Bertil Vallien, one of the truly groundbreaking figures in Swedish glass art, was born in Stockholm in 1938. His father was a master painter and pastor of an independent church, his mother a housewife. Vallien was the second of seven children. The gifted young man soon tired of school and took a job as a decorator at PUB, one of the Swedish capital’s largest department stores. Shortly thereafter, though, he began studying art at Konstfack, the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design. He graduated at the top of his class in 1961 and was awarded a Royal Foundation grant.

The grant funded travels in the United States and Mexico between 1961 and 1963, giving him the freedom to achieve his first success as a ceramist in California. Together with his wife and fellow Konstfack graduate Ulrica Hydman-Vallien, he then returned to Sweden and moved to the glassmaking region of Småland. He had been recruited by the legendary glasshouse director Erik Rosén. Vallien immediately began to work in both glass and metal, and soon began to experiment with glass-casting.

Education

1961-63       Studies in the United States and Mexico on a Royal Scholarship

1957-61       Studies at the National College of Arts, Crafts and Design, Stockholm, Sweden

Independent artist/designer

Freelance designer for Kosta Boda glassworks Sweden

Teaching positions and workshop leader at art schools and universities in the US and Europe.

Teaching

1967-84                  Head of glass design programme at the College of Arts, Crafts and Design, Stockholm, Sweden

1974                 Visiting lecturer and designer t conferences and schools in the USA and Europe

1980-96            Visiting lecturer at the Pilchuck Glass Center, Stanwood, Washington

1984-86            Artist in Residence at the Pilchuck Glass Center, Washington

1985                 Artist in Residence at the Rhode Island School of Design

1993                 New York Experimental Glass Workshop, New York, U.S.A.

1993                 Pratt Fine Art Center, Seattle, U.S.A.

1994                 University of Hawaii at Manau, U.S.A.

1996                 North Lands Creative Glass, Scotland

1999                 University of Sunderland, England Visiting professor

Selected Public Collections

Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, NY. USA.

HM de Young Museum, San Francisco, USA

Yokohama Art Museum, Yokohama, Japan.

The state Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Russia.

Museum of Arts and Design, NY, NY. USA.

The Art Institute .Chicago USA

National Museum, Stockholm, Sweden.

VIDA Museum, Sweden. Permanent wing.

Everson Museum, NY. USA.

Dusseldorf Museum of Fine Arts, Germany.

Indianapolis Art Museum, Indianapolis. USA

Trondheim Art Museum. Norway.

National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto. Japan.

Absolut Collection. NY.NY. USA

National Museum of Art. Tokyo. Japan.

The Prescott Collection at Pacific First Centre. Seattle, USA.

Detroit Art Institute, Detroit, MI, USA.

Yokohama Art Museum. Yokohama. Japan.

The Powerhouse Museum. Sydney. Australia.

Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe. Hamburg. Germany.

Mint Museum of Art and Design. Charlotte, NC, USA.

Museo de Vidrio. Monterrey. Mexico.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA.

Awards

1961                 College of Arts, Crafts and Design Scholarship and medal for best student

1961                 Royal Scholarship

1962                 First prize,”Young Americans”, Museum of Contemporary Crafts, NY, U.S.A.

1965                 Östersund Cultural Scholarship

1967                 The Illum Prize

1968                 Swedish State Major Work Scholarship

1981                 Chosen by ”Japan Interior Design Magazine” as the most influential designer in his field

1983                 First prize for Swedish Design, National Museum, Stockholm, Sweden

1983                 Cultural Scholarship, Municipality of Emmaboda, Sweden

1984                 ”Excellent Swedish Design” prize

1985                 Second prize, Zweiter Coburger Glaspreis, Coburg, Germany

1985                 Silver medal, International Juried Art Competition, New York, U.S.A.

1988                 The Formland Prize, Denmark

1988                 ”Excellent Swedish Design”, honourable mention for Provence tableware

1990                 Diploma, Nordform, Malmö, Sweden

1991                 The Formland Prize, Denmark

1994                 Cultural Scholarship, The South Swedish Chamber of Commerce, Sweden

1995                 Urban Glass Award for ”Outstanding Achievement in Glass”, NY, U.S.A.

1995                 Prince Eugen’s medal for ”Outstanding Achievement in Arts”, Sweden

2001                          Visionaries Award 2001, Museum of Art and Design, New York USA

2002                          Honorary doctorate, University of Växjö, Sweden

2003                 Honorary Doctor of Philosophy. University of Växjö, Sweden

2004                          Award in recognition of The Promotion of Contemporary Glass, Art in the world.

                         Museum Del vidrio Monterrey, Mexico

2004                          The Wilson award. New Orleans. USA

2005                          Gold medal, Royal Academy of Science, Stockholm, Sweden

2008                 the Libensky Award              

Selected Publications

2008            Drury, John. Glass Quarterly, Review, Spring, No. 110, pg. 62 

2002            Kangas, Matthew. Somna Vakna, University of Washington Press, Seattle

1998            Glass Eats Light. Gunnar Lindquist Carlson's förlag, publisher

1997            Rådström, Niclas. Headbook, Kamras, Kamras Publisher

1995            Nilsson, Peter. Anod, Norstedts förlag, Sweden

Fiat Lux, (book on the altarpiece for Växjö Cathedral) Carlsson Bokförlag,               Stockholm, Sweden