Gaffers and Protégés

11 September - 4 October
Pink Tahiti by Peter Layton (image by Alick Cotterill)

A gaffer leads the making at the furnace while a protégé is an artist shaped by a mentor - the skilled hands at the furnace around whom the whole team moves. A protégé is something broader: an artist whose career has been shaped, encouraged, and enabled by a mentor who saw their potential early. For Peter Layton, these two roles are inseparable from how he works and who he is.

The works that define London Glassblowing - Burano, Paradiso, Glacier, Tahiti, and more - were brought to life through decades of collaboration with a remarkable group of British glass artists. Some came to Peter at the very start of their careers; others grew alongside him over the years that followed. Many have gone on to earn international recognition.

Echoes of Future Ghosts by Anthony Scala (image by Alick Cotterill)

This exhibition brings them together again. Louis Thompson and Bruce Marks, still at the heart of the studio after more than twenty years, return to work on significant Peter Layton series - Louis on wall pieces, Bruce on painterly works including Pink Tahiti and Pointillist. Elliot Walker and Layne Rowe, now working from their own studios, revisit the Peter Layton pieces they helped realise, among them Burano-inspired forms. Tim Rawlinson and Anthony Scala, both given their first professional opportunity by Peter, present works drawing on their skills in coldworking. James Devereux and Liam Reeves, the most recent collaborators, reflect the continually evolving nature of Peter's sculptural practice.

Giraffe Head by Bruce Marks (image by Ester Segarra)

Peter has also personally selected favourite works from each artist's career to be revisited for this show - pieces that mark the full arc of fifty years of making glass together.

Exhibiting Artists: Peter Layton, Tim Rawlinson, Anthony Scala, Bruce Marks, Elliot Walker, James Devereux, Layne Rowe, Liam Reeves, Louis Thompson

Exhibiting Artists

Bruce Marks
Bruce Marks
Louis Thompson
Louis Thompson
Elliot Walker
Elliot Walker
Layne Rowe
Layne Rowe
Liam Reeves
Liam Reeves
James Devereux
James Devereux
Anthony Scala
Anthony Scala
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Our Stories

Peter and Tim at the annual Glass Art Society Conference

Peter and Tim at the annual Glass Art Society Conference

Ahead of their trip to New York for the annual Glass Art Society Conference at the Corning Museum of Glass, Peter and Tim shared an insightful talk with guests at our gallery. In this special preview of the presentation they would go on to deliver at the world-renowned museum, Peter and Tim looked back on more than fifty years of craftsmanship and community. From there, they headed to Corning, New York, for the conference itself.

Our Glass Community Reflect on Peter Layton

Our Glass Community Reflect on Peter Layton

To mark fifty years of London Glassblowing, we asked artists, collaborators and friends to share what the studio has meant to them. Their answers span five decades - from first encounters at the hotshop to lifelong friendships. What emerges is a portrait of a community built around one man's vision, and the remarkable things that vision made possible.

Fifty Years of Fire: Celebrating Peter Layton and London Glassblowing

Fifty Years of Fire: Celebrating Peter Layton and London Glassblowing

For half a century, London Glassblowing has transformed contemporary glass art - pioneering new techniques, supporting generations of artists, and establishing a studio at the forefront of innovation. This milestone year offers a moment to reflect, to reminisce, and to celebrate the extraordinary impact that has helped shape the world of glass.