Věra Lišková (20 September 1924,

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

– 7 June 1985, Prague) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

glass artist. She is known for pioneering the use of borosilicate glass or

pyrex Pyrex (trademarked as ''PYREX'' and ''pyrex'') is a brand introduced by Corning Inc. in 1915, initially for a line of clear, low-thermal-expansion borosilicate glass used for laboratory glassware and kitchenware. It was later expanded in the 1 ...

in glass art.

Education and career

Lišková studied at the State Graphic School in Prague until it closed due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. She then studied at the School of Applied Arts in Prague and graduated in 1949. As a student in 1947, she applied for a scholarship offered by the J. & L. Lobmeyr in

Kamenický Šenov Kamenický Šenov () is a town in Česká Lípa District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,800 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zone ...

. Under the guidance of Stephan Rath, the nephew of the company's founders, she created a thin-walled drinkware set adorned with engraving. The set received an award from the Ministry of Industry and became part of the collection of the

Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague Founded in 1885, the Prague Museum of Decorative Arts () is housed in a Neo-Renaissance edifice built from 1897 to 1899 after the designs of architect Josef Schulz. It opened in 1900 with exhibitions on the first floor. The museum's rich colle ...

. Her glass, displayed in the first solo exhibition at the

Museum of Modern Art in New York The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, and includes over 200,000 works of arc ...

, was acquired for the museum's collections by the then-director Kaufmann. Until 1959, Lišková had a total of five solo exhibitions in this museum. Lišková acquired Gočár's studio at 72 Mánesova Street in

Vinohrady Vinohrady (until 1960 Královské Vinohrady, in English literally "Royal Vineyards" ) is a cadastral district in Prague. It is so named because the area was once covered in vineyards dating from the 14th century. Vinohrady lies in the municipal ...

, where from the mid-60s onwards, she crafted sculptures from technical glass shaped over a gas flame. She began making borosilicate glass sculptures in the late 1966. Some of her designs were also brought to life by glass blowers and František Kirchner. Her work was instrumental in recognizing glass as an artistic medium.

Art

Lišková is known for pioneering the use of borosilicate glass or pyrex in glass art. Borosilicate glass is traditionally used in manufacturing scientific apparatus such as test tubes and beakers. Lišková is best known for large, abstract sculptures that are made of clear glass. Her strong yet delicate sculptures feature intricate patterns. Most of her works feature spiny, sharp designs and clean lines.

Selected works

*Hanging vase *Anthem of joy in glass *Zodiac beaker *Verbundene Vase, auch Vasen im Ikebanastil *Harmonie *Würfelspiel (Hrakostek) *Ram Aries *Echo

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liskova, Vera Women glass artists Czechoslovak artists 1924 births 1985 deaths Artists from Prague Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague alumni