Cigler, Václav, 1929-

Vaclav Cigler was born in 1929 in the town of Vsetín, Czechoslovakia. After attending the glass school in Nový Bor, he transferred to the School of Applied Art in Prague, where he studied under Josef Kaplický from 1951 to 1957.

Cigler credits Kaplický for creating a studio atmosphere in which the artist felt free to create. Because the communist regime didn’t consider glass an unsound artistic medium, Cigler was allowed to progress as an artist at a time when many other artists were stifled.

Cigler acquired a reputation in the 1960s for geometrical objects made from cut solid optical glass. Light plays a crucial role in Cigler’s pieces, reflecting along the edges and in the fissures of the glass. He embraces large formats and has created work for internal and external spaces, in urban and natural settings.

Considered a master of the Czech glass movement for over 40 years, Cigler's work and installations have been displayed in Europe, North America, and Asia. His work is included in numerous prominent collections, including Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York; Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France; Slovakian National Gallery, Bratislava, Slovakia, and Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England.