Contemporary/Traditional: Selections from the Basch Glass Collection
October 22-February 11, 2024
Drawn from the Richard and Barbara Basch Collection, Contemporary/Traditional gives a glimpse into the dynamic world of international contemporary glass art of the late 20th and 21st centuries. This exhibition showcases a stunning range of glasswork styles, ranging from delicate figural sculptures to powerful abstract shapes. There are dynamic assemblages of organic forms that resemble living creatures frozen in time; pure geometric abstractions that dazzle with their perfection; and classically inspired vessels that recapture a vanished form of artistry.
Visitors will have a chance to discover more than 40 works by some of the world’s leading glass artists. This exhibition reveals how today’s glass artists are pushing traditional boundaries, innovating, and asserting their own vision in their works. They’re turning an ancient medium into an exciting part of the contemporary visual art scene by exploring the expansive creative and expressive possibilities that can be realized through the manipulation of glass.
The artists featured in the exhibition have mastered classical approaches and have chosen to bend or abandon the rules, expand ideas, and develop new techniques, giving a contemporary interpretation of the medium and revolutionizing glass art. They include artist-duo Philip Baldwin and Monica Guggisberg, Lucio Bubacco, Dale Chihuly, Václav Cigler, Jun Kaneko, Carmen Lozar, married duo Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová, Dante Marioni, Debora Moore, Alessandro Diaz de Santillana, Laura de Santillana, Livio Seguso, Preston Singletary, and Lino Tagliapietra.
This exhibition is made possible by, and with thanks to Barbara Basch and her late husband Dr. Richard Basch. Their extensive collection of over 300 unique glass objects and artworks will be donated exclusively to Ringling College of Art and Design.
This exhibition is organized by Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design and curated by Rangsook Yoon, Ph.D., senior curator, Sarasota Art Museum.
This exhibition is made possible, in part, with generous support from:
Platinum Sponsor
Shari and John Hicks
Silver Sponsor
Wil and Sally Hergenrader Endowed Fund for Special Exhibitions