NORTH ADAMS, MASS.- Over a lifetime, Frederick Birkhill has explored the unique qualities of glass and the numerous techniques and intricacies of working with it. The result of these decades of study is a body of work that is extraordinary in scope, technical expertise, and sheer virtuosity. The Artist Book Foundation announced the publication in September 2020 of a new monograph honoring this gifted artist:
Glassworks: The Art of Frederick Birkhill.
From his time in England at Burleighfield House, the studio of stained-glass artist Patrick Reyntiens, to his unprecedented visit to Lauscha, the village in East Germany famous for both its art and scientific glass production, and to his subsequent career as an explorer, teacher, and master of the glass arts, Birkhill has devoted himself to furthering the appreciation of the medium and sharing his vast experience with colleagues, collectors, and students. His works appear in numerous museum collections, including those of The Corning Museum of Glass, the Museum of Arts and Design, the Mint Museum, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Smithsonian.
The book will feature scholarly contributions by Samantha De Tillio, assistant curator at the Museum of Arts and Design; Dr. Dedo von Kerssenbrock-Krosogk, the director of Glasmuseum Hentrich Stiftung, Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Germany; Amy Schwartz, director of The Studio at The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York; and Stuart Reid and Dr. Doreen Balabanoff, artists, architectural designers, and professors of environmental design at OCAD University in Toronto, Canada. An extensive plate section will include the lavish photography of Henry Leutwyler, showcasing the complex details and artistic mastery of Birkhill’s oeuvre. In addition, the monograph will offer a glossary of glass-art terms, a detailed chronology of the artist’s life, his extensive exhibition history, and a list of the numerous awards he has received. For those who are passionate about the glass arts, this monograph will be a feast for the eyes.
