The Glass Heart: Art, Industry & Collaboration
The Glass Heart | Two Temple Place
27 January - 21 April 2024
We were honoured to exhibit Peter Layton's archived installation 'Battery' in the highly anticipated 2024 exhibition The Glass Heart. This external showcase hosted at Two Temple Place united over 100 glass artworks spanning 170 years, and included a breathtaking new installation from our own resident artist Louis Thompson in collaboration with Sophie Thomas.
The exhibition highlighted works from the historic industrial glass heartlands of Stourbridge in the Black Country and Sunderland in the North East, alongside the contemporary home of stained glass at The Stained Glass Museum in Ely. In its exploration of narratives central to glass art and manufacturing The Glass Heart celebrated the timeless skills, artistry and innovation required to work with this challenging material.
The exhibition was conceived and curated by curator and writer Antonia Harrison. Antonia Harrison said:
“As a material, glass has a particular vitality. From the molten state of its formation to the reflective and light emitting qualities of its final form, glass retains an amorphic heart. As artist Sam Herman pronounced, Glass is a dance of immediacy’.
These vital qualities lend glass its particular power as an artistic medium – one which reflects, commemorates and illuminates our human condition.”
The Glass Heart is a Two Temple Place exhibition, produced in partnership with National Glass Centre Sunderland, The Stained Glass Museum, Ely and Stourbridge Glass Museum.
Our Stories
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.
Silent Auction Stories: Staff Favourites
Our 2026 Silent Auction celebrated fifty years of glassmaking with works from Peter Layton's personal 'Highlight' collection alongside archival pieces from our resident and guest artists. The gallery team shared their favourites and the stories behind them, from a never-before-seen Fabrica platter to the smallest Portal Tim Rawlinson has ever made.
Peter Layton Receives the First-Ever Lifetime Achievement Award at Collect 2026
We are incredibly proud to announce that Peter Layton has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at Collect, and he is the very first person to receive it. Read Peter's acceptance words, reminiscing on his extraordinary career and contribution to the world of glass.