Sfida
Artist
Toots Zynsky
(American, born 1951)
CultureAmerican
Date2008
MediumFilet de verre (fused and thermoformed glass threads)
DimensionsOverall: 14 1/2 x 20 1/2 x 13 5/8 in. (36.8 x 52.1 x 34.6 cm)
Base: 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm)
Base: 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm)
Inscribed"Z" on the bottom of the vase.
Credit LineMuseum purchase and gift of Barry Friedman Ltd.
Object number2008.13
Not on view
Description'Filet de Verre' fused and thermo-formed glass threads. Sfida is a vessel shaped with fused glass threads and has several folds and undulations to create a flower-like form. Grounded in a dark earthy brown color at the base, the hue gradates to a vibrant red as the eye travels upwards toward the rim of the vessel. Using Italian glass canes, in which the colors are compatible with one another, Zynsky employs a threading machine developed for her by Dutch designer Mathijs Teunissen van Manen. Hundreds of these threads are painstakingly laid out, fused together, and then slumped into molds. Repeating the slumping process several times for one vessel is common, and to further achieve her vision, Zynsky will put on gloves and sculpt the vessel while warm in the annealing oven.Label TextToots Zynsky American, b. 1951 Sfida, 2008 Filet de verre (fused and thermoformed glass threads) Saturated with color, this organic sculpture celebrates the luminosity and fluidity of glass. Sfida rises up like a hothouse flower with expressive red undulations that are vivid and intense. The title of the work means “to dare or defy” and “to be brave” in Italian, reflecting the attitude of an artist who continually challenges herself and the technical aspects of the material. Museum purchase and gift of Barry Friedman Ltd. 2008.13ProvenanceThe artist, Barry Friedman Ltd., New York, 2008; The Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia, Museum Purchase, 12/04/2008. Exhibition HistoryBarry Friedman Gallery, 2008 SOFA Chicago, 2008 "Women of the Chrysler: a 400-Year Celebration of the Arts," Large Changing Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., March 24 - July 18, 2010. Published ReferencesTina Oldknow, Rachel Berwick, Mieke Groot and Dante Morioni, _New Glass Review 30_ (Corning: The Corning Museum of Glass, 2009), 111,116, 117, 123, 126. ISBN: 978-0-87290-173-5 Diane C. Wright (editor), _Glass Masterworks from the Chrysler Museum of Art_ (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2017), pg. 190-191.
3rd century - 2nd century B.C.
