The Achilles-Stiftung Glasmuseum in Hamburg is preparing a group exhibition of glass works by selected students from the Prague University of Applied Arts, UMPRUM, beginning on 27 September. The presentation will be guided by Professor Rony Plesl and is described by the museum as linking the legacy of Stanislav Libenský with a new generation of glass artists.
The exhibition arrives within a programme that already centers on modern glass history. In the museum’s newsletter, the student project is introduced as an addition to the existing special exhibition 'Libenský & Brychtová - Pioniere der modernen Glaskunst', which runs until 31 October 2026. The new display is framed as a continuation of the institution’s focus on the developments associated with Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová, two figures identified by the museum as pioneers of modern glass art.
The newsletter places the Prague school in a direct historical line with that legacy. It notes that UMPRUM, founded in 1885 as an academy for art, architecture and design, is the university where Libenský once taught and influenced generations of glass artists. Today, according to the museum’s account, Plesl leads the university’s glass studio and works with younger talents on new interpretations of the medium. The exhibition is therefore presented not simply as a student showcase, but as a bridge between pedagogy, lineage and current practice.
UMPRUM’s presence in the announcement underscores the continuing role of art schools in glass culture. The school is identified in the source as the Prague University of Applied Arts and, in the German newsletter, as the “renowned” Prager UMPRUM. The emphasis on selected students suggests a curated presentation rather than an open survey, though the source does not list the artists or specify the number of works included. It does, however, make clear that the exhibition will focus on glass as a medium being rethought by the students under Plesl’s guidance.
The museum’s announcement also sits alongside a broader autumn programme. From 27 September to 2 October, the Achilles-Stiftung Glasmuseum says it will hold a 'Glassweek' with an accompanying programme of events, including an exclusive guest matinee, the opening of a special exhibition, a chamber concert and a reading with a connection to glass art. These activities are presented in the newsletter as part of the institution’s second-half highlights, although the source does not say that every programme element is tied specifically to the student exhibition.
Further ahead, the museum says it will open a special exhibition with the Swedish glass artist Bertil Vallien on 8 November. Public guided tours of the collection are also listed for the second and fourth Saturday of each month at 12:00 pm, with August dates given as 8 August and 22 August. The current exhibition 'Libenský & Brychtová - Pioniere der modernen Glaskunst' continues through 31 October 2026 at the Achilles-Stiftung Glasmuseum, Fuhlsbüttler Str. 415a, Hamburg.
