Murrini Stack by Nick Mount

A stack of three colorful cylinders seems precariously balanced in Nick Mount's Murrini Stack, but beneath its playful personality lies nearly five decades of glassmaking mastery.

Mount is one of the foundational figures of Australian studio glass. Introduced to the medium in the early 1970s, he and his partner Pauline established Victoria's first private hot-glass studio and helped build an Australian glass movement with international reach. His work draws deeply from Venetian traditions while remaining witty, idiosyncratic, and unmistakably his own. Here, three individually patterned forms -- amber and yellow, smoky gray and white, and warm brown and white -- lean and balance like an abstract totem. The repeated murrini patterns create visual continuity while each section retains its own personality.

There is also a special PGC connection: Mount was Pittsburgh Glass Center's 2025 Art on Fire Honorary Artist. For anyone who celebrated with us last year, this piece carries a little extra history.

Learn more about the artist at www.nickmountglass.com.au.

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.