Opening Day Talk: Monica Guggisberg and Philip Baldwin

Philip Baldwin (1947) and Monica Guggisberg (1955), have been a collaborative team for 47 years. They share an instinctive appreciation for the convergence of art and design, functionality and abstract expressionism, combined with a love for material – especially glass. Over time they developed a distinctive signature, based in Italian cold-working techniques combined with the Swedish overlay process. They have been pioneers in adapting these techniques, creating a distinct expression that emphasizes color, light, texture, and shape to reveal an undercurrent of meaning and value.

They have run their own glass studio since 1982, and designed for several of the most prestigious glass manufacturers: Rosenthal in Germany, Steuben in the US, and Venini in Venice. Collaboration and teamwork form a fundamental part of their ethos. In recent years they have become more sculptural in focus. They thrive creating assemblages of works that address eternal symbols of human culture and history.