Retrospective of Cirva's 40-Year Glass Research Opens at Musée Ariana in Geneva

A major retrospective exhibition at the Musée Ariana in Geneva showcases four decades of artistic research from the Cirva (Centre international de recherche sur le verre et les arts plastiques). Running from April 24, 2026, to January 3, 2027, the display features nearly two hundred objects across ten thematic sections. It highlights the center's unique approach of pairing artists and designers with professional glassmakers to explore the material's possibilities. Unprecedented access to Cirva's archives reveals behind-the-scenes processes, including sketches, technical trials, and correspondence between creators and craftsmen. Notable projects include Pierre Soulages developing a novel glass for the stained-glass windows at the Abbey of Sainte-Foy de Conques, Jean-Michel Othoniel simulating volcanic explosions to study glass formation, and Gaetano Pesce patenting a molten glass projection technique called Mistral. Founded in Marseille in 1983 under the French Ministry of Culture, Cirva is one of the few global centers dedicated solely to artistic glass research. The exhibition emphasizes the friction between creative ideas and the resistant nature of glass, documented through videos, photographs, molds, and technical experiments. Located at Avenue de la Paix 10 in Geneva, Switzerland, the show presents a rare look at the collaborative journeys rather than just finished works.