Renowned Swedish artist Bertil Vallien has opened a major solo exhibition, Starman: Sixty Years of Exploring Glass Art, at the Robert Lehman Gallery in Brooklyn, per mymodernmet.com.
The showcase features 35 works that trace Vallien’s 64-year career, highlighting his mastery of sand-casting and his long-standing collaboration with the heritage brand Kosta Boda.
The exhibition serves as a comprehensive retrospective of the 88-year-old artist’s experimental approach. Known as the “father of a lost technique,” Vallien is credited with perfecting the modern method of glass sand-casting and popularising the use of black glass. His work often bridges the gap between industrial design and fine art, a dual role he has maintained since joining Åfors Glassworks in 1963.
The collection on display ranges from transparent boats to the contemplative *Resting Head* series. Notable inclusions are the *Idun’s Magical Apples* and *Ships* series, which draw heavily on Norse mythology and themes of life cycles. These sculptures demonstrate Vallien’s ability to manipulate glass to create diverse optical effects, from frosty opacity to striking transparency.
Exhibition consultant Douglas Heller noted that Vallien’s freedom to move between commercial and studio art has significantly reshaped the global glass landscape. Vallien’s enduring partnership with Kosta Boda, a brand with nearly 300 years of history, remains a central pillar of his professional practice.
Starman is open to the public at the Robert Lehman Gallery at UrbanGlass through June 7. 2026.
Bertil Vallien’s influence on contemporary glass is defined by his development of sand-casting, a process where molten glass is poured into a sand mould. This technique allowed for a new level of narrative and structural complexity in the medium, cementing his status as a leading figure in Scandinavian design.
•Featured image: “Resting Head I”/mymodernmet.com
