Inspirations

Inspirations: Avant-Garde Stained Glass presents a personalised history of stained glass from British artist Brian Clarke, the world's leading artist working in the medium today. The book is a large format hardcover publication that is richly illustrated with original photography of innovative works and pioneering texts carefully selected from the archive of writings on stained glass. In a series of shared enthusiasms, Clarke highlights the most explosive moments in the history of stained glass, documenting ground-breaking artworks that have influenced his own practice and the radical evolution of stained glass that is less commonly known. Moving away from the ecclesiastical tradition to view the most contemporary compositions in stained glass, Inspirations gathers illuminating glass work by some of the greatest modern artists published in full-colour reproductions. Structured with text written by Clarke together with archival interviews and writings from key figures and references found in popular culture, the book delves into how glass is made and its cultural significance. We discover the medium's potential to alter the spaces we move through as it traps and refracts colour in a sublime dance of darkness and light. This new and illuminating publication is a celebration of stained glass from its thousand-year history and up to the current epoch. By casting new light on the medium, Clarke offers an education for a modern audience to establish a renewed understanding of a truly radical art form.