Toots Zynsky: The Visionary Art and Science of Studio Glass

A beautiful new studio glass work is on display in the museum lobby, generously loaned to us by glass collectors and museum supporters Sharon and John Amdall. Penultimo Danza Serena is a colorful vessel created from thousands of hair-thin glass threads by a visionary in the studio glass movement, Mary Ann “Toots” Zynsky (America, b. 1951).

Toots Zynsky’s work is found in more than 100 international museums and private collections.

Artist Toots Zynsky developed a distinctive technique called filet-de-verre, in which thousands of incredibly fine glass threads, pulled from Italian glass canes, are fused together to create improbable vessels drenched in brilliant explosions of color. Layers of colored glass come together to express emotion, experience, and vision, much like an abstract expressionist painting.

Penultimo Danza Serena was commissioned by the Amdalls in a colorway of their choosing.

Creating such delicate glass threads was originally an extremely labor-intensive process. Zynsky eventually collaborated with a friend to develop a machine that significantly sped up production. She recalls how the idea came about:

“An acquaintance, Mathijs Teunissen Van Manen, came to New York from Amsterdam and saw my show at Theo Portnoy,” she says. Curious about how Zynsky made her work, having never seen glass treated that way, Van Manen visited the New York Experimental Glass Workshop to see what Zynsky was doing.

“I had two teams of people pulling thread all afternoon for me,” Zynsky recalls. “Van Manen took one look and shook his head. ‘This is medieval!’ he said.”

Within 24 hours, Van Manen built a device that fed a glass rod through a flame, transforming it into a continuous, fine glass thread.

To create her vessels, Zynsky first arranges thousands of multicolored glass threads on a round, heat-resistant fiberboard plate. The threads are fused together in a kiln, forming a disk of glass. While still hot, the disk is carefully slumped into a series of preheated, bowl-shaped metal molds, each one deeper and rounder than the last. To create taller vessels, she turns the piece upside down and slumps it over a cone-shaped mold.

The final shaping requires a particularly deft touch. Wearing special heat-resistant gloves, Zynsky reaches into the kiln and manipulates the hot glass, squeezing it into the distinctive, undulating form that makes each vessel unique. Zynsky’s work is represented in more than 100 museums worldwide.

We extend our deepest gratitude to Sharon and John Amdall for sharing this extraordinary piece. Stop by the museum lobby to experience the visionary art and science of Toots Zynsky’s Penultimo Danza Serena, now on display!