PUBLICATIONS Inside Illinois Vol. 25, No. 11, Dec 1, 2005

KAM exhibition shares emeritus professors’ love of contemporary glass

By Liz deAvila, News Bureau Intern

Click photo to enlarge Photo by Larry Kanfer Brilliant Jon and Judith Liebman, UI professors emeritus of engineering, have loaned the Krannert Art Museum 31 pieces of their comtemporary glass art collection for its exhibition, “Eye, Form, Symbol.” The exhibition, on view through Dec. 31, is the first of its size at the museum to feature only contemporary glass sculpture.

Jon and Judith Liebman, UI professors emeritus of engineering, began collecting contemporary glass art 20 years ago. What started out as finding an attractive centerpiece for their dining room table has turned into a contemporary glass art collection with an estimated 120 pieces, featuring a variety of glass artists and techniques.

The Krannert Art Museum has 31 of those pieces on display in the exhibition “Eye, Form, Symbol: The Jon and Judith Liebman Collection of Contemporary Sculpture in Glass.” The exhibition will be on view through Dec. 31, with a planned Second Sunday Gallery Tour at 1 p.m. Dec. 11 led by the Liebmans.

“Eye, Form, Symbol” is the first exhibition of its size at the museum to feature only contemporary glass sculpture. Curator Michael W. Conner noted in the exhibition catalog that each piece in the exhibition was chosen either for its eye-catching radiance, its bold sculptural form, or its imaginative use of symbols.

When looking for a piece to add to the collection, “We place a high priority on creativity,” the Liebmans said. “We have tried to make the collection diverse in many dimensions.”

The couple has traveled the world, visiting art galleries and glass shows in search of unique and innovative glass art. The long list of countries where the Liebmans have purchased glass art includes Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Luxemburg and Sweden.

“People who are collecting glass … it is a disease,” Jon said. “You get attracted to glass, no matter what.”

The Liebmans said they realized they were glass collectors after owning five or six pieces. Judith said it was a trip she and Jon made to Providence, R.I., to visit a glass artist’s studio in the early 1990s, that convinced her.

“I remember thinking we were flying to the East Coast just to go to an artist’s studio,” she said, laughing. “What are we doing? We must be collecting.”

Click photo to enlarge Photo by L. Brian Stauffer William Carlson, Prägnanz Series (1988), granite and glass laminated with Vitrolite and industrial safety glass

Although the Liebmans said they have slowed down since they first started, they do not have plans to stop collecting any time soon. With so many pieces, it’s hard to imagine the Liebmans could appreciate each one equally, but both said it would be impossible to choose even a few favorites from their collection.

“I could choose a favorite piece, but by the time you print the article it won’t be my favorite piece,” Jon said. “It changes day to day.”

Judith added that glass is more than just a three-dimensional sculpture.

“It also has an interior,” she said. “It brings you in, and depending on your mood, you’re brought into different things.”

Click photo to enlarge Photo by L. Brian Stauffer Rick Beck, “Butterfly and Pin” (1999), cast glass and steel

From sculptures up to 5 feet tall to only 2 1/2 inches high, the Liebmans own just about every type of contemporary glass art imaginable. Their most valuable glass sculpture is “Mountain Lion” from the Canopic Jar Series of world-renowned glass artist William Morris. Made in 1993, it has a lid in the shape of a mountain lion head and measures just over 2 feet high. The Liebmans would not say how much they paid for the piece, but said it’s probably worth 10 times that amount now.

“These pieces made his reputation,” Jon said. “He was a star before; these made him a superstar.”

Another important piece is “Rectangular Cube Space,” by Stanislav Libensky and Jaroslava Brychtova. The Czech couple, better known as Libensky/Brychtova, made the uncommonly shaped piece in 1994 from mold-cast glass.

“It’s not nearly as valuable (as the Canopic Jar), but historically it’s very important,” Jon said.

Having been on the UI faculty from 1972 to 1996, the Liebmans own several pieces by glass artists with a connection to campus. Among them is former art and design professor William Carlson’s “Prägnanz Series,” made of glass, granite and industrial safety glass. Pieces by university graduates Paul Nelson and Jon Wolfe also are on display at the museum.

While at the UI, Jon worked in environmental and civil engineering and served as head of the department of civil engineering from 1978-1984. Judith taught operations and research in mechanical and industrial engineering and was vice chancellor for research and dean of the graduate college from 1986-1992.

The Liebmans said sharing their glass collection has been a way to give back to the place they have spent most of their professional careers. Eventually their entire glass art collection will be donated to the Krannert Art Museum. which Jon said did a “superb” job lighting and displaying the exhibit.

Kathleen Harleman, Krannert Art Museum director, said the museum was fortunate to have a broad cross-section of the Liebman’s collection on loan, and that previous gifts from them have enriched the museum’s permanent art collection.

“Judith and Jon Liebman’s passion for contemporary glass is palpable,” Harleman said. “They live with glass, inform themselves about the medium, and share their fine objects and knowledge with an ever growing community.”

Back to Index