Richard Price – Fluid Mastery

This fall, Museum JAN is celebrating its 35th anniversary with a retrospective exhibition of Richard Price (1960, UK), one of the most important glass artists in the Netherlands. “Liquid Mastery” presents a broad overview of his blown and cast glass art, from early works to recent creations. In addition to highlights from Museum JAN’s permanent collection, the exhibition features hidden treasures from private collections that are being shown to the general public for the first time.

Price graduated from the glass department of the Gerrit Rietveld Academy (now The Large Glass Department) in the late 1980s, where he initially focused on cast glass sculptures. After graduating, he traveled the world and collaborated with international masters such as Andries Copier, Dale Chihuly, and Lino Tagliapietra, from whom he learned the finer points of the craft. Back in the Netherlands, he developed into one of the country’s finest glassblowers. He has had a profound impact on Dutch glass art—not only through his own work but also through his long-standing role at the iconic Glasblazerij Tetterode and his collaborations with leading artists such as Mieke Groot and Richard Meitner.

Thailand as a Spiritual Home

The exhibition offers a unique journey through his body of work, with his unparalleled craftsmanship in diverse, complex techniques serving as the central theme. In his work, Price combines whimsical blown glass with solid cast glass. He draws his inspiration from people and animals—recurring motifs include fish, horses, birds, babies, and children. In addition, Price cherishes a deep love for Thailand, his spiritual home, where he has spent several months each year since 1990, working in his own studio. This influence is clearly visible: his glass sculptures are often enriched with extravagant, colorful decorations that pay homage to traditional Thai headdresses and clothing. His affinity for Buddhism is also evident in his creations.

In addition to highlights from Museum JAN’s permanent collection, “Liquid Mastery” brings together a unique selection of works from various private collections. For the public, this is a rare opportunity to admire hidden treasures that are normally kept behind closed doors. An absolute must-see for lovers of this unique craft.

A Long-Standing Relationship

Since its founding in 1991, Museum JAN (formerly Museum Jan van der Togt) has centered on glass art. The permanent collection focuses on studio glass, the international movement that emerged in the second half of the twentieth century, in which glass artists with their own furnaces were no longer dependent on craftsmen in glass factories. Supplemented by contemporary Dutch glass, the museum’s collection reflects the versatility of the craft. Richard Price has been represented from the very beginning: the museum has followed and acquired his work since the start of his career and has dedicated exhibitions to it.

It is no coincidence that this unique connection is being celebrated right now—during Museum JAN’s 35th anniversary—with a major retrospective of Price’s oeuvre. “Liquid Mastery” serves as a dual tribute: on the one hand, to a visionary artist who, like no other, reveals the unprecedented possibilities of molten glass; and on the other, to the museum itself, which has believed unconditionally in the power of this craft ever since its founding.

Photos (to be added later)

Richard Price, Untitled, 2001, blown and cast glass, photo by Erik and Petra Hesmerg

Richard Price, *Fire Storm*, 2005, photo by Richard Willebrands

Richard Price, Untitled, 2001, cast glass, photo by Eddy Wenting

Richard Price at Tetterode Studio, photos by Niculai Constantinescu