Master Glass Painters – Winchester

An exhibition celebrating the centenary of the British Society of Master Glass Painters has just opened in Winchester Cathedral.

New exhibition celebrates one hundred years of the British Society of Master Glass Painters

This rare exhibition of contemporary stained glass is on its tour across the UK and features 60 new pieces of work by members of the society produced on panels on any theme of their choice, portraying an insight into the current concerns and topics of glass artists, from the environment to the COVID-19 pandemic and the beauty of nature.

The panels have been created using a variety of traditional and innovative modern glass techniques, demonstrating the extraordinary range of stained glass that is currently practiced and represents work from artists from the UK and beyond.

Since 1921 the British Society of Master Glass Painters has offered a forum for all lovers of stained glass, promoting the highest standards of design, craft and creativity, exclusively in stained glass. Their mission is to be the foremost authority on contemporary and historic stained glass in Britain.

To create the exhibition, members of the society were asked to design and produce a panel measuring 30cm x 30cm on any theme of their choice. In total, 60 stained glass panels are featured in the exhibition, representing the work of artists from across the UK and overseas.

Artist Sophie Hacker, whose work is featured as part of the exhibition, said

“My panel was inspired by the Winchester Cathedral West Window, which was smashed by soldiers during the Civil War. The fragments were gathered up and remade into an amazing ‘abstract’. I’ve taken lots of pandemic images and imagined them smashed by the chaos of the year, then gathered up and remade into this panel”.

The exhibition explores a variety of subjects that portrays an interesting insight into the current concerns and topics of glass artists, from the environment to the COVID-19 pandemic and the beauty of nature. The panels have been created using a variety of traditional and innovative modern glass techniques, demonstrating the extraordinary range of stained glass that is currently practiced.

The selected works are on display in the North Transept of Winchester Cathedral from 4-25 November and entry to the exhibition is included as part of the admission fee to the Cathedral.

More information available here.

For more events taking place at cathedrals across the country visit our Cathedral What’s On / Events Calendar below.