Living Treasures: Masters of Australian craft
Brian Hirst - Master of Australian craft 2008-2010
- Also see:
- » Brian Hirst website
- » Silent Surface - Sacred Surface 2002
- Nancy Hoffman Gallery. New York
Brian Hirst studied Fine Arts at the Gippsland campus of Monash University during the late seventies, a period that is seen as the beginning of the Studio Glass Movement in Australia. During the course of his studies he built the glass facilities at the college. At this time he worked with Australian glass artists Nick Mount, Warren Langley and Eva Almerberg, from Sweden before moving to Sydney in 1980 to establish the Glebe Glass Studio and teach furnace work at Sydney College of the Arts.
Hirst established his first studio in Roseberry in 1983. He did a short teaching stint as Senior Lecturer along with Klaus Moje at the Australian National University, Canberra School of Art Glass Workshop in 1987 after which he transferred his studio to Annandale in Sydney in 1988.
His work has been appreciated by international audiences for many years with his first international group exhibition in 1981. Hirst has had over twenty solo exhibitions in Australia, Japan and the USA and his work is included in numerous private and public collections including the Corning Museum in the USA and the National Gallery of Australia.
His continued interest in sculpture and printmaking has led to the development of editioned prints that are engraved from clear glass, a practice he developed in 1986. This work evolved into large glass and sculptural works after participating in the 1991 Novy Bor Symposium in the Czech Republic. The work produced during this symposium - Votive Bowl and Panel Series was awarded the Grand Prize at the World Glass Now - '94 exhibition at the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art in Japan.
Brian Hirst maintains a studio practice that includes designs for a production range, the production of commissioned works as well as maintaining an international exhibition profile.
Brian Hirst
Scarlet Votive Bowl, 2007
Engraved blown glass, platinum and enamel
Dimensions: 300 x 430 x 410mm
Brian Hirst
Shadow Votive Bowl I, 2004-2005
Blown glass, engraved, stainless steel platinum and enamel
Dimensions: 470 x 700 x 550mm
Brian Hirst
Offering Bowl, 2005-2006
Blown glass, engraved, stainless steel, platinum and enamel
Dimensions: 380 x 590 x 510mm
Brian Hirst
Fluro Range, 2005
