Synopsis "Jeff Zimmerman (in English)"
This first monograph on the work of American master glassmaker Jeff Zimmerman examines both his sculptures and functional pieces and provides an overview of his breadth of technique and creative vision. Drawing inspiration from natural forms and employing advanced glassblowing techniques, Zimmerman's illuminated sculptures evoke branches, petals and waves. These organic forms are combined with human accidents, like crushing and splattering, embracing the quality of unpredictability inherent to the glassblowing process. Works such as "Biomorphic Bubble," "Rain Drop," "Vine" and "Serpentine" create fantastic and new formal possibilities for glass, while staying true to the traditions and techniques of old-world Italian glassmakers. This book includes previously unpublished photographs of works created throughout his career, as well as interiors featuring his custom light fixtures, vases and sconces installed in exhibitions, private homes, corporate offices and foundations in France, Belgium, Switzerland, England, Italy, Korea and throughout the United States. A student of the classical Venetian technique of glassmaking, Jeff Zimmerman (born 1968) studied with Italian technicians such as Lino Tagliapietro and Pino Signoretto as well as contemporary artists such as Maya Lin, Kiki Smith and Ann Hamilton. A member of several glassmaking collectives, most notably The B Team, Zimmerman has worked in studios both domestic and abroad. His solo work first came to attention in 1999, when his Anthropology Museum of the Future, a sculptural installation featuring glass fetish pieces under a black light, was displayed at the Robert Lehman Gallery in Brooklyn. Since then, Zimmerman's work has been featured in the permanent collections of the Corning Museum of Glass, New York, and the Boghossian Foundation, Belgium, as well as private collections worldwide. He currently lives and works in New York.
