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State of the Art

Born in Paris, brought up on the west coast of Africa… then Jeremy Maxwell Wintrebert commuted between the USA and France as an adult. Shaped by the diversity of different cultures the young artist has developed into one of the most exciting glass virtuosos of our time. He encountered the processing of liquid glass for the first time at the age of 19, and by coincidence. Fascinated by the grace and complexity of the material, which he describes as shining, dancing, dangerous, delicate, mysterious, quick, hypnotising and sensuous, Wintrebert has had only one goal since then: to become a master of glass art.

You were born in Paris, grew up in Africa, and spent most of the time since then in the USA.

How do these different experiences flow into your work?

African art is natural and archaic. It tells stories and is based on spiritual rituals. It consists of the contrast between purity and roughness, which also influences my works. I have never been attracted to European art, even though I am genetically rooted here. There are many artists who have moved me, like Bacon or Boltanski, but they don’t inspire me. I’ve never felt that I need to join this movement. My interest has always been design. Putting your entire energy into functional things that we use every day can change the meaning of an object totally. I’m very aware of which tensions proportions, colours or texture generate, and I don’t like it if things are too obvious and labelled.

Why should a coffee table not be a ‚piece of art‘ at the same time?

I like it when people ask me: „Is that a vase?“ I know then that I’ve transcended the conventional.

How did you career start?

I travelled from glassworks to glassworks;, everywhere that I could gather experiences that would one day enable me to express myself.

I discovered that crafts are my biggest artistic inspiration. I have not succeeded in breaking into the glass world yet, but my interest lies in something completely different. I would like to take hand-blown glass to where it hasn’t been until now: into the design world. For that I have to constantly refine my techniques, which is a real life’s work. I have the feeling of only having scratched the surface of my possibilities. So I can’t claim to be a master.

What excites you particularly about working with glass?

When I look into the oven, I see another world, filled with dreams and possibilities. Please describe Jeremy Wintrebert in five words. Understanding, stubborn, open, glowing, childish. I’ve just been brooding about it… how one can best break out of glassblowing conventions to take this wonderful material to unexpected places full of magic and miracles?

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m working on new pieces for a trade fair. We’re also in the final phase of a documentary film that Jerome de Gerlache has been making. He has been following our work for months and we are very excited about how the final version is turning out. In addition to that my team and I are working full-steam on opening our own workshop in France. On Saturdays you’ll probably find me… having a barbecue in my garden.