Kirra Galleries

One of the world's leading cameo glass artists, Gippsland based Dr Tony Hanning, the first Australian glass artist to have his work acquired for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London today said glass art was challenging two dimensional art for investors and collectors funds.

Speaking on the day of his new exhibition at Kirra Galleries in Fed Square, the distinguished glass artist who has worked for 31 years in art glass, as an artist, lecturer and exhibitor across the world said, "the rise of apartment living in Australia's capital cities had given glass art an enormous boost.

"The size of most modern apartments provides limited wall space leaving investors and collectors looking at Art Glass as an investment in signature pieces to build highly tradable collections, which can be appreciated and successfully exhibited in apartments featuring well proportioned clean surfaces for display."

Art Glass in Australia is also receiving major awareness through the latest Toyota safety advertisement nightly which features a full size human body sculpted in glass by Sydney based Glass Artist Robert Wynne.

Dr Hanning said, "The Glass Art Collectors and Investors market is well established in the United States with many Australian works included in collections.

"In Australia the market is growing and expanding with many new young artists. There is also a solid collection of Australian Glass Artists with maturing careers both in Australia and internationally."

Dr Hanning said "because Glass Art was a 'young art', Australia, rather than inheriting trends from Europe, has built its international standing in this field from the ground up."

"The next major step for Glass Art in Victoria was to have the National Gallery of Victoria stage its FIRST major Glass Exhibition covering the past thirty years as the Australian Art Glass movement developed."

Tony Hanning Current Exhibition - 'Longing' - wish you were here
12 May 2011 - 29 May 2011 Daily 10.00am to 6.00pm
Kirra Galleries Federation Square
www.kirragalleries.com

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