Steuben Glass, an American enterprise devoted to the production of objects of the finest lead crystal, was established in

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2 * Steuben Glass, an American enterprise devoted to the production of objects of the finest lead crystal, was established in 1933 as an outgrowth of an older company and is a part of Corning Glass Works. Steuben Glass is named for Steuben County, in New York State, where its factory is located. In 1932, the research scientists of Corning Glass Works produced what glassmakers all over the world had been seeking for centuries-a formula for lead crystal glass entirely free from discoloration, exceedingly brilliant and pure. This extraordinary material called for designers and craftsmen of equally high quality. Steuben's directors sought out and gathered together a small group of men and women educated in the fine arts; they would design the crystal. A well-trained team of expert craftsmen were inherited from the older company; they would execute the designs. Exacting standards were set. Any piece falling short of these standards in any way was destroyed-a policy that continues in effect. This insistence on perfection, although difficult to achieve, assures each owner of a piece of Steuben glass an object absolutely uncompromised in quality. Beginning in 1935, the young company exhibited its work in major museums and expositions in the United States and abroad, receiving gold medal awards at the Paris Exposition of 1937 and at the San Francisco and New York World's Fairs of 1939 and Henri Matisse, upon seeing the examples

3 PUBLIC COLLECTIONS Steuben Glass is represented in many public collections throughout the world, some of which are listed here. In the United States District of Columbia, Smithsonian Institution, Washington Illinois, Art Institute of Chicago Massachusetts, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Michigan, Detroit Institute of Arts Missouri, William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, Kansas City Missouri, St. Louis Art Museum New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Ohio, Cleveland Museum of Art Ohi.Q, Toledo Museum of Art Pennsylvania, Carnegie In stitute, Pittsburgh In Other Countries Belgium, Mu sees Royaux d' Art et d'histoire, Brussels Canada, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto England, Victoria and Albert Museum, London France, Mu see des Arts Decoratifs, Pala is du Louvre, Paris India, National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi Italy, Vatican Museum U.S.S.R., Hermitage Museum, Leningrad

4 shown in Paris, suggested that he make a drawing to be engraved in Steuben glass. Thus encouraged, Steuben's directors approached other painters and sculptors. Matisse, Jean Cocteau, Raoul Dufy, lsamu Noguchi, Eric Gill, Pavel Tchelitchew, Paul Manship, Sidney Waugh, and Georgia O'Keeffe were among those whose work was included in the resulting collection, exhibited in 1940 as "Designs in Crystal by Twenty-seven Contemporary Artists." In 1947, the President of the United States and Mrs. Truman chose a Steuben bowl as their official wedding gift to the then Princess Elizabeth of England. President Eisenhower was so pleased with his Cabinet's anniversary gift of a Steuben vase that he gave the crystal on more than forty state occasions. Each succeeding President has continued this tradition. In 1951, the French Government invited Steuben Glass to participate in its exposition "L' Art du Verre" at the Louvre. Shown in a special setting, the Steuben exhibit was hailed in the Paris press as the focal point of the exposition. In 1956, the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, each held a monthlong showing of a new Steuben collection, "Asian Artists in Crystal." The collection, sponsored by the United States Government, was a series of thirty-six pieces engraved with the designs of artists from sixteen nations of the Far and Near East." Asian Artists in Crystal" then toured museums and galleries of the participating nations under the auspices of the

5 State Department, which ultimately presented the individual pieces to the heads of those nations for their museum collections. During recent years, Steuben Glass has created other collections-"poetry in Crystal," based upon original poems commissioned from thirty-one leading American poets; "Islands in Crystal," interpretations of twelve romantic islands of history, fiction, and legend; "Great Explorers," commemorating some of the world's notable discoverers; "Studies in Crystal," a continuing group of abstract designs; and one-of-a-kind examples of artistry in glass combined with silver, gold, and other precious materials. Some of the latter have been special commissions, such as The Great Ring of Canada, given by Presid~t Johnson on behalf of the people of the United States to the people of Canada to mark Canada's centenary, The majority have been acguired by private collectors. Basically, however, Steuben's designers follow their own artistic inclinations, creating objectssome for use and others for decoration-that make the most of the special possibilities of their material. Striving for guality rather than guantity, Steuben makes only a limited number of pieces each year; the simplest bowl receives the same kind of careful attention as the most intricate composition. This uncompromised standard has established the reputation of Steuben throughout the world; each piece is a tangible example of the excellence that can be attained by American design and craftsmanship.

6 PUBLIC COLLECTIONS Steuben Glass is represented in many public collections throughout the world, some of which are listed here. In the United States District of Columbia, Smithsonian Institution, Washington Illinois, Art Institute of Chicago Massachusetts, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Michigan, Detroit Institute of Arts Missouri, William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, Kansas City Missouri, St. Louis Art Museum New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Ohio, Cleveland Museum of Art Ohio, Toledo Museum of Art Pennsylvania, Carnegie In stitute, Pittsburgh In Other Countries Belgium, Mu sees Royaux d' Art et d'histoire, Brussels Canada, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto England, Victoria and Albert Museum, London France, Mu see des Arts Decoratifs, Pala is du Louvre, Paris India, National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi Italy, Vatican Museum U.S.S.R., Hermitage Museum, Leningrad

7 STEUBEN CLASS a part of Corning Glass Works since 1918 FIFTH AVENUE AT FIFTY-SIXTH STREET NEW YORK, N.Y CORNING GLASS CENTER CORNING,N.Y

P U B L I C COLLECTIONS

P U B L I C COLLECTIONS L O U I S E N E V E L S O N F O U N D A T I O N E d u c a t i n g a n d c e l e b r a t i n g t h e l i f e a n d w o r k o f L o u i s e N e v e l s o n. 240 South 20th Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 info@louisenevelsonfoundation.org