vase

This large enameled vase by Jan Novotný (1929–2005), dated 1967 (gift of the Steinberg Foundation, right), is a significant example of Czech abstract painting in glass. Novotný was part of the innovative, postwar generation of Czech artists who experimented with abstraction in glass and forged new relationships between design and contemporary art. Novotný’s composition reflects the dark, symbolic images found in Czech Informel painting. While important in itself, the abstract vase also matches a drawing found in the Museum’s unique collection of original Czech design drawings acquired in 2001 from the Steinberg Foundation in Liechtenstein.