and artists are intertwined.
One important part of the Dubs-Huwyler art collection, which has grown over time, comprises around 100 works of stained glass. These are kept in a magnificent building in Steinen in the canton of Schwyz, and undoubtedly form one of the most important as well as extensive private collections of stained glass in Switzerland. The focus is on glass from central Switzerland, Zurich, and eastern and north-eastern Switzerland from the early 16th to the first half of the 18th century. Other artistic highlights include a group of early modern Dutch paintings on glass, depicting birds and insects in particular. The collection’s most recent focus is on Swiss copies and new designs from the second half of the 19th to the 20th century.
Glass is one of the most fascinating and versatile building materials in architectural history. The new insights into glass in architecture are the result of research at the intersection of glass production, construction technology and building culture. Coming from a variety of disciplines, the contributions bridge the divide between natural sciences, humanities and the preservation and restoration of cultural heritage. They explore the crucial role of flat glass in shaping architecture, particularly since the 18th century, and discuss the in-situ restoration of historic windows and glass façades and the importance of preserving this fragile heritage. The topics range from the manufacture of sheet glass in pre-industrial times to the possibilities of repair and reusability of insulating glazing.
With contributions in English, German and French
- A multi-disciplinary survey of the history of the production and use of flat glass
- From the Roman times to the present day
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New insights on sheet glass as building material and cultural heritage
