Friedman Benda Sculptures

Thaddeus Wolfe [American, b. 1979] Untitled, 2022 Glass 29.25 x 16.25 x 10.5 inches 74.3 x 41.3 x 26.7 cm Brooklyn-based Thaddeus Wolfe has developed a wholly original approach to sculpting glass. Combining techniques of glassblowing and casting, Wolfe achieves what would not otherwise be possible in the material--developing his signature vocabulary of angular, highly textured forms. His unique process begins by sculpting a form from broken and carved styrofoam pieces, using meticulous yet improvisatory methods. From this form, Wolfe generates a single-use plaster mold for casting the glass. Color and texture are achieved by layering different tints of glass onto a glass bubble, which is inflated into the cavity of the heated mold. After un-molding the piece, Wolfe carves and polishes certain surfaces to reveal the interior strata. The resulting works which he often refers to as assemblages are part painterly, part geological. Wolfe has held residencies at Creative Glass Center of America Millville, NJ; Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA; and Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA. His work is in the permanent collections of the Corning Museum of Glass, NY (where he was awarded the 2016 Rakow Commission); Indianapolis Museum of Art, IN; Musée de Arts...