Feelers (Garden Pavilion)

Sculptor Václav Cigler (Czech, b. 1929) uses glass to create space. Throughout his career, he has investigated and artistically defined the mechanics of transparency and reflection. His sculptures are not meant to be displayed in neutral contexts, but to absorb, reflect, and interpret the world around them. They are designed to come alive in interaction with their environments. Cigler uses glass not as an end, he says, but “rather as a means of viewing and watching.” His sculptures are “non-technical devices which enlarge, reduce, mirror, and dissociate the outer environment.” Recognized as a pioneer in using cut optical glass to create sculpture, he and his colleagues, René Roubícek, Jaroslava Brychtová, and the late Stanislav Libenský, are considered to be the most important artists of the postwar generation working in glass in Czechoslovakia. Cigler also has made a significant contribution to architecture with his ambitious lighting designs and glass architectural elements. In recent years, his work has ranged from small-scale conceptual objects to room-size installations and outdoor projects.