The Brilliance of Swedish Glass, 1918-1939: An Alliance of Art and Industry

Since the mid-1920s Swedish glass has been synonymous with excellence in design and craftsmanship, the most highly acclaimed product of the Swedish applied arts industries in the international marketplace. Its development and stunning ascendancy came about through the concerted efforts of Swedish artists and manufacturers to improve the technique of glassmaking and to explore the full range of aesthetics of the medium.

This book examines the emergence of Swedish glass against a historical, socioeconomic, and art-historical background. The authors discuss how the transformation of Sweden from an isolated agrarian society to a modern industrial nation parallels the modernization of the glass industry, and how the triumphs of Swedish glass in the period between the two world wars had repercussions beyond the applied arts.

This book also presents a wide selection of 157 works, shown in color, that trace the development of Swedish glass during the interwar years. In addition to superlative art glass, there are examples of domestic glassware, stemware, scent bottles, light fixtures, and other forms, all of which represent themes and variations that encompass the Swedish response to modernism. The texts that accompany these objects examine the complex technical aspects of glassmaking and the aesthetic possibilities of glass as a medium.

This book is the catalogue for an exhibit at the Bard Graduate Center in New York City, which runs from 1 November 1996 to 2 March 1997.