In 2000 an architectural firm was chosen to design a building to house the museum's glass collection. The Glass Pavilion opened in 2006 to critical acclaim, including a glowing review by the New York Times, comparing it to the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles.
The building showcases the museum's art glass collection, including pieces by Rene' Lalique, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and an impressive entry work (photo #5) by Dale Chihuly called Chandelier: Campiello del Remer #2. In 1996 Chihuly embarked on an ambitious installation of his monumental, multi-piece chandeliers throughout the city of Venice, Italy. This chandelier, named for its installation location, was one of 14 designed by Chihuly Over Venice. It was made in collaboration with glassmakers at the Waterford Crystal Factory in Ireland, known for their fine cut lead crystal. Chihuly later split the chandelier in two, one half going to the Kemper Museum in Kansas City (the only museum I didn't visit....) and the other to Toledo. Chihuly and his team arranged the 243 pieces in the Glass Pavilion lobby.
Photo #1 is an amazing glass piece designed for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair by Toledo's Libbey Glass Company. The table's value in 1904 was $2,500, or $40,000 today.
Photo #2 was my favorite - a work by Karen LaMonte called Dress Impression With Train. To create her life-sized glass sculptures, Karen, who works in the Czech Republic, makes a wax casting of a woman's body, then dresses it in an evening gown. She makes another mold of this clothed figure and casts it in glass. The inner cavity retains a haunting image of the body's imprint. The flowing folds of drapery, permanently captured in glass, define the sculpture's ghostly translucent exterior. Although I love Chihuly, this dress sculpture was really unique.
