Howard Ben Tre -
Winter Garden Installation
American, b.1949
Winter Garden Installation, 2008
Glass with gold leaf, copper and patina, 25 x 78 x 3 feet
08.043
Alumni Gift
Howard Ben Tre is one of the most important artists associated with the contemporary glass movement. Recognized in the early 1980s, after receiving his M.F.A. from the Rhode Island School of Design, Ben Tre was the first artist to cast whole glass objects on a large scale. Most glass artists, such as Dale Chihuly (represented elsewhere in the Ross Collection), have explored the aesthetic potential of glass blowing. From the very beginning of his career, Ben Tre was drawn to cast glass for its associations with ancient cultures and the history of glass. A trip to Greece in the mid-1980s led to a series of "columns" and "structures," reflecting the artist's fascination with early architecture.
