Glass as an art form has an ancient tradition; the archaeological record suggests that artisans in Egypt and Mesopotamia were fabricating glass vessels and ornaments during the fourth millennium BCE. Its durable nature, range of colors, malleability, and most of all, its optical transparency are qualities that have made glass a premiere art medium. Over a lifetime, Frederick Birkhill has explored the unique qualities of glass and the numerous techniques and intricacies of working with it. The result of these decades of study is a body of work that is extraordinary in scope, technical expertise, and sheer virtuosity. The Artist Book Foundation is delighted to announce the upcoming publication of a new monograph honoring this gifted artist: Glassworks: The Art of Frederick Birkhill.

From his time in England at Burleighfield House, the studio of stained-glass artist Patrick Reyntiens, to his unprecedented visit to Lauscha, the village in East Germany famous for both its art and scientific glass production, and his subsequent career as an explorer, teacher, and master of the glass arts, Birkhill has devoted himself to furthering the appreciation of the medium and sharing his vast experience with colleagues, collectors, and students. His works appear in numerous museum collections, including those of The Corning Museum of Glass, the Museum of Arts and Design, the Mint Museum, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Smithsonian.

Complementing the scholarly contributions by authors with significant backgrounds in the glass arts, the book will feature in its extensive plate section the lavish photography of Henry Leutwyler, which offers readers an opportunity to examine the complex details and artistic mastery of Birkhill’s oeuvre. In addition, the monograph will offer a glossary of glass-art terms, a detailed chronology of the artist’s life, his extensive exhibition his-tory, and a list of the numerous awards he has received. For those who are passionate about the glass arts, this monograph will be a feast for the eyes.

Samantha De Tillio is an assistant curator at the Museum of Arts and Design. Dr. Dedo von Kerssenbrock-Krosigk is the director of Glasmuseum Hentrich, Stiftung Museum Kunstpalast, in Düsseldorf, Germany. Amy Schwartz is the director of The Studio at The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York. Stuart Reid and Doreen Balabanoff are artists, architectural designers, and professors of environmental design at OCAD University in Toronto, Canada.