Making Waves! Ocean Worlds in Art Glass

“Shattered” is not a word typically associated with meticulously crafted art glass. Yet these selections from the Morris Museum permanent collection certainly shatter conventions, traditions, and expectations about what is possible in the craft and art of glass production.

Four featured master craftsmen made waves in the field with novel techniques and methods. A tropical Caribbean waterfall inspired David Wight to capture moving water in glass forms, including The Wave (n.d.). Award-winning designer Edward Hald (1883—1980) crafted the intricate Fishgraal pattern launched by Orrefors Glasbruk in 1936. The popular series offered depression-era Swedish consumers low-cost household tableware and decorative glass with Art Nouveau aesthetics. Murano glass Maestro (Master) Elio Raffaeli revived the traditional aquarium form with a modern twist, working in collaboration with Venetian glass flame artist Vittorio Costantini to produce the dynamic aquatic environment in The Reef (n.d.).

Don’t miss these timeless examples of ocean worlds captured in elusive medium of glass. On view through December 4, 2022.

This exhibition was curated by Anne Ricculli, PhD, assisted by Adam Christ, Guinness Collection Intern, Rutgers University.

Image Caption: The Reef, n.d. (detail). Elio Raffaeli (Italian, born 1936) and Vittorio Costantini (Italian, born 1944). Glass. Gift of Sonia Turnquist. Collection of the Morris Museum, 2015.9.