Sam Herman

Sam, who currently divides his time between homes in Mallorca and London, is a key figure in the history of Studio glass. Born in Mexico, he later became a U.S. citizen and in the early 1960s he was one of the first students of legendary American glass artist, Harvey Littleton. Moving to the United Kingdom, he introduced the concept of glass as an art form, heading up the glass department at the Royal College of Art for several years.  In 1969, he conceived and founded the Glasshouse, in London's Covent Garden, the first glass Studio of its kind in the country. In 1974, he travelled to Adelaide at the invitation of the South Australian government, and set up the glass area in the Jam Factory, the country's first hot glass Studio, which remains a key part of the city's arts scene to this day. Another highlight of his career was his appointment as a consultant to Belgium's venerable crystal factory, Cristalleries Val Saint Lambert, in operation since 1826. 

As befits his importance to the world of glass, Sam's work can be seen in numerous public collections around the world, including The Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., the Royal Scottish Museum in Edinburgh, the Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon, Musee du Verre de Charleroi in Belgium, the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the Art Institute in Chicago and the Corning Museum of Glass, in Corning, New York state.