El Angel by Robert Mickelsen

Robert Mickelsen has spent more than 50 years pushing flameworked glass into territory few artists imagined possible. El Angel shows that restless experimentation continuing into the digital age. The sculpture was first designed virtually in Blender, the 3-D modeling and animation program, and only afterward translated into lampworked borosilicate glass. Mickelsen is very clear about one contemporary detail: no AI was used in either the digital design or the making of the glass sculpture. The resulting object feels wonderfully otherworldly. Turquoise tendrils rise and curl around a central body punctuated with white spheres, while multiple pairs of brilliant white wings transform the structure into a fantastical mechanical angel.

Mickelsen's work is represented in major collections including the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery, Corning Museum of Glass, Carnegie Museum of Art, and Museum of Arts and Design. For longtime PGC supporters, he is also family: Mickelsen was an Art on Fire honoree in 2010.

Dimensions (in. WxHxD): 7 x 12 x 7

Learn more about the artist at www.robertmickelsenglass.art.

The Live Auction will take place Sep. 18 at 8pm ET. Bid live at the event, place bids online via Live Auctioneers, or submit absentee bids by contacting Heather McElwee at 412-365-2145 or heather@pittsburghglasscenter.org.