Glassware accompanies a person at every step of their life – jug and decanter, saucer and plate, glass and goblet... It has long ceased to be an inaccessible luxury, but we continue to admire the unique beauty and perfection of glass, as well as the skill, imagination and ingenuity of its creators.
On the territory of Belarus in the 1910s–1960s, artistic glass was one of the most important types of arts and crafts. The Belarusian glass industry has gone from small disparate factories of the late 19th–early 20th century – through the revolutionary and war years – to huge factories of the 1950s–1960s, with a high production culture, quality materials, a wide range of technical and technological advancements.
By the end of the 1960s, the range of products produced by leading Belarusian enterprises, such as the Felix Dzerzhinsky crystal factory in Borisov and the Neman glass factory, becomes fully modern in style, meeting the tastes of the most demanding customer. Products are fresh in concept, expressive in form and decor, well-suited for their intended purpose.
In everyday life, glass and crystal dishes were often given a place of honour in the most noticeable place in the house – in a sideboard with transparent doors. It was a spectacular gift, a source of pride, and was also passed down from generation to generation.
The exhibition “Caution: glassware!” has samples of household and decorative glassware from the 1910s–1960s intended for mass production, as well as souvenirs that primarily showcase the artist’s effort, creativity, understanding of contemporary tasks, imagination and talent.
The works of Antanina Abramava, Ramuald Baginsky, Yaugen Gladkou, Galina Isaevich, Lyudmila Myagkova, Uladzimir Murakhver and others demonstrate brilliant solutions of the main creative task in applied art – maintaining the balance between the artistic image and the intended function of the object. They are also designed to evoke in the viewer vivid memories of childhood and youth, of comfort and family warmth.
Exhibition curators: Yulia Zagorskaya, senior researcher of the Department of Belarusian Art of the 20th–21st centuries, and Mariya Shugaley, researcher of the Scientific Fund Department.
The exhibition will run until July 30, 2023
