Читать книгу Carved & Decorated European Art Glass - Ray Grover - Страница 11

INTRODUCTION

IN THE SPACE of some fifty years centering around the 1900 period, a transformation in the field of glassmaking occurred. These changes came with an outburst by the glass artists and experimentalists at a time of eager acceptance by a public hungry for cultural innovations. Prior to the 1870's, little could be said about emotional form in glass shapes, but after this time not only was there an immediate recognition of the unusual—shapewise—but color also became an integral part of the offerings of the studio glassmaker.

After the Paris Exhibition of 1878, when serious attention was paid to experiment in glass as a decorative art, there was little to stop the tremendous outpouring of original creations during the next twenty years. This momentum carried through until the first World War in 1914, when normal economic restrictions brought operations to a halt. Again continuing into the 1920's, until the depression of the thirties stifled creative work, it took the educational opportunities and awareness of cultural trends by the postwar generation of the 40's to turn the last fifteen years into a collectors' paradise.

Understanding of the importance of the Art Nouveau period, revealed in great, colorful creativity from the 1880's onward, has generated new appreciation and interest in many people and institutions in Europe and America. In our constant moving about, we have become very aware of the various collecting habits and trends of the art-conscious peoples, who now recognize the significance and importance of the mature works of the leading artists of the Art Nouveau period in the total history of art.

It has been our desire to expose the old and new collector to the vast amount of diverse productions available, and with this thought in mind, we have endeavored to search out and photograph the finest examples of art glass of this period.

You will note a relatively new name to appear in association with this glass field. This is the Kunstmuseum, located in Dusseldorf, Germany, only several hours drive from either Amsterdam or Brussels. As a result of important recent bequests, they are currently completing their permanent display of over seven hundred examples of Art Nouveau glass. We did selective photography of this amazing new collection, now being shown to the general public. Curator specialists in the field have charge of this important addition to the Kunstmuseum, and it would be worthwhile for every devotee of the arts to visit here.