Situated just across the Picasso Museum gardens in Paris, Luniverre Gallery shows glass sculpture by international established artists as well as emerging young creators who work in this rare and challenging medium.

The british sculptor Marianne Spottswood, based in Newport, Rhode Island, opened the gallery in 1998 in order to promote the art of glass sculpture in its most abstract and contemporary aspects. The gallery has become the favorite haunt of glass collectors and connaisseurs alike. All manner of avant-garde glass works are on show and each exhibit presents artists from around the world working in contrasting techniques or with materials such as iron, ceramic, paper... in a spirit of "yin-yang" confrontation.

Glass takes on a totally different meaning in this exceptional environment. No longer brittle or fragile, it exudes strength and generosity. Besides original sculpture, the gallery also shows candelabras, screens, and unique one-of-a-kind glass jewelry.

MARIANNE SPOTTSWOOD

Based in Newport, Rhode Island, where she creates her own work, the British sculptor Marianne Spottswood also spends time in England and Paris, where she opened Luniverre Gallery in 1998,

devoted to promote contemporary glass sculpture.

Following Fine Art studies in London (painting and sculpture), Marianne Spottswood opened her own couture fashion house in New-York, and later in Paris. In 1978, Marianne Spottswood spent two years at Pratt Institute in New-York studying Industrial Design, during which time she designed furniture and lighting. At this time she met Toots Zinsky and began glass making at the New-York Experimental Glass Workshop (now Urban Glass).

Between 1982 and 1990, she studied at the Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle where she worked with many international masters of glass - Klaus Möje, Dana Zamecnikova, Clifford Rainey and Paul Marioni among others.

In a constant quest to push the boundaries of glass, Marianne Spottswood started incorporating various metals with hot glass, and started the " Nail Series " with steel and copper, where these metals are integrated during the casting process. She also started the series of screens and tables which are cold-worked with sandblasting.

" Illusion is what I'm fascinated by. The intermingling of transparency and opaqueness, like the simultaneous melting and freezing that takes place in the last days of winter, when the ice begins to crack on the pond in Newport and the molten snow freezes up again at night. " At once brittle and supple, yielding and powerful, the yin of the copper and steel cools the exuberant yang of the glass.

The necklaces are designed to allow different glass pendants to hook onto silver or gold specially designed chains. Each pendant is formed from hot glass, without any mold, which makes each piece unique, both in shape and in color. Each piece is dated and signed " JMS ".