Vase thumbnail 1
Vase thumbnail 2

Vase

2011 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Mieke Groot has been one of the leading glass makers in the Netherlands for several decades. She uses complicated multi-layered enamel techniques on simple blown vase forms.
Helmut Ricke, former Director of the Kunstmuseum, Düsseldorf, has characterised her work:
'Mieke Groot is concerned with the vase as a timeless, "classical" carrier of expression and meaning.... The artist has placed all of her emphasis on the exterior, the shell of the undefined inner life. The enamel, applied in layers and fired in several stages, develops the cracked and torn structure that makes the objects so fascinating". (in: The Glass Skin, Corning, Hokkaido, Düsseldorf, 1998, p.60)
In most of Mieke's works of the first decade of the 21st century, the shiny transparent glass surface is almost completely covered with an enamel skin. The V&A has an example of this period in the collection, dating from 2002 (C.37-2002).
In her latest work Mieke has allowed larger areas of the glass to remain transparent. With its simple shapes and strong, geometrical decorations this work harks back to Dutch design from the early 20th century, such as Leerdam glass from the 1920s and 30s and the aesthetics of the 'de Stijl' movement around Gerrit Rietveld and Theo van Doesburg.

Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Clear pinkish glass, blown, sandblasted and enamelled
Brief description
Vase, elongated, bulbous, pinkish glass, blown, sandblasted and partly enemelled in black, Mieke Groot, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2011.
Physical description
Vase, elongated, bulbous, made of pinkish transparent glass with a small circular base and opening; the surface is sand-blasted matte and half of it is covered with a dense pattern of splatters in shiny, raised black enamel.
Dimensions
  • Height: 29cm
  • Diameter: 19.5cm
provided by the maker
Gallery label
(5/3/14)
Mieke Groot (born 1949)
Untitled
2011

With its simple shapes and strong, geometrical decoration, Mieke Groot’s recent work harks back to Dutch design from the early 20th century and the aesthetics of the radically modernist ‘de Stijl’ movement.
The clear un-touched areas of the glass are in stark contrast with the enamel which she applies in layers, fired in several stages, to develop a cracked and torn surface.

Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Glass blank blown by Richard Price
Hand-blown glass, enamelled and sand-blasted

Museum no. C. 101-2011. Anonymous gift

Credit line
Anonymous gift
Object history
The vase was first shown in Paris at the Clara Scremini Gallery (from 20th September 2011) and subsequently at Clara's stand at Art and Design Berkeley Square in London (from 10th October 2011) where we acquired it.
Summary
Mieke Groot has been one of the leading glass makers in the Netherlands for several decades. She uses complicated multi-layered enamel techniques on simple blown vase forms.
Helmut Ricke, former Director of the Kunstmuseum, Düsseldorf, has characterised her work:
'Mieke Groot is concerned with the vase as a timeless, "classical" carrier of expression and meaning.... The artist has placed all of her emphasis on the exterior, the shell of the undefined inner life. The enamel, applied in layers and fired in several stages, develops the cracked and torn structure that makes the objects so fascinating". (in: The Glass Skin, Corning, Hokkaido, Düsseldorf, 1998, p.60)
In most of Mieke's works of the first decade of the 21st century, the shiny transparent glass surface is almost completely covered with an enamel skin. The V&A has an example of this period in the collection, dating from 2002 (C.37-2002).
In her latest work Mieke has allowed larger areas of the glass to remain transparent. With its simple shapes and strong, geometrical decorations this work harks back to Dutch design from the early 20th century, such as Leerdam glass from the 1920s and 30s and the aesthetics of the 'de Stijl' movement around Gerrit Rietveld and Theo van Doesburg.
Bibliographic reference
The Corning Museum of Glass, 2012. 'New Glass Review 33. The Corning Museum of Glass', New York, p. 108.
Collection
Accession number
C.101-2011

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Record createdNovember 28, 2011
Record URL
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