Věra Lišková

Czech artist and designer Věra Lišková (1924–1985) pioneered the technique of working borosilicate glass over an oxygen flame, which enabled her to make the large, abstract sculptures for which she is best known. Lišková studied at the State Graphic School in Prague from 1939 until it was closed during World War II; she graduated from the School of Applied Arts in 1949. She began her career as a designer of functional glassware, working for such glass companies as the Vienna-based J. & L. Lobmeyr and Moser. Lišková started to make her borosilicate glass sculptures in the late 1960s.

Works

Anthem of Joy in Glass, 1977. Borosilicate glass. Overall H: 99.5 cm, W: 95.1 cm, D: 101.6 cm. Collection of The Corning Museum of Glass. Gift of Art Centrum. (79.3.14).

In a 1983 interview with Paul Hollister, Věra Lišková discusses her work with Lobmeyr, the acquisition of her pieces by the Museum of Modern Art, and her influences.

Playing7:46 Transcript
Paul Hollister, Věra Lišková

In a 1983 interview with Paul Hollister, Věra Lišková discusses her work with Lobmeyr, the acquisition of her pieces by the Museum of Modern Art, and her influences. Interview with Věra Lišková by Paul Hollister, February 10, 1983. (Rakow title: Vera Liskova interview [sound recording] / with Paul Hollister, BIB ID: 167941) Clip length: 07:46.

Time stamp: 00:00
Clip 1: Paul Hollister compliments Věra Lišková on her innovative work. Clip length: 01:07

Paul Hollister: Let me just say one thing to you at the beginning. I think from having seen your work at Corning in ‘79 and seeing it again here that—I’m not absolutely sure because I’d have to get all of my Czech catalogues out and look—that I think that you are the only person of the older generation, shall we say—not the young kids, the children between ages 25 and 35 and so forth—you are the only one of the older group of people, or the middle group of people, who is doing something that is new and that belongs to this time in the world.

Time stamp: 01:09
Clip 2: Věra Lišková talks about her time at Lobmeyr. Clip length: 00:52

Paul Hollister (PH): Did you speak German?

Věra Lišková (VL): I did. Very good. But I don’t have [the] occasion—

PH: To use it now. Hmm.

VL: Yeah. And I liked the [inaudible].

PH: Hmm.

VL: And this time, it was [a] very nice time. I [audible] this Lobmeyr the best because it was done for [a] king or the highest people. And every day it was every time one piece or one set so only the first cast nothing else. And so one day Mr. Rath, he came to me to ask, ‘Věra, don’t you want to try to make very simple sets—glass sets for new people?’

PH: Mm-hmm. This is Stephen Rath, is it? Of Lobmeyr?

VL: Stefan Rath. Yes.

PH: R-A-T-H. Yes, right. I know his son, Peter.

VL: No, it’s not [his] son. It was Hans. It was his son. And Peter and Harald, they are cousins.

PH: Cousins, okay. Cause I know Peter. He’s a very nice man.

VL: Yes. And Harald, both of them. They are very, very nice. Good. I shall have [an] exhibition next year.

PH: Oh, great. Great.

VL: I had [a] 6 year cycle at Lobmeyr.

PH: At Lobmeyr? 6 years with them. But we were talking about the fact that you were working in a factory, were you?

VL: No, I was not employed. Never.

PH: You were not allowed to work in a factory?

VL: No, no, no, no, no. Never.

PH: Never.

VL: I was the whole time at home. At first, it was from ‘46 to ‘48, I was working—I was studying in Prague, and time to time I was going to Lobmeyr to [inaudible] around and I was preparing [inaudible] and glass and vases and this and this and that. Many things.

PH: Mm-hmm. Designing them.

Time stamp: 03:57
Clip 3: Věra Lišková discusses the acquisition of her work at the Museum of Modern Art. Clip length: 02:22

Věra Lišková (VL): I was very, very happy at this time. At this time, I got the prize of our minister in Prague for this [inaudible] and I don’t know yet. I think that it’s changed in the Museum of Modern Art, but I [break in recording]—the first time here in ‘64. And I was very happy to see my pieces in the museum.

