The Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass: Gallery Member Profile

The Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass - Gallery Member Profile: London Glassblowing

The Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass is a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to further the development and appreciation of art made from glass.

The Alliance informs collectors, critics and curators by encouraging and supporting museum exhibitions, university glass departments and specialised teaching programs, regional collector groups, visits to private collections, and public seminars.

It is almost 50 years since Peter Layton founded his London Glassblowing Workshop in a 19th century towage works beside the Thames at Rotherhithe. Imagine a Dickensian alley leading to the Mayflower pub, built on the spot where the pilgrim fathers first set sail for the Americas.  In 1976 you might have stumbled upon his fledgling studio, the first of its kind in the UK.  

1979, Peter and Norman Stuart Clarke at the studio in Rotherhithe

Peter was introduced to glassblowing while teaching Ceramics in the USA during the swinging sixties, just as the Studio Glass Movement was gathering momentum.  He formed friendships with some of its pioneering figures - Harvey Littleton, Marvin Lipofsky and Richard Marquis, as well as exhibiting in major ceramic sculpture exhibitions, in San Francisco with Mel Ramos and at the Art Institute of Chicago with Viola Frey.   In 1968, he returned to the UK on the crest of a wave and full of enthusiasm for this exciting ‘new’ medium.

Following some involvement with Sam Herman, a former student of Littleton’s, who had brought small furnace technology to the Royal Collect of Art in the UK, Peter found a derelict building that became his own workshop and began producing studio glass, at a time when there was little or no market for it.    Such Craft Galleries that existed were preoccupied with the burgeoning British Ceramic Art scene.

Born in Prague in 1937, his Austrian father was working there for a glass factory - Inwald, a refugee at the age of two, he was brought up in Bradford in Yorkshire, where his grandfather was the City Pathologist, later becoming the oldest practising doctor in the country just as Layton himself, is now one of the oldest practising Glass Artists in the world.

Initially London Glassblowing made its name by iridising so as to achieve a colour palette that would glow without fancy lighting, in the hope that galleries would exhibit his work.  It was tough and Layton continued teaching Ceramics at Art Colleges to support the studio in the initial years.

1980s, group of iridised work

During the 1990’s Layton undertook a number of major architectural commissions for public spaces, notably a series of large metal and glass sculptures for Cruise Lines including Royal Caribbean, Princess and Saga.   

The studio has come a long way since its humble beginnings in Rotherhithe.  Moving first to the old London Leathermarket and latterly to its present splendid location on vibrant Bermondsey Street, around the corner from the Shard at London Bridge.  This location has become a destination with its celebrity chef-owned restaurants and major art galleries, the White Cube and Zandra Rhodes’ Fashion and Textile Museum.  

Throughout these five decades, Peter Layton has sought to nurture emerging talent and his mission has always been to promote this magical medium.  To this end he has chaired British Artists in Glass, the Contemporary Glass Society, produced a number of books about glass including, in 1996, an informative survey titled Glass Art, published by A&C Black.

Makers have come and gone, some staying many years, such as Louis Thompson, Layne Rowe, Anthony Scala and more recently Tim Rawlinson, who he hopes will continue to run the studio and gallery in Bermondsey Street in the future.   The gallery also exhibits work by such luminaries as Colin Reid, David Reekie, Dr Heike Brachlow, James Devereux/Katie Huskie, Sabrina Cant and Nina CassonMcGarva.

Peter Layton and Tim Rawlinson in our studio

Over the years Layton has favoured organic, tactile forms that function within a controlled asymmetry.  Many pieces are acid etched to matte their surface.   A flair for colour, in turn striking and vibrant, or subtle and delicate is evident throughout his oeuvre.   He employs a painterly approach with swirling colours and textures that make organic patterns such as rock strata or dramatic landscapes.   Some, taking their inspiration from hero figures like Hokkusai, Monet, Van Gogh or Hockney, the result of collaborations with important museums such as the National Gallery or the Royal Academy.

At the age of 87 he continues to be active in the studio, orchestrating the creation of his own work.   He runs an open and accessible studio/gallery, the key to its continuing success is its consistent creativity and constant evolution.    It is one of the few places in the UK where visitors can view the very best of British Contemporary Glass Art in a bright welcoming atmosphere, and watch the magical alchemical making processes in the studio beyond.