Stanislav Libenský

Husband and wife (Jaroslava Brychtová. Czech, 1924–), and artistic collaborators for nearly fifty years, Libenský and Brychtová influenced the course of twentieth-century sculpture through their pioneering use of cast glass on an architectural scale. The son of a blacksmith, Libenský studied glassmaking, painting, and drawing at the Specialized School of Glassmaking in Nový Bor, Czechoslovakia, from 1937 to 1939. He continued his studies in painting and glass at the prestigious School of Applied Arts (later the Academy of Applied Arts) in Prague, graduating in 1945. Brychtová, the daughter of a sculptor in glass, studied glass and stone cutting and engraving at the Academy of Applied Arts, Prague, and sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts, Prague. The two met in 1954 in Železný Brod, where Libenský was teaching glassmaking at a high school, and Brychtová founded the Department of Architectural Glass at the Železný Brod Glassworks. Brychtová successfully translated one of Libenský’s sketches into glass, and the two soon began collaborating on cast glass sculptures made at the Železný Brod Glassworks. Brychtová created clay models based on Libenský’s drawings; these, in turn, were used to create molds in which to cast glass.

The two artists spent their careers teaching and perfecting the art and craft of mold-melting glass. From 1958 to 2001, they created glass sculptures and architectural installations throughout the world in locations such as Montreal, Munich, New Delhi, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Sapporo, and Stockholm, among others. They also exhibited their work internationally, garnering numerous awards including the Grand Prix at the 1958 Brussels World Exhibition. The 1967 Expo in Montreal was another important venue in which their work, along with that of other Czech glass artists, made an international impact. American glass artist Dale Chihuly recalled, “I first saw the work of Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová at the World’s Fair in Montreal. They had produced, without a doubt, the most extraordinary installation of the entire Fair. As a glass student, it was the most impressive thing that I had ever seen.” Later, Chihuly invited them to teach at the Pilchuck Glass School, which he founded outside Seattle. The duo taught there on several occasions in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Mint Museum has four additional works by Libenský and Brychtová in its collection: Metamorphosis V (Double), 1984–1987 (2001.82.3), Metamorphosis VI, 1994 (2002.123), Vestment I, 1995–1996 (1998.133A-C), and a maquette for Relations, 2000 (2003.124A-B).