AFA 20th Anniversary

20th Anniversary 134 www.afamag.com |  www.incollect.com Museum of American Art, and the Andy Warhol Museum. He made his mark in the art world by d ramat ic a l ly expand ing t he permanent collections of the Whitney Museum between 1974 and 1990. Wh i le he loved mid-20t h- c ent u r y American Abstract Expressionism, Armstrong focused his personal collection on works— Steuben glass, animal bronzes, and natural prints—that did not conflict with the collec- tions of the museums he directed. The first Steuben object he acquired was a classically inspired Gold Aurene vase, similar to the one shown on the right in Figure 9. During the 1990s and early 2000s, Armstrong collected more Steuben works. He created visual con- versations between the glass, artwork, and furnishings in his and his wife’s New York apartment and summer home. They saw the glass as both functional and artistic, using it when entertaining (see fig. 3). These shimmering Gold Aurene vases reflect how Steuben Glass Works and other American and European art glass companies responded to popular interest in gla ss unearthed during nineteenth- and early twentieth-century archaeological excavations; the ancient objects had become iridescent as a result of being buried in the ground for centuries. To meet demand, glass companies developed their own chemically crafted versions of iridescent glass. Consumers loved the swirling Art Nouveau style, classical forms, and movement-filled colors of this lustrous glassware. Such popularity helped Steuben establish its reputation as a manufacturer of beautifully designed and handcrafted luxury art glass. Consumer interest also inspired Carder to create some of his most brilliant glass colors. He patented his iridescent Gold Aurene in 1904 and introduced Blue Aurene in 1905, the latter achieved by adding cobalt to the Gold Aurene formula (Fig. 4). This Blue Aurene vase is a prime example of the extraordinary quality of Steuben’s craftsmanship and design. The handles were pulled from the molten sphere of the vase body into a shape with classical references. The hot glass was then Fig. 4: Blue Aurene vase with pulled handles, ca. 1920–33, engraved “Aurene 2766,” iridized handblown glass (2018.20.39). Fig. 5: Plum Jade Chang vase, ca. 1924–33, unmarked, shape 6112, handblown, double acid-etched, cased glass (2018.20.60A).