1970s Robert C. Fritz Green Art Glass Vase

Description

Robert C. Fritz Glass - Description

A pioneer to the studio glass movement, Robert C. Fritz is a distinguished and … more Robert C. Fritz Glass - Description

A pioneer to the studio glass movement, Robert C. Fritz is a distinguished and accomplished blown glass artist. He spent his career learning from the greatest glassmakers, including Harvey Littleton, and mentoring inspiring glassmaking students. Fritz is known for his creative mind and viewing glass more than dishware but a piece of art. His collections can be viewed in the Smithsonian, Renwick Gallery, and other parts of the world including, Europe and Japan.


Robert C. Fritz Glass - History

Robert Fritz was born in 1920 in Toledo, Ohio. He attended San Jose State University and graduated in 1956 with a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees. Fritz returned to Ohio, receiving his Ph.D. from Ohio State University. His interest in glassmaking sparked upon graduating and noticing the nature of the glass industry. During Fritz's early career as a young artist, glass blowing was performed mainly in factories to make practical items. He envisioned that blown glass could be used as small household objects for decoration and functional purposes.


Harvey Littleton, a well-known glassmaker, invited Fritz to the University of Wisconsin to participate in a four-week glass seminar. The studio glass movement began in 1962 when Littleton and Dominic Labino held a workshop at the Toledo Museum of Art. Fritz was at the forefront of the studio glass movement and was heavily influenced by his time as a Littleton student.


After years of studying glass, Fritz made his way back to California and started the glass department at San Jose State University. His program was one of the first glassmaking programs taught at a University in America. Fritz, along with George Jerich, also created the California Glass Exchange, a web-based exchange of glass art ideas.


Fritz is remembered for his dedication to teaching and learning art. He was a great mentor to many students who learned under him at San Jose. The students called him "Dr. Bob." Fritz died in San Jose, California, in 1986. He is memorialized through a scholarship in his name for students seeking to learn the art of glassmaking.


Fritz's work included complicated techniques that can only be performed by the best glassblowers. He created decorative bowls and vessels with these techniques. Most of his glass ranges from transparent to a translucent color. Fritz experimented with a variety of colors and patterns in his glass. These colors were embedded into clear glass. The colors were added while blowing the central glass. The shapes of his vases include symmetrical to asymmetrical designs that were popular during the studio glass movement.


Pieces of art made from 1960 to the 1980s by Fritz are impressed with his signature at the bottom. His signature is FRITZ in print. less