By Jonah Grinkewitz
The Barry Art Museum at Ƶ will expand its studio glass collection through the promised gift of nearly 200 pieces of modern and contemporary glass from Drs. Myra and Harold Weiss.
The collection features international glass sculptures, including many by Czech artists Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová, along with studio glass pieces by American artists, such as Karen LaMonte.
When the Barry Art Museum renovation is complete, a selection of the Weiss collection will be on display in one of the museum’s expanded and reconfigured galleries. The combined Barry, Waitzer and Weiss collections will form one of the largest concentrations of modern and contemporary art glass anywhere, drawing visitors from around the United States and the world.
The Czech glass works are characterized by their monumental scale since artists like Libenský and Brychtová primarily worked with glass foundries to create the pieces. At the time — post World War II— Communist government policies restricted the creation of home studios, leading artists to collaborate with the foundries.
“The pieces in the Weiss Collection — in both their large scale and international scope — will allow the Barry Art Museum to expand the narrative of glass arts told within its galleries,” said Interim Executive Director Robert Wojtowicz, Ph.D. “We are truly grateful to the Weisses for their generous gift.”
“It's especially rich in modern and contemporary Czech glass, which developed along a different trajectory than American studio glass by focusing on casting rather than blown glass,” added Curator of Art Sara Woodbury, Ph.D. “Nonetheless, artists such as Libenský and Brychtová influenced American artists through their virtuosic, often monumental sculptures that emphasized the abstract, sculptural qualities of glass.”
The Weisses, who live in the Detroit suburbs, began collecting studio glass art in the early ’90s and became close friends with Libenský and Brychtová, a married couple, and Karen LaMonte, who first introduced them to the Barry Art Museum.
“We were at a point where we were thinking about what to do with our collection and Karen mentioned she had a show at the Barry and she was very positive on the experience, the people she met and the show itself, so we decided we would investigate,” Harold said.
Despite interest from other museums, the Weisses chose the Barry Art Museum for its strong focus on glass, its proximity to other institutions involved with studio glass art — including the Chrysler Museum of Art and the Perry Glass Studio — and its interest in their entire collection as opposed to selected pieces.
“We also learned about the expansion of the museum and that a significant portion of our collection would be on display,” Myra said. “That was very important to us.”
“We don’t want our art to be in a museum's storage,” Harold added.
“We are so grateful that Myra and Harold have chosen the Barry Art Museum as a permanent home for their magnificent glass collection,” said museum co-founder Carolyn Barry. “It will attract scholars and collectors from around the world, and we are thrilled that it is coming to us.”
The museum’s location on a college campus was also appealing to the Weisses.
“I hope that students who see the work will think about glass as a medium for art and hopefully some will be inspired to pursue it,” Harold said.
The Barry Art Museum expansion project is expected to be completed by early 2027. Until then, the museum will continue programming in the community, including hosting its fifth annual public arts festival – – Nov. 7-8, 2025, featuring immersive, large-scale inflatable bubbles by Australian design studio Atelier Sisu.
Main article image: Karen Lamonte, Reclining Dress Impression, 2005, cast glass, Gift of Harold Weiss and Myra J. Weiss, Barry Art Museum at Ƶ. Photo by Gabriel Urbanek