PYRAMID Gallery in York is to mark the 40th anniversary of the London Glassblowing Studio with an exhibition of British contemporary glass by the present studio team and pioneering founder Peter Layton from October 22.
Peter is celebrating an anniversary of his own, his 80th birthday year, and will give a talk to the York Artworkers Association on Monday, October 24 at 7pm at the Ron Cooke Hub, University of York.
He will be joined in the show by Bruce Marks; Laura McKinley; Jochen Ott; Tim Rawlinson; Layne Rowe; Anthony Scala; Cathryn Shilling; Louis Thompson and Elliott Walker.
Pyramid Gallery, in Stonegate, has enjoyed a long association with London Glassblowing, stretching back over 30 years. Gallery owner Terry Brett recalls that his first sale after taking over the business in 1994 was a very elegant white vase by Layton. "At that time I knew very little about the studio glass movement," he says.
"It was a glass collector from Germany who purchased that expensive vase and it opened my eyes to an art form that has become a passion. Celebrating Peter’s 80th year is a very special moment for me, having exhibited in those 22 years some 250 pieces of glass that bear his signature."
Peter Layton. Picture: Ester Segarra
Layton was born in Czechoslovakia and brought up in South Yorkshire, going on to attend Bradford College of Art from 1960 to 1962 and the Central School of Art and Design, in London, where he studied art and ceramics from 1962 to 1965.
While lecturing in ceramics in the United States, he started to experiment with glass; knowledge he brought back to Britain to be a pioneer of the British Studio Glass movement, which led to his opening the London Glassblowing Workshop in 1976.
Much of Layton's time now is spent on large-scale commissions for public spaces and cruise liners, such as his Lighting commission, in affiliation with Haberdashery London, for The Shard, the 95-storey skyscraper in Southwark, London.
He is a regular exhibitor at Pyramid Gallery, where work from the London Glassblowing Workshop is always available in the shop.
Arrival Of Spring, bottles by Peter Layton
"In 1997 Peter curated a touring exhibition entitled Twenty One to celebrate 21 years of glassmaking at the workshop," says Terry Brett. "The show came to Pyramid in September of that year with work by 21 glassmakers who had at some time made glass for the workshop and who were still working as glassmakers in 1997."
Nine years later, in 2006, the London Glassblowing Workshop celebrated its 30th year with another Pyramid show. Now, the latest exhibition will comprise more than 50 pieces made in celebration of 40 years of glass making.
"The studio takes great pride in the number and quality of the many apprentices who have learnt their craft under the guidance of Peter Layton and his team," says Terry.
"A principle of the studio is the encouragement given to the glass makers to develop their own style and use the facilities to experiment and create their own works of art in glass. In this show you'll see some of the best of British studio glass made by a variety of techniques including blowing, trailing, cold-working, fusing and casting."
Peter Layton will attend the exhibition launch from 11am to 2.30pm on October 22 in addition to giving his talk two days later. Admission to the opening is free; tickets for the Monday talk cost £8 from the gallery or on 01904 641187.
The exhibition will run until November 27, open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm, and on Sundays from 12 noon to 4.30pm.
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