The Pforzheimer Collection includes works from more than 90 of the most influential glass artists working today
SALEM, MA — The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) is pleased to announce that it has received a generous and inspiring gift of the glass collection of New York-based philanthropists, Betty and Carl Pforzheimer. The Carl and Betty Pforzheimer Collection contains over 200 works of international studio glass and 40 pieces of historic European and American glass. This acquisition significantly expands PEM’s noted historic glass collection while celebrating the extraordinary aesthetic possibilities that the combination of sand and fire achieves. Selections from this collection, which is remarkable for the diversity of form, scale and technique, will go on view in PEM’s Native American and American Art galleries in the coming year. In 2024, the collection will be featured in the new Pforzheimer Gallery.
“Betty and Carl Pforzheimer have assembled an astounding collection, featuring the work of more than 90 artists, many of whom will be represented in PEM's collection for the first time,” said Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, PEM’s Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Executive Director and CEO. “The Pforzheimers’ generous donation of works and companion funding establishes PEM as an important destination for experiencing this remarkable medium and also assures the long term accessibility, care and scholarship of the Pforzheimer Collection for generations to come.”
The first glass work that the Pforzheimers collected was Cattail Swamp, a Mark Peiser paperweight vase made in 1979. The couple had stepped into the Contemporary Art Glass Gallery, dealer Doug Heller’s first gallery in New York, and purchased the vase on the spot. This was the beginning of their appreciation of the emerging art glass movement. To further their knowledge, the Pforzheimers worked closely with the Heller Gallery and other dealers over the years. Carl Pforzheimer even trained in the art of glassblowing at UrbanGlass in New York to understand how the complex and delicate pieces are made. Today, the collection has grown to feature many notable works, including over 40 works by Italian-born, international glass master, Lino Tagliapietra. The range of Tagliapietra's work represented in this collection is superlative and enhanced by the deep ongoing friendship between the couple and the artist and his family.
IMAGE CREDITS
- A selection of works by Harvey Littleton, Toots Zynsky and James Watkins, in the couple’s New York home, 2021. Photo by Sarah Chasse/PEM.
- Lino Tagliapietra, Florencia, 2019. Blown glass. 25"H x 10 1/2"W x 9 1/2”L. 2022.6.190.1-3. Gift of Carl and Betty Pforzheimer. Courtesy of the Artist. Photo © Russell Johnson.
ABOUT THE PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM
Over the last 20 years, the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) has distinguished itself as one of the fastest-growing art museums in North America. Founded in 1799, it is also the country’s oldest continuously operating museum. At its heart is a mission to enrich and transform people's lives by broadening their perspectives, attitudes and knowledge of themselves and the wider world. PEM celebrates outstanding artistic and cultural creativity through exhibitions, programming and special events that emphasize cross-cultural connections, integrate past and present and underscore the vital importance of creative expression. The museum's collection is among the finest of its kind boasting superlative works from around the globe and across time — including American art and architecture, Asian export art, photography, maritime art and history, Native American, Oceanic, and African art, as well as one of the nation’s most important museum-based collections of rare books and manuscripts. PEM's campus offers a varied and unique visitor experience with hands-on creativity zones, interactive opportunities and performance spaces. Twenty-two noted historic structures grace PEM’s campus, including Yin Yu Tang, a 200-year-old Chinese house that is the only example of Chinese domestic architecture on display in the United States. HOURS: Open Thursdays, Saturdays & Sundays, 10 am–5 pm, and Fridays 10 am–7 pm. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. ADMISSION: Adults $20; seniors $18; students $12. Members, youth 16 and under and residents of Salem enjoy free general admission. INFO: Call 866-745-1876 or visit pem.org.
MEDIA CONTACT
Whitney Van Dyke | Director of Marketing & Communications | whitney_vandyke@pem.org | 978-542-1828