Last year’s modern glass exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum in New York was one of the most popular shows on any subject, with over 2,300 visitors a day (see pp.24-35). There is profound public interest in the made object and, parallel to the more conceptual, Duchamp-descended line of contemporary art , there is growing interest among artists in how to express their creativity through manual skill. Museums like the Met and the Victoria and Albert are continually adding to their collections.
This month Southern Florida is hosting fifty top galleries from the US, Canada, Mexico and Israel who deal in works made in glass, ceramic, wood, metal and fibre. Among them are Franklin Parrasch Gallery and Garth Clark Gallery of New York and Habatat of Chicago, Florida, Aspen and Pontiac.
Prices are still low compared to works on the other side of the fine art/decorative art divide, with a mere six figures instead of millions buying you a piece by a top, seasoned figure such as the sculptural ceramicist Peter Voulkos or the glass artist Dale Chihuly whose delicate sculptures adorned Venice last summer. But this may explain the 20,000 people who came from all over the world to the last fair and the generally universal satisfaction of the dealers whose clients are can afford to be true collectors.
The fair is in the Coconut Grove Convention Center, Miami, 7-9 March. The gala opening is 6 March, tickets $100., tel +1 305 443 8488