Vladimir Klein

Glass sculptor

©Jiri Koudelka - Javstudio

Adventures in glass

Vladimír's father wanted him to be an architect
He became the director of the school he studied at
He regularly teaches all around the world

Many years ago, a young football player visited a house near the pitch at half-time, wanting to clean himself up. Fascinated by the artworks and art books on display there, he never returned to finish the match. A student of a glass school lived in the house and inspired the young Vladimír Klein to study there too. This marked the start of a love for glassmaking that has since won Vladimír myriad awards, enabled him to teach and above all given him a lifelong muse. "There is no other material that allows you to express abstract themes so well. With its glitter, transparency, reflections and other specific luminescent traits, you can materialise the immaterial," he says. The unique design of his unearthly sculptures and functional products prove this to be so.

Interview

©Jiri Koudelka - Javstudio

©Jiri Koudelka - Javstudio

Would you call your work a craft or art?: I have three criteria for everything I do in my life: what I do, how I do it, and why I do it. If I only master skills, I can imitate things. If I do it well, I am a good artisan. If I know why I do it, I create meaning, an idea – then it is art.
What techniques do you use the most?: As well as traditional engraving and cutting, I apply stone sculpting techniques on my sculptures. I use a chisel and hammer, and I grind and polish the glass with a flexible shaft grinder. So the whole process consists of the object remaining still and me moving around it.
It sounds a little risky…: It is quite an adventure. Working with glass in its cold state boosts adrenalin because a crack can spoil everything. But setbacks are useful too. I recycle the material or use parts of it cut with a waterjet. It is economical, and the accidental shapes are inspiring.
What is the most memorable experience of your career?: In 1991 I was invited to teach at the Institute of Glass Art in Japan. I found myself in utterly new conditions. I was overwhelmed by the foreign language, culture and environment. So art became my main means of communication. Thanks to it, I evolved like a child.

Vladimir Klein is a master artisan: he began his career in 1975 and he started teaching in 1977