Gérald Vatrin

Born in Nancy, the historical birthplace of glass and crystal, Gérald Vatrin is one of those artists who embodies the new energy of French contemporary glass. He graduated from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Épinal. He trained in the arts and techniques of glass with a specialisation in freehand glass blowing.

To create his distinctive pieces, Gérald Vatrin blows a simple form while the material is still molten, which he magnifies by engraving, enamelling, removing or cutting the glass, adding pigments or a woven leather seam that he calls “passages”.

His works reflect his training, his artistic background and the influence of his travels, particularly in Africa and Australia. Gérald Vatrin’s creations explore new and different universes for the glass field: they are inspired by the tribal world, imitate the vegetal and animals, ressemble ice or lava stone. Gérald Vatrin’s works, alike glass microcosms, explore a world of visual and tactile sensations.

Gérald Vatrin’s work has been awarded numerous prizes, including the Médaille d’Étain de la Société Académique des Arts, Sciences et Lettres de Paris (2015) and the Grand Prix de la Ville de Paris (2001).

His work is included in the permanent collections of many prestigious institutions, such as the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Dutch National Glass Museum in Leerdam (Netherlands) and the Musée du Verre de Sars-Poterie in France.

In 2020, the MAD-Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris acquired Trait d’Union for its permanent collections. In 2022, nine of his sculptures entered the collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy.

In 2023, Gérald Vatrin completed a residency at the prestigious Villa Kujoyama in Kyoto, Japan.