Stanislav Libensky / Jaroslava Brychtova - Bird 1994, glass grey-blue, melted in mould, cut and polished, 65 x 123 x 34cm, verso signed and dated right: S. LIBENSKÝ J. BRYCHTOVÁ 1994 Provenance: - Maurine Littleton Gallery Washington, USA - private collection USA - private collection Czech Republic "Author's Certificate" from the copyright holder of S. Libensky and J. Brychtova, Mr. Jaroslav Zahradnik, enclosed. In 1983, Jaroslava Brychtova left the glass melting centre in Zelezny Brod and set up an independent studio together with her husband Stanislav Libensky, which had good facilities for the creation of melted sculptures. Their joint work reached its peak in the 1980s, during an extraordinarily fruitful period in which they realized several key sculptures (Metamorphosis, Tables, Heads and Thrones). The dominant feature of their work in the 1980s is the monumentally constructed composition of the object, where they work with shifts of surfaces, their layering and blending. The combination of polished and frosted surfaces plays a significant role, often employing a "raw" glass structure on the edges. In the visual perception, the object is modelled by the colour intensity of the transmitted light; understandably, the visual character of the sculpture changes with changing light conditions. After the Velvet Revolution in 1989, a greater internal dynamism appears in their work, most often created by a distinctive geometric cut or intervention into the mass of the sculptures (Diagonals, Spaces). Quite exceptionally, they used rounded curves to emphasize the dynamic effect (Arcus, City Silhouettes). The individual works of the artists should be understood as artistic metaphors with maximum use of the optical possibilities of glass as a construction material. Yet at the same time, the artists still strived to build sculpture as an intentional evocation of reality. The offered sculpture fulfils this author's intention to the full extent. The original abstraction of shapes preserves the clarity of a bird with outstretched wings. The masterful modelling of the sculpture with the maximum use of light penetration through different thicknesses of glass evokes the feeling of a predator levitating through space. The authorial duo Jaroslava Brychtova and Stanislav Libensky worked and lived in mutual creative synergy for fifty years. The resulting oeuvre has made a significant contribution to the formation of modern glass aesthetics. Their combined works are part of the collections of the world's most important galleries and art museums, and their work has an irreplaceable place in the history of 20th century world art.