Klaus Moje: Painting with Glass

A major force in the international studio glass movement, Klaus Moje has pushed the expressive and technical possibilities of glass for more than five decades. In this comprehensive, 30-year survey, the Museum of Arts and Design traced the progression of Moje’s work, from his early carved crystal glass pieces to his intricately patterned vessels of layered glass to his recent multi-panel fused works. Moje’s work is an exploration of color—the kind of saturated, luminescent color that is only possible with glass—and his works of fused glass are elaborate, abstract arrangements of brilliant hues. He chose early in his career to work with a standardized set of reductive shapes—the circle, the square—that invoke the historic form of a functional shallow bowl. In later years, he occasionally expanded his repertoire to include simple cylinders and boxes, and most recently, flat panels. Within this fairly rigid format, he has experimented with dramatic color contrasts and with geometric and abstract patterns to create a body of work that is exceptional in its richness and beauty.

Klaus Moje featured 68 objects, including a new large-scale mural made specifically for this exhibition as well as many never-before-shown works from private collections. The exhibition illustrated the dominant shapes and aesthetics of the artist’s work and reflected his unparalleled contributions to the field of glass art.

Klaus Moje: Painting With Glass is made possible, in part, through the generous support of the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass; Bullseye Glass Company, Portland, Oregon; Susan Steinhauser and Daniel Greenberg; and private donors. Paint for the installation was generously donated by Farrow & Ball. The exhibition was organized by The Portland Art Museum and curated by Bruce Guenther, Chief Curator and Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at The Portland Art Museum.