Bertil Vallien
Biography
"Early on I discovered that glass is a difficult material, but one that offers a richness of possibility with its marriage of extremes: heat and cold, light and dark." — Bertil Vallien
Bertil Vallien is one of today's most famous and highly respected European glass artists. A contemporary of Lino Tagliapietra, he hails from Sweden, where he graduated at the top of his class from the National College of Crafts and Design in Stockholm. In 1961 a Royal Foundation Grant funded his two year stay in Los Angeles, where he achieved great success as an award winning ceramicist.
In 1963 Bertil was recruited by legendary glasshouse director Erik Rosen to be an artist/designer for Afors in Sweden. At this time the company was is dire straits and needed a new aesthetic direction. Bertil was instrumental in the success of this new direction and the company eventually acquired Kosta Boda glass. He has worked ever since as a freelance designer for Kosta Boda Glassworks.
Bertil is a master of the sand casting method, creating large scale sculptures which often take the form of faces, figures, altars, and ships. He explains further, stating that "The ship is a perfect vessel for the expression of loneliness. It is evocative of femininity, of adventure, of catastrophe, a thin protective shell that demands the absolute respect of all aboard. It is a society in isolation, a self-contained world afloat on the sea."
In keeping with his idea of the marriage of complex themes, Bertil's work is beautiful but also darkly mysterious as in his "Resting Head" series which portrays faces that have a haunting presence. Bertil's surface treatment creates light that is at times matte and contained, at times reflective and lustrous and at other times the light is translucent and magically seems to be trapped and emanating at the same time.
EDUCATION
1957 - 1961 - National College of Arts, Crafts and Design, Stockholm, Sweden
1961 - 1963 - Studies in the United States and Mexico on a Royal Scholarship
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
1999 - Visiting Professor, University of Sunderland, England
1996 - North Lands Creative Glass, Scotland
1994 - University of Hawaii at Manau, HI
1993 - New York Experimental Glass Workshop, New York, NY
1993 - Pratt Fine Art Center, Seattle, WA
1992 - Visiting Professor, the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
1985 - Artist in Residence, the Rhode Island School of Design, Providence RI
1984 - 1986 - Artist in Residence, the Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA
1980 - 1995 - Visiting lecturer, the Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA
1967 - 1984 - Head of glass design program, College of Arts, Crafts and Design, Stockholm, Sweden
AWARDS
2005 - Gold Medal, Royal Academy of Science, Stockholm, Sweden
2004 - Crystal Award Mexico's Minister of Culture, in recognition of his promotion of contemporary glass art in the world
2004 - Urban Glass Award for outstanding achievement in glass, New York, NY
2001 - Visionaries Award 2001, American Craft Museum, New York, NY
1995 - Urban Glass Award for outstanding achievement in glass, New York, NY
1995 - Prince Eugen's medal for "Outstanding Achievement in Arts", Sweden
1994 - Cultural Scholarship, the South Swedish Chamber of Commerce, Sweden
1991 - The Formland Prize, Denmark
1990 - Diploma, Nordform, Malmö, Sweden
1988 - The Formland Prize, Denmark
1988 - "Excellent Swedish Design", honorable mention for Provence tableware
1985 - Second prize, Zweiter Coburger Glaspreis, Coburg, Germany
1985 - Silver medal, International Juried Art Competition, New York
1984 - "Excellent Swedish Design" prize
1983 - Cultural Scholarship, Municipality of Emmaboda, Sweden
1983 - First prize for Swedish Design, National Museum, Stockholm, Sweden
1981 - "Most influential designer in his field", Japan Interior Design Magazine
1968 - Swedish State Major Work Scholarship
1967 - The Illum Prize, Denmark
1965 - Östersund Cultural Scholarship, Copenhagen, Denmark
1961 - First prize, "Young Americans", Museum of Contemporary Crafts, New York College of Art, Craft and Design and medal for best student
1961 - Royal Scholarship
EXHIBITIONS – But not limited to:
2007 - Rockford Art Museum, Rockford, IL
2006 - William Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA
2006 - Hawk Gallery, Columbus, OH.
