Rago Auctions

Born in Dygowo, Poland, in 1956, glass artist Janusz Walentynowicz studied at Copenhagen’s School of Applied Arts, followed by MFA studies at Illinois State University. In 1986, he established his own glass studio in Illinois, and several decades later would open up another studio location in Denmark. Throughout his career, Walentynowicz has been driven by innovation and experimentation in his chosen materials; for his first public exhibition in the United States, he broke with convention by exhibiting cast glass works hung like paintings.

Walentynowicz began to create “reverse painting” works in 1988, and today is considered a master of the form. While the human figure has long been important subject matter for him, his works have continued a trajectory towards abstraction.

In 2021, Walentynowicz permanently relocated to his native country of Denmark, where he today works from his studio in Skagen. Walentynowicz’s works are included in the permanent collections of the American Craft Museum, New York, the Corning Museum of Glass, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Ebeltoft Glasmuseum, Denmark, among many others.