I was fortunate enough to take this past year to study abroad in Israel. One of the cultural highlights that I experienced while I was in the 
country was going to a glass art exhibition at the Litvak Gallery in Tel Aviv. According to their website, the Litvak Gallery aims to “to help leading artists create their own masterpieces and to assist them by promoting their work internationally. The Gallery promotes artists working in different media, including painting, sculpture, glass art and video art.” The exhibition I was privileged enough to see was a compilation of various renown glass artists including Dale Chihuly, Vaclav Cigler, Lucio Bubacco, and many more. These artists come from many different backgrounds and thus have many different and awe inspiring styles. Some manipulate the glass to form lifelike everyday objects such as fruit or a guitar, some use the glass to make ornate and magnificent chandeliers, and some produce installations and pieces that are left up to the interpretation of the public. Until viewing the exhibit I had no idea that such beauty could come from glass. I had always thought of glass as a delicate material, one used occasionally in art but more practically when dining. This notion was completely “shattered” after experiencing the Litvak Gallery’s exhibit. I had hoped to visit the gallery again before I left Israel but sadly I was unable to. A similar exhibit is now ending in our very own SOFA Chicago in Illinois, where many of the same works of art were on display. Hopefully the exhibit (or one like it) will be brought to a gallery in the Tri-State area so that I can marvel at these masterpieces again.
Some of Vaclav Cigler’s art, he now has his own exhibit at the Litvak Gallery
Some of Lucio Bubacco’s art, check out “Eternal Temptation it’s my favorite
Wow, this is really impressive art. I was immediately drawn in by the variety of colors that are present within the glass. I had no idea glass could be used as art in such a way. My favorite one is the chandelier and I would definitely not mind having that as an ornament in my house. I wonder though, how the artists were able manipulate the glass in such a way.
Beautiful stuff. I am a fan of glass work. I have seen master glass blowers at work, and I even took a lesson and made my own vase! Basically, the glass and color are combined into a molten blob, that is manipulated with various tools, pulled and shaped while it is still hot and pliable. It is a highly skilled trade with a very high level of craftsmanship and artistry.