2005 - Marx Saunders Gallery, Chicago, IL
2005 - Gallerie De Glorie, Holland
2005 - KADW, Berlin, Germany
2005 - Permanent Installation Vida Museum, Öland, Sweden
2005 - Afors Glasbruk. Summer Exhibition, Sweden
2004 - Susan Duvall Gallery, Aspen, CO
2004 - GÄVLE MUSEUM, Gävle, Sweden. Solo exhibition
2004 - Museo del Vidrio, Monterrey, Mexico
2003 - Glasmuseet Ebeltoft, Denmark
2003 - Monterrey Museum, Mexico
2003 - International Center for Contemporary Art, Tacoma, WA
2002 - Susan Duvall Gallery. Aspen CO
2002 - Orebro Museum, Orebro, Sweden
2002 - Varmlands Museum, Karlsta, Sweden
2002 - Varbergs Museum, Varbergs, Sweden
2002 - Konstindustri Museet, Oslo, Norway
2002 - Aosta Archaelogical Museum, Glass Way, Italy
2002 - Norton Museum of Art, Fire and Form, West Palm Beach, FL
2001 - Travelling Museum Show Smålands Museum, Växjö Sweden
2001 - Riihimäki Museum, Finland
2001 - Cellier De Clairvaux, Dijon, France
2001 - Vida Museum, Öland, Sweden, Permanent section
2000 - Heller Gallery, New York, NY
2000 - Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA
2000 - Museum of History, Stockholm, Sweden
2000 - University of Sunderland, England
2000 - The Bullseye Connection Gallery, Portland, OR
1999 - H M de Young Museum of San Francisco, CA
1999 - Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv Israel
1999 - Global Art Glass, Borgholm Castle, Sweden
1999 - Palac Sztuki W Krakowie, Krakow, Polen
1999 - Museum of Contemporary Art, Warsawa, Polen
1999 - Austin Museum of Art, Holding the light, Austin, TX
1999 - The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Scottsdale, AZ
1998 - Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI
1998 - Saunders Gallery, Chicago, IL
1998 - Marina Barovier Galleria, Venedig, Italy
1998 - Museum of History, Stockholm, Sweden
1998 - Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA
1997 - Heller Gallery New York, NY
1997 - American Craft Museum, New York, NY
1997 - Kalmar Läns Museum, Kalmar, Sweden
1997 - Copenhagen Int. Airport, Copenhagen, Denmark
1997 - Masters of Contemporary Glass, Indianapolis Museum of Art, IN
1997 - American Craft Museum, New York, NY
1996 - Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
1996 - Done Gallery, Sydney, Australia
1996 - Ducal Palace, Venice, Italy
1995 - Ikaros Gallery, Gothenburg, Sweden
1995 - Heller Gallery, New York, NY
1995 - Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA
1994 - Glasmuseum Ebeltoft, Denmark
1994 - Betsy Rosenfield Gallery, Chicago, IL
1993 - Heller Gallery, New York, NY
1993 - Galleri Leger, Malmö, Sweden
1992 - XVIII Triennale di Milano, "Life between Artifact and Nature", Major Installation at the Swedish Pavillion at the World Fair, Seville, Spain
1992 - Yokohama Museum of Art, Japan
1992 - Gallery Altes Rathaus, Inzlingen, Germany
1992 - Morris Museum of Art, Morristown, N.J.
1991 - Drabantsalen, Borgholm Casle Ruin, Öland, Sweden
1991 - Mariehamn Museum of Fine Art, Finland
1991 - Niki Gallery, Toyko, Japan
1991 - AREA II, Kosta Boda Djurgården, Stockholm
1991 - Hokaido Art Museum, Japan
1991 - "New Glass in Europe," Kunstmuseum, Düsseldorf, Germany
1991 - "Configura 91," Erfurt, Germany
1991 - Europe 91, Baden Würtenberg, Germany
1990 - Ostergötaland County Museum (retrospective), Sweden
1990 - Heller Gallery, New York, NY
1990 - Kunsthallen Brandts Klaedefabrik, Odense, Denmark
1989 - Galleri Ann Westin, Stockholm, Sweden
1989 - "Sails" Borgholms Slottsruin, Öland, Sweden
1989 - Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C.
1989 - Galleri Kaplanen, Visby, Sweden
1988 - Galerie Trois, Geneva, Switzerland
1988 - Traver-Sutton Gallery, Seattle, WA
1988 - Smålands Museum, Växjö, Sweden
1988 - Museum of Contemporary Crafts, New York, NY
1988 - "Faces of Swedish Design" at: IBM Gallery of Science and Art, New York, NY
1987 - The Works Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
1987 - Galleri Malen, Helsingborg, Sweden
1987 - Museum of Contemporary Crafts (Saxe Collection), New York, NY
1987 - Scandinavian Crafts Today, Seibu Art Gallery, Tokyo
COLLECTIONS
American Craft Museum, New York, NY
Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH
The Fine Art Museum, South Mobile, AL
Örebro Läns Konstmuseum, Sweden
National Museum, Stockholm, Sweden
Corning Museum of Glass, corning, NY
Röhsska Museum of Applied Arts, Gothenburg, Sweden
Everson Museum, Syracuse, NY
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England
Smäland Museum, Växjö, Sweden
H.M. The King of Sweden's Collection, Stockholm, Sweden
Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France
The Art Institute of Chicago, IL
Düsseldorf Museum of Fine Arts, Germany
Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Japan
Ebeltoft Glass Museum, Denmark
Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Lausanne, Switzerland
Pilkington Museum of Glass, Merseyside, England
Indianapolis Art Museum, IN
Trondheims Art Museum, Norway
Toledo Art Museum, OH
Die Neue Sammlung, Museum of Applied Arts, Munich
National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan
Absolut Collection, New Jersey
Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
The Microsoft Art Collection, Seattle, WA
National Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan
The JB Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY
The Prescott Collection at Pacific First Center, Seattle, WA
Detroit Art Institute, Detroit, MI
Yokohama Art Museum, Yokohama, Japan
MH de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA
Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH
The Chrysler Museum of Norfolk, VA
Vida Museum, Oland, Sweden
Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany
The Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia
Museum für kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany
The Mint Museum of Art and Design, Charlotte, NC
Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI
COMMISSIONS
2002 - The Opera House, Gothenburg, Sweden
1999 - Växjö Cathedral - Altar Piece, Växjö, Sweden
1999 - Växjö Airport, Sweden
1996 - The Museum of Water (permanent installation), Lidköping, Sweden
1995 - Embassy of Sweden, Washington, D.C.
1995 - St. Peter Church (crucifix), Lund, Sweden
1994 - Gustaf Adolf Complex, Växjö, Sweden
1993 - Åkersberga Kyrka, Höör, Sweden
1992 - Corning Headquarters, Corning,NY
1992 - Church of Stenhagen, Uppsala, Sweden
1991 - The Concert Hall, Växjö, Sweden
1990 - Employee Investment Fund for Central Sweden
1990 - University of Kalmar, Sweden
1988 - Kronan Savings Bank Headquarters, Växjö, Sweden
1988 - Volvo Corporation Headquarters, Gothenburg, Sweden
1987 - Skandia International Insurance Company, Stockholm