“Who once held in his hand a piece of transparent amber with an insect closed and preserved in it for thousands of years can easily understand the mysterious essence of glass. He will understand that glass is a product of the play of light and instantaneous solidification of the liquid mass, game of natural elements whose capricious dynamics have been imprisoned and perpetuated forever.”    
Gunnel Nyman (1909 – 1948), designer of the Riihimäki glasswork in Finland
We cordially invite you to the exhibition of artistic and design glass in the headquarters of the DESA Unicum auction house, from the 6th of July onward. In our summer offer you will find unique glass objects: vases, bowls, plates, carafes, ashtrays and decorative figurines that make a perfect gift for loved ones or an interesting piece of interior decoration. The objects date from the 1930s till the 1970s and come from Italy, the Czech Republic and Scandinavia, the regions at the forefront of modern design in the 1960s. In Italy, the pioneer of modernity was the famous Venini glasswork founded in 1921 in Murano, which introduced glass with abstract shapes made in the traditional blown glass technique to the market. Experiments with form and technologies undertaken by new designers involved cooperation with experts-technologists. An example of these efforts are the vases on offer: Dino Martens designs from the 1950s, executed from soda glass and adorned with filigran technique, or a pitcher designed by Fluvio Bianconi with a characteristic element called ‘forato’, made from the sommerso glass. The 1950s saw the revival of Czech glass; modern forms that vibrate with colours made by Miroslav Klinger, Jiří Šuhájek or Miroslava Svobodova are also in our offer. The vase “Niagara” designed by Karol Zemek will be a great complement to the interiors with a minimalistic character. For aficionados of this style we recommend the Scandinavian designs that are characterised by simplicity, modesty and functionality of forms, and at the same time offer a wealth of decorative techniques. At the forefront were glassworks Orrefors or Kosta. These simple, almost sculptural forms originating from the spirit of abstract form with a subtle colour scheme are particularly popular with the collectors. A rare treat will be a set of cobalt blue plates designed by Göte Augustsson from Sweden, a Nanny Still bottle or two “Pop” goblets  designed by Gunnar Cyrén for Orrefors.
The masters of European glass design were inspired by the beauty of nature, for instance the warm Tuscan light undoubtedly inspired Paolo Venini and Murano artists. Cruel winter and harsh climate were a creative impulse for the Scandinavian designers. In turn, Czechs have a long-standing tradition of glass products that goes back hundreds of years. During the period from the 1930s to the 1970s there was an extraordinary development of design, including glass objects. Glass started to be used not only as a utility object, but entered the world of art and design. Simple objects of everyday use can have both practical and also artistic qualities. The textured glass with sculptural qualities inspired by nature: the form of a leaf, shells, water movement and flight of birds is popular among collectors. A well-known Finish glass designer wrote in 1948 „ A man approaches this peculiar material hesitant and fearful, so not to bother it and not to hurt it, but at the same time he is tempted by the knowledge of one of its properties – though liquid, cold, water transparency or sharply sparkling gleam, which sometimes appears as the glow of a soap bubble, and at other times as a soft coloured tone or a hard gleam of the contour… Our thoughts return to the little fly in an amber and we wish that we could sink a shimmering diamond in a piece of transparent glass or catch and hide in it a heavy tear of a child.” Precisely this thought is enclosed within the glass items that we offer you. And the satisfaction of possessing an authentic object is worth all the money.