Jiří Tesař
Born 1960
Creatively talented Jiří enters the SUPŠ Glass School Železný Brod. Here, he learns not only the engraved glass, the subject, he selected for his studies, but the glassmaking generally for the very first time in his life as he doesn´t stem from a glassmaking family.
Within a short time, he takes a liking to the engraved glass, a very demanding technique, insomuch, that it becames his lifelong love.
Already during his studies, he is chosen to work in the Exbor engraving workshop, plant 1 (Egermann) of the Crystalex Co. Nový Bor. The facilities Exbor, Moser and Železnobrodské sklo include the only 3 engraving workshops in then Czechoslovakia, manufacturing artistic engraved glass. Hereat, Exbor and Moser produce world-quality engraved glass comparable probably just with the production of the world-known Lobmeyr Company in Vienna. Thus, the sommer holiday practices spent in the Exbor engraving workshop have been an immensely motivating experience and meant a huge leap forward.
At the school in Železný Brod he first meets the engraved glass designs by professors Linka , B. Medek, L. Ježek and brothers V. Plátek and M. Plátek, whose student he also is. After graduating the glass school he starts his profession in a large engraving workshop in Železnobrodské sklo. Nevertheless, the young beginning engraver makes just minute engravings by J. Tockstein and L. Ježek. He would have to wait for implementation of more demanding work, but he wants more. Therefore, after his obligatory military service, he takes chance to enter the Exbor Nový Bor. Here, he engraves much more demanding designs by E. Hellerová, V. Plátek, J. Soukup, J. Horejc, J. Harcuba, J. Vymazal, V. Lišková, L. Smrčková, R. Roubíček and other important glass artists from the very beginning. Within a comparatively short time he implements engravings of portraits of important persons – e.g.of the then Greek president N. Papandreu and of the Syrian one H. Asad, replicas of goblets from the famous Jílek collection as well as of the renowned Great Flood.
He represents the Czechoslovak glass at exhibitions in Moscow 1985, in Helsinki 1987 as well as at presentations in Tokyo 1990.
Since 1993 the property of the Exbor company has been restituted into the possession of the J.Blažek sklo Company Poděbrady. The Exbor plant with a part of employees is moved to the spaces of the Egermann Company headquarters, a part of which it has always been. J. Tesař continues in his work in the new company and creates numerous new designs for it. Nevertheless, because of dissatisfaction with the ideas of the management of the new company, who prefer only the lower quality production, he leaves and begins his individual activities.
From the very beginning of his independent business he sets the top quality level of his craft production. He works individually.
In 1997 at the Idustrial Property Office of the Czech Republic he registers a trade mark Atelier Tesař Jiří, the trade mark, presenting for customers the high standard of his production of quality Czech engraved art glass. Initially, the assortment includes the industrial engravings from the Exbor production as well as even some orders for Egermann, but gradually he creates his new, own range. The searching for his own way in engraved glass is probably best documented by his author´s pieces and by students´ works originating under his leadership at the glass school in Nový Bor.
Since 1997 together with his own work he has been participating in the education of new generations of glass engravers at the VOŠ and SPŠ Glass School Nový Bor.
When implementing a design of an artist, he literally burns his peculiar style into each work. Recently, he not only engraves but even cuts his author´s works and is not afraid to spend even months over their implementation until the piece bears the necessary mark of jewel. Often, his engraved glass loses the character of „just applied art“and becomes even more an object, a sculpture.
Among others, two of his works were custom-made for the Pope Ioannes Paulus II, to whom he handed them himself. Numerous his works are in collections of collectors and museums. But there is also a growing number of collectors, who would like to show off his glass works in their collections.
Text and translation by Mgr. Miroslav Šeps
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