KLAUS MOJE: PAINTING WITH GLASS

The first temporary exhibition at the newly opened MAD takes its clues from the gallery layout and infrastructure, echoing the zig-zag “zipper” of windows that articulate the building façade.

The inventor of a technique for fusing colored glass into sculptural forms, Klaus Moje is one of the fathers of the modern glass movement. An exhibition at New York’s Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) features his work in a strict chronological sequence incorporating 64 pieces ranging from small vases to large-scale wall-mounted works with the majority of the pieces being vessels with large “brims”.

The black “zipper” creates a dynamic graphic that winds itself through the gallery. The form’s visual excitement is accentuated as it flows to the ceiling, wall and floor, ultimately forming a bench at the end of the exhibition where people can sit and watch a film about the artist. The band is also a piece of casework. Although there is no internal lighting by painting the interior of the box white, reflected light makes the glass pieces glow from behind. Studio Joseph prototyped this invention allowing the museum to save on installations costs.