It is with great sadness that we farewell Klaus Moje, celebrated artist and founder of Australian National University Glass Workshop.
His magnificent contribution to the craft of glass as a teacher and an artist over his lifetime will be celebrated and remembered through his beautiful highly skilled work.
Considered the grandfather of Australian studio glass, Klaus Moje was one of the country’s most important glass artists.
Born in Germany in 1936 to a family of glass workers, Klaus immigrated to Australia to set up the Australian National University, School of Art Glass Workshop in 1982. Through his truly innovative workshops he taught and inspired hundreds of students, as well as shaping the way the Australian glass industry has developed.
Klaus was also instrumental in the campaigning and development of the Canberra Glassworks, a workshop and gallery in the former Kingston Powerhouse in 2007. The institution is now a drawcard for artist and glass appreciators from around Australia and internationally.
The recipient of prestigious awards including the Australia Council Emeritus Award and the Urban Glass and Glass Art Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Klaus was involved in over 100 group exhibitions around the world, and his work has been included in over 60 public collections worldwide as well as hundreds of private collections.
ADC Board Member Oliver Smith said, “Klaus Moje's artistic legacy is a collection of glass objects that are as original as they are excellent. With a crisp form language and a particularly restrained approach to surface Moje's work dazzles the eye of the viewer with dancing colour and shimmering pattern. These fused glass objects, often vessels, possess both intense order and chaotic dynamism. They create a rich world of chromatic texture, seemingly alive and moving beyond the physical boundaries of the object itself, consuming the visual senses and triggering responses that include taste, smell, touch and even sound. An outstanding creative achievement. Canberra was very lucky that this creative force of International significance called Australia home.”
ADC toured the exhibition Living Treasures Masters of Australian Craft: Klaus Moje in 2006-08 and in 2015 Klaus became one of 100 Australian Design Honourees.
Image: Klaus Moje, Puget Sound, 2011, Photo credit: Contact Photography