Czech Republic
“In my glass forms I try to incorporate decoration in a simple format so that it doesn’t overpower the object. Glass has the wonderful property of being able to optically enhance shapes and space with its refractions and optical illusions”.
Born in 1950, Tomas Hlavicka graduated as an architect and worked in the architectural field whilst at the same time being taught the techniques of glass art by his father-in–law Pavel Hlava, who is a prominent figure in glass, and one of the founders of the Czech school of modern glass.
“My pieces are made of float glass in between which are placed strips of various metals: silver, gold and copper. After the layers are made, the glass is brought to melting point and the chemical interaction of the glass and the metals create strips of colour that is an important component of my work. I am interested in design and as a result many of my pieces tend to have a functional aspect to them. On the other hand, I have great satisfaction in making pure sculptures, as I am drawn to monumental aspect of the finished piece. Glass is a beautiful material that allows me to realise my goals, which are to combine Art, Design and Craft in a single piece”.
As well as the international private collectors, his work is in the permanent collections of several museums, including the Kanazawa Glass Museum in Japan, the Riihimaki Glass Museum in Finland, Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague and the Dennos Museum, Mi USA.