Emile Gallé
Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at 8:00AM 
French artist Émile Gallé (1846-1904) was one of the major forces in the fin de siecle Art Nouveau movement, ending the nineteenth century and beginning the twentieth. He played an important role in the “modern renaissance of French art glass.”
Gallé’s work became well-known after being awarded the Grand Prix the Paris Exhibition of 1878. “In 1894 Gallé built his own manufacturing plant in Nancy and began to create his own designs. Throughout the 1890's in his "Cristallerie d'Emile Gallé", he created abundant new glassworks and employed a team of craftsmen-designers, who worked on his designs and applied his signature after his approval. The factory had 300 employees and demand for Gallé’s work was high. The factory revolutionized the art glass industry by becoming the first to mass produce pieces using industrial techniques.”
An evolution in style and experimentation eventually led him to use deeply colored, almost opaque glasses in heavy masses, often layered in several thicknesses and carved or etched to form plant motifs. However, the work featured here demonstrates a gentler approach.
His work has always been known for being strikingly original, regardless of his approach.
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