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Feelers (Garden Pavilion)
Feelers (Garden Pavilion)

Feelers (Garden Pavilion)

Object NameSculpture
Artist Václav Cigler (Czech, b. 1929)
Made FromOptical Glass, Metal
Datedesigned in 1978; made in 2007
TechniqueCast, cut, polished, assembled
SizeOverall H: 16 Feet, Diam: 15 Feet
Accession Number2008.3.79
Curatorial Area(s)
Interpretive Notes
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.
Place Made
Czech Republic, Prague
Physical DescriptionColorless glass; cast, cut, polished, optical glass, metal, assembly. Colorless optical glass with metal support structure. Rectangular cast glass elements supported on four metal legs. Each leg with its glass prism, leans in towards the others which are arranged in a circle that decreases in diameter from the bottom to the top.
Provenance
Provenance information not currently available online. Please check back in the coming weeks.