Adolf Matura

1921-1979

Adolf Matura (1921-1979) was actively involved in several glass disciplines, he is known as a creator of cut and engraved glass and designer of pressed glass, but his designs also include a set of cups with a teapot made of boiling glass. In his early years he designed table and complementary glassware shaped by blowing and cutting; during the 1960s he worked with the Moser glassworks, for whom he created a number of designs. From the mid-1960s, the focus of Adolf Matura's artistic work shifted to pressed glass, to which he remained faithful until his death.

That even a glass can be a small work of art is demonstrated by the work of glass artist Adolf Matura. His timeless lemonade set with carafe and glasses, inspired by Finnish design, won him a gold medal at the 1960 Milan Triennale. In the course of his glassmaking career, he moved from an artisanal type of work, through glass shaped by blowing and cutting, to the field of pressed glass in the mid-1960s. This became the main focus of his work. His handwriting and emotional impact are also evident in the serial products made from Adolf Matura's designs. The vessels designed by Matura are characterised by functionality, respect for production technology and high aesthetic quality. A very distinctive group in Matura's work consists of peculiar figural motifs, which he applied to vases and vases with stylized faces. Some of them strongly evoke the inspiration of primitive art and resemble artistic sculptures rather than used objects. The award-winning Prague table and drink set with its iconic cups became very popular. The multi-piece set with ornamental relief decoration responds to the wave of decorativism that has been emerging in applied art since the early 1970s. Another of Matur's legendary pieces is a 1970s teapot made from Simax cooking glass at the Kavalier glassworks. The teapot, which is still made, sold and has pride of place in many homes today, has become a successful export item. Barbora Kovářová