The Light Fantastic: Irish Stained Glass Art

Since the Arts & Crafts and Celtic Revival styles of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Irish stained glass has been renowned worldwide. This art form is no less alive today. By bringing together the work of 12 leading Irish glass artists this exhibition focuses on latest innovations in the use of stained, painted and etched glass in an interior setting.

These works illustrate the ways in which the intrinsic qualities of each piece of glass help to shape the images and concepts expressed by the artist. Features such as tiny air bubbles, streaks, wisps of silver wire, brush strokes, and the modulation of tones and depths can all affect the perception of the inner world that lingers just beneath the surface. These artists employ a range of surface treatments, from painted to barely marked, stippled, enameled, sand blasted, or acid-etched.

The Light Fantastic is curated by Mary Boydell, president of the Glass Society of Ireland and Audrey Whitty, curator of Applied Arts at the National Museum of Ireland, Decorative Arts & History, Dublin.