Marvin Lipofsky

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Marvin Lipofsky (b. September 1, 1938) is an American glass artist. He was a central figure in the spread of the American studio glass movement, introducing it to California.

Lipofsky was born in Barrington, Illinois. In 1962, he earned a BFA in Industrial Design from the University of Illinois, and he went on to earn both an MS and an MFA in Sculpture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1964. There he studied under Harvey Littleton, considered one of the founders of the studio glass movement along with Dominick Labino. He would introduce the concepts of the movement during his subsequent stint as a Design instructor at the University of California, Berkeley, where he taught until 1972. During this time, he was responsible for training many studio artists.

In 1967, he founded the glass program at the California College of Arts and Crafts, which he headed for two decades. He was also a founder of the Glass Art Society, and has served as editor of its journal.

Lipofsky was one of the first American glass artists to travel to Czechoslovakia, where a studio glass movement had arisen in the 1950s. This would prove to be the first of many trips he would take; he became well-known for his journeys abroad and his collaboration with numerous glass artists around the world.

Many of Lipofsky's works are colorful "bubbles" of glass, often semi-translucent to allow the viewer to examine their depths. He is also known for works inspired by pop culture he crafted in the 1970s; these include the "Great American Food Series," consisting of sculptures such as hamburgers and pickles crafted from glass. He is known for his surface treatments and for the organic form of his pieces.

Lipofsky's work is exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Corning Museum of Glass, the Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto, Japan, the Museums of Decorative Arts in both Bulgaria and Canada, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

He resides in Berkeley, California.

Lipofsky is a member of Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity, founded as the Nation’s first Jewish Fraternity.