Paul Hollister (PH): When was the date that you first got into the museum? When was your stuff in the museum the first time? In the fitites?

VL: ‘54.

PH: ‘54.

VL: No, no, no, no, no. Excuse me. ‘64. Not 50—’64. ‘64.

PH: ‘64. Your things were included. They purchased them, did they? They bought them? The museum bought the piece, so it’s in their collection. Permanent collection.

VL: Yes.

PH: What, one or two or?

VL: No, it was more. It was more.

PH: Several pieces.

VL: But, I have been there two years ago in the Museum of Modern Art and because they built the new building, so all the things—all the art—

PH: Yeah, the [inaudible].

VL: [inaudible] no longer remains. Or who knows where? I don’t know. But I was very happy. Now, I don’t know, it seems to me that perhaps they had it somewhere, but they don’t have this applied art. It seems to me, I don’t know. Because for me, you know, it was the first exhibition I had. And now, I’m from opposite sides of the street since the last exhibition. It would be for me most nice to see somebody from the museum to cross the street and to come and see my work. But, I don’t know to whom to go.

Time stamp: 06:21
Clip 4: Věra Lišková talks about the ancient influences in her work. Clip length: 01:25

Paul Hollister (PH): Ah, I like the one, Grande Folie [spelling unknown]

Věra Lišková (VL): Ah, yes.

PH: And, incidentally, I have those glossy photographs—

VL: Mm-hmm.

PH: —that you lent me for The New York Times. Remember the three photographs?

VL: Yes.

PH: One of the rain and the other two of Grande Follie. Little picture. Big picture.

VL: Uh-huh.

PH: And I want to have slides made from those.

VL: Yes.

PH: With your permission, I want to do that because I have to give a talk in Canada, in May.

VL: Mm-hm

PH: —at a Canadian glass conference. And the title of my talk is ‘New and not so New.

VL: Mm-hmm.

PH: And I’m trying to, I wanted to show your pieces as new, you see.

VL: Yes. New, but from very, very, very old.

PH: Yes. Yes. From Florentine—Florentine medical glass. In Florence.

VL: It’s much older.

PH: In Florence. Well—at Rome. Even Rome.

VL: It’s, yeah. It’s—older. It’s Syria. [Inaudible] glass. [Inaudible] glass In Syria. In Egypt.

PH: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

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In a 1983 interview with Paul Hollister, Věra Lišková discusses glass education in Czechoslovakia, her work with Lobmyer and the acquisition of her pieces by the Museum of Modern Art.

Playing06:15 Transcript
Věra Lišková

In a 1983 interview with Paul Hollister, Věra Lišková discusses her work with Lobmeyr, the acquisition of her pieces by the Museum of Modern Art, and her influences. Interview with Věra Lišková by Paul Hollister, February 10, 1983. (Rakow title: Vera Liskova interview [sound recording] / with Paul Hollister, BIB ID: 167941) Clip length: 07:46.

Time stamp: 00:00
Clip 1: Paul Hollister compliments Věra Lišková on her innovative work. Clip length: 01:07

Paul Hollister: Let me just say one thing to you at the beginning. I think from having seen your work at Corning in ‘79 and seeing it again here that—I’m not absolutely sure because I’d have to get all of my Czech catalogues out and look—that I think that you are the only person of the older generation, shall we say—not the young kids, the children between ages 25 and 35 and so forth—you are the only one of the older group of people, or the middle group of people, who is doing something that is new and that belongs to this time in the world.

Time stamp: 01:09
Clip 2: Věra Lišková talks about her time at Lobmeyr. Clip length: 00:52

Paul Hollister (PH): Did you speak German?

Věra Lišková (VL): I did. Very good. But I don’t have [the] occasion—

PH: To use it now. Hmm.

VL: Yeah. And I liked the [inaudible].

PH: Hmm.

