In conversation with Kunstpalast Düsseldorf: glass as a contemporary witness of art

Dedo von Kerssenbrock-Krosigk is the Director of the glass collection at Kunstpalast Düsseldorf, Germany. He appreciates the exchange and stage glasstec provides, not only because of its spatial proximity. In this interview we talk about his experiences with glasstec, exciting pieces from the glass collection and also look ahead into the future of glass art and discover which piece in the collection is his personal favourite.

Kunstpalast was represented at glasstec 2024. What did you think of the event and how do you think it has contributed to promoting glass culture?

Dedo von Krosigk: “Thanks to the great support of glasstec, the Kunstpalast’s glass collection has already been represented with a stand at the trade fair for a very long time. Last year it proved more difficult for us than usual since the re-opening of our collection at Kunstpalast after a 3-year renovation of the entire museum complex was scheduled almost exactly one month after glasstec. The other way round, i.e. reopening before glasstec, would have been wonderful – then we would have been able to encourage trade fair visitors to also pay a visit to the freshly renovated museum. Either way, the participation is always a highlight for us. The fact that one of the most important glass museum collections in Europe and the most important glass technology trade fairs in the world are located so close to each other basically cries out for cooperation.

What’s especially beneficial and important though is that the trade fair provides the glass training centres with a forum. After all, glass culture would not have a future if there were no skilled workers left to technically and artistically put this into practice. Maybe training centres and operations from abroad could be motivated to come here – such as the colleges in Kamenický Senov and Nový Bor, the Czech Republic, Kramsach in Austria, Sunderland, UK…? If international exchanges like this could be attracted to Düsseldorf, the trade fair would be even more attractive for young people looking for career guidance – but equally so for small and large companies featured at the trade fair looking for young talent.

What did I think of the trade fair? On my tour, which, of course, never covers everything, I always feel like I’m in wonderland – as if intoxicated by the many aspects of glass scarcely mirrored in our museum’s collection if at all.”

The glass collection covers many centuries. What are the oldest pieces in the collection and what story do they tell?

Dedo von Krosigk: “We assume that the history of glass art began around 1500 BC, in the late Bronze Age. In our glass collection we have three little decorative pins from Egypt, which could date back to the period around 1300 BC, i.e. very close to the beginnings. Their colours are still as fresh as the day they were worn as jewellery. These and all of the subsequent exhibits in our exhibition put us immediately in touch with those people who lived and thought differently to us today. How did they see this glass object? Can it still shed light on all this? And does this tell us something about the people living back then? Questions like this are an exciting challenge when observing these works.”

How do you see the future of glass art and design?

Dedo von Krosigk: “The Kunstpalast’s glass collection awards the international ‘Jutta Cuny Franz Memorial Prize’. Every two years we present this award with € 10,000 prize money to an artist who makes significant use of glass in their work. Before the jury meetings I always ask myself the same question: Will there be anything new among the submissions or have we reached the point where the artistic possibilities of glass have been exhausted? Actually, our jury has never been disappointed. From this experience I’m not worried about the future. Instead, new challenges as well as restrictions will boost creativity.”

Which is your favourite piece in the collection and why?

Dedo von Krosigk: “Today, for instance, I held a Roman vase in my hands, which could have been made 1800 years later by British avantgarde designer Christopher Dresser in the late 19th century. It might be ‘just’ a vase but two glass threads incredibly skilfully wrapped around it give this work a timelessly modern profile oozing with suspense and expression. Let’s see what jumps out at me tomorrow.”

And to conclude: If you were to describe glass in three words, what would they be?

Dedo von Krosigk: “The first art material or coloured, transparent, fragile or antique, timeless, modern or vase, window, display… But actually three words aren’t needed: ingenious already sums it up in just one.”