Frantisek Vizner Biography
František Vízner (1936-2011) received his training at the renowned glass schools of Nový Bor and Železný Brod before completing his studies at the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague. After graduating, he was initially employed as a glass designer at Sklo Union in Teplice and later worked with hot-shaped artistic glass at the Center of Artistic and Craft Glassworks in Škrdlovice. In 1975, Vízner abandoned the Czechoslovakian glass industry to pursue a successful career as an independent artist, specializing in studio glass cutting.
Throughout his career, Vízner created harmonious geometric objects that radiated internal tension. Although his pieces are based on the functional forms of bowls and plates, their pure and simple forms can be better understood as non-functional sculptures. These compact, timeless shapes highlight Vizner's attention to proportion, his admiration for the material glass and, above all, the high quality of the craftsmanship. No single detail can compromise the harmony and rationality of his objects. His work hides a passion that reveals itself only gradually.
Vízner's extraordinary works, with their clean, articulate lines and deep, vibrant colors, continue to amaze collectors around the world and are represented in major museum collections, including the Museum of Applied Arts and Crafts in Prague, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Musée des Arts décoratifs in Paris, the Corning Museum of Glass and many others.