VL: And this time, it was [a] very nice time. I [audible] this Lobmeyr the best because it was done for [a] king or the highest people. And every day it was every time one piece or one set so only the first cast nothing else. And so one day Mr. Rath, he came to me to ask, ‘Věra, don’t you want to try to make very simple sets—glass sets for new people?’

PH: Mm-hmm. This is Stephen Rath, is it? Of Lobmeyr?

VL: Stefan Rath. Yes.

PH: R-A-T-H. Yes, right. I know his son, Peter.

VL: No, it’s not [his] son. It was Hans. It was his son. And Peter and Harald, they are cousins.

PH: Cousins, okay. Cause I know Peter. He’s a very nice man.

VL: Yes. And Harald, both of them. They are very, very nice. Good. I shall have [an] exhibition next year.

PH: Oh, great. Great.

VL: I had [a] 6 year cycle at Lobmeyr.

PH: At Lobmeyr? 6 years with them. But we were talking about the fact that you were working in a factory, were you?

VL: No, I was not employed. Never.

PH: You were not allowed to work in a factory?

VL: No, no, no, no, no. Never.

PH: Never.

VL: I was the whole time at home. At first, it was from ‘46 to ‘48, I was working—I was studying in Prague, and time to time I was going to Lobmeyr to [inaudible] around and I was preparing [inaudible] and glass and vases and this and this and that. Many things.

PH: Mm-hmm. Designing them.

Time stamp: 03:57
Clip 3: Věra Lišková discusses the acquisition of her work at the Museum of Modern Art. Clip length: 02:22

Věra Lišková (VL): I was very, very happy at this time. At this time, I got the prize of our minister in Prague for this [inaudible] and I don’t know yet. I think that it’s changed in the Museum of Modern Art, but I [break in recording]—the first time here in ‘64. And I was very happy to see my pieces in the museum.

Paul Hollister (PH): When was the date that you first got into the museum? When was your stuff in the museum the first time? In the fitites?

VL: ‘54.

PH: ‘54.

VL: No, no, no, no, no. Excuse me. ‘64. Not 50—’64. ‘64.

PH: ‘64. Your things were included. They purchased them, did they? They bought them? The museum bought the piece, so it’s in their collection. Permanent collection.

VL: Yes.

PH: What, one or two or?

VL: No, it was more. It was more.

PH: Several pieces.

VL: But, I have been there two years ago in the Museum of Modern Art and because they built the new building, so all the things—all the art—

PH: Yeah, the [inaudible].

VL: [inaudible] no longer remains. Or who knows where? I don’t know. But I was very happy. Now, I don’t know, it seems to me that perhaps they had it somewhere, but they don’t have this applied art. It seems to me, I don’t know. Because for me, you know, it was the first exhibition I had. And now, I’m from opposite sides of the street since the last exhibition. It would be for me most nice to see somebody from the museum to cross the street and to come and see my work. But, I don’t know to whom to go.

Time stamp: 06:21
Clip 4: Věra Lišková talks about the ancient influences in her work. Clip length: 01:25

Paul Hollister (PH): Ah, I like the one, Grande Folie [spelling unknown]

Věra Lišková (VL): Ah, yes.

PH: And, incidentally, I have those glossy photographs—

VL: Mm-hmm.

PH: —that you lent me for The New York Times. Remember the three photographs?

VL: Yes.

PH: One of the rain and the other two of Grande Follie. Little picture. Big picture.

VL: Uh-huh.

PH: And I want to have slides made from those.

VL: Yes.

PH: With your permission, I want to do that because I have to give a talk in Canada, in May.

VL: Mm-hm

PH: —at a Canadian glass conference. And the title of my talk is ‘New and not so New.

VL: Mm-hmm.

PH: And I’m trying to, I wanted to show your pieces as new, you see.

VL: Yes. New, but from very, very, very old.

PH: Yes. Yes. From Florentine—Florentine medical glass. In Florence.

VL: It’s much older.

PH: In Florence. Well—at Rome. Even Rome.

VL: It’s, yeah. It’s—older. It’s Syria. [Inaudible] glass. [Inaudible] glass In Syria. In Egypt.

PH: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Permalink