Ocean Blue Glass ‘Wave I’ by Ivana Mašitová

Ocean Blue Glass ‘Wave I’ by Ivana Mašitová is a wonderful example of contemporary Czech cast glass artistry. The sculpture is created using the demanding technique of kiln-cast glass, where molten glass is carefully formed in a mould, then slowly cooled to preserve clarity and strength.

Once released from its mould, the piece undergoes extensive finishing—cutting, matting, and polishing—to refine its elegant contours and surface textures.

The artwork evokes the rhythmic motion of the sea, its sweeping curves and translucent depths suggesting both fluidity and permanence. The rich ocean-blue hue intensifies the sense of movement, while the polished edges catch and refract light, creating luminous highlights that shift as the viewer’s perspective changes. The matted surfaces, in contrast, soften the glass, depicting the macro movements of the tidal forces within the wave, lending it a tactile, almost organic quality.

Balancing sculptural strength with optical delicacy, ‘Wave I’ embodies Mašitová’s mastery of glass as both a technical and expressive medium. It stands as both an abstract form and a meditation on nature’s dynamic forces.

Ocean Blue Glass – Artist

Ivana Mašitová glass artist was born in Česká Lípa in 1961. She carries on the multi-generational legacy of Czech glass, which is so imbued with personal wonder and precise mastery.

She began her glass journey at the Historic Glassmaking School in Kamenický Šenov (1976–1980), the world’s oldest glass institution, before advancing to the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague (1980–1988), where she studied under the legendary duo Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová

Mašitová is celebrated for her bold, voluminous cast-glass sculptures. Her pieces, both organic and architectural in form, achieve a uniquely tactile and spatial poetry. She has often been praised as one of Libenský’s most gifted students, whose quiet ingenuity and rigorous skill reflect the discipline engraved on her by her mentors. While still being a standard bearer for the Czech glass movement, Mašitová brings original flair and her own unique creative vision.

Her work is internationally admired and can be found in renowned institutions – among them: the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Corning Museum of Glass in New York, the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, and the National Gallery and Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague.

Exhibitions across continents—from Japan to the United States, Germany to Australia—have showcased her vivid, elemental forms. Of note: her recognition as Artist of the Month (December 2021) by the Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, and a Bronze Medal for her work “Royal” at the Florence Biennale in 2021—testaments to both her technical command and harmonic emotional resonance.

Ivana Mašitová’s practice sits at the convergence of tradition and innovation. In her hands, cast glass is more than material—it is a shimmering dialogue between light and form, memory and motion, rooted in Czech craftsmanship yet reaching outward toward the evolutionary horizon.

Ivana Mašitová Artist Statement

Ivana Mašitová is a leading Czech glass artist internationally recognised for her cast glass sculptures. A former student of the legendary professor Stanislav Libenský, she carries forward the legacy of the Czech studio glass through her refined technique and creative vision.

Her current work explores organic, nature-inspired forms—waves, leaves, fans—transformed into vibrant monochromatic glass sculptures. Using kiln casting, cutting, matting and polishing, she creates pieces that radiate purity, balance, and depth.

Mašitová’s artworks are featured in prominent museum collections worldwide, including the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), the Corning Museum of Glass (New York), the National Museum of Modern Art (Tokyo), and the National Gallery in Prague.

She continues to work independently in her art studio in Prague, Bohemia, the Czech Republic, creating timeless sculptural works that merge tradition with contemporary expression.