Dove
Artist
Libenský, Stanislav
(Czech, 1921 - 2002)
Artist
Brychtová, Jaroslava
(Czech, 1924 - 2020)
DateSecond half of 20th century
OriginCzechoslovakia
MediumCast and hand-cut glass
Dimensions84 × 84 × 3 1/2 in. (213.4 × 213.4 × 8.9 cm)
ClassificationsGlass
Credit LineCarolyn K. and Richard F. Barry III Art Purchase Fund
Object number2017.130
Label TextStanislav Libenský (Czech, 1921 – 2002; Artist); Moser Glass (Czech, Karlovy Vary; Maker)
Dove
Colorless glass, cast, cut, polished, assembled,1980
Carolyn K. and Richard F. Barry, III. Art Purchase Fund
Stanislav Libenský (1921 - 2002), trained as a painter, created some of the defining cast glass sculptures and architectural installations of the 20th century. Most often working with his life and artistic partner, Jaroslava Brychtovâ, he explored the optical and physical aspects of glass to develop a body of work exploring form, light and color, often large-scale. The Libenskýs’ sculptural legacy ranges from luminous geometric forms to spiritual figuration.
In 1980, the Czechoslovakian Communist Party asked the venerable Moser Glass Company, based in Karlovy Vary, to create a major work for the regional party headquarters. Moser approached Stanislav Libenský to create the design. Though expelled from the Communist Party since the 1960s, he accepted the commission in the hope that it would lead to design opportunities for his students at the Art Academy in Prague.
The resulting architectural screen consists of 210 crystal cylinders, cast and cut in intaglio by Moser’s skilled craftsmen. It represents the universal symbol of peace - a dove in flight.
Following the 1989 Velvet Revolution that led to the collapse of Communism in Czechoslovakia, Dove was rescued from the defunct office and restituted to Moser Glass.
Status
On view
