About
Family design tradition since 1962
The family tradition that goes back to 1962, perfect knowledge of the history of chandeliers and their production, humility to the craft and to Czech crystal, whose history goes back to the 17th century — those are the most important characteristics of the work of this designer pair.
Jaroslav Bejvl Senior’s experience with glass craft and light goes back to the year 1962. First implementations of historical and modern luminaires and installations attracted demanding clients from around the world. At the turn of the sixties and seventies there were huge projects in Iran; in the eighties a chandelier for the Royal Palace in Saudi Arabia and a monumental light column made for the pyramids in Tunis.
Jaroslav Bejvl Senior’s greatest creative project came in the year 2000: luminaires for all the public areas of the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Philadelphia. Several unique projects implemented in Asia followed. The first joint project of father and son Bejvl was a monumental lighting object for the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Hong Kong, where the central idea — the metamorphosis of nature — was the contribution of the younger one of the pair.
Together they have created over 80 unique light installations whose common feature is creativity. The Bejvls spread the fame of the traditional art of Czech glassmakers all over the world.
The studio
How Bejvl Design Studio was born
Bejvl Design Studio was founded by Jaroslav Bejvl Jr. in 2016. Work focuses on quality artistic solutions and on the functionality and technological inventiveness of the pieces made.
Jaroslav Bejvl Jr. is known mainly as a designer of lighting objects, which are implemented all over the world.
He graduated in design sculpture and drawing. He was able to uncover some secrets of glass processing technology in the well-known Chihuly studio in Seattle.
His work is based on the usage of traditional materials and on the craftsmanship of Czech glassmakers. He also uses the latest technologies, often in interactive installations — this is how he creates modern art objects with a clear vision.
He spent a major part of his career as a designer at Preciosa Lighting, where he worked as Lead Designer from 2000. From 2013 he continued as Artistic Director, until in 2016 he founded his own Bejvl Design Studio.
- Projects
- 389
- Awards
- 25
- Companies
- 22
Catalogue text
A family tradition since 1962
A love of glass and the ability to create with it can be awakened in many ways, but is rarely inherited.
Why rare? The relationship between parents and children is a fragile vessel brimming with emotions. It doesn’t take much for them to shatter into pieces that carry away happiness. The Bejvl family, however, has succeeded. The genetic bond between father Jaroslav Bejvl (1941–2016) and son Jaroslav Bejvl Jr. (*1967) enriched their relationship as teacher and pupil over the years, eventually maturing into an artistic partnership. The proof is in their joint projects involving lighting objects and installations at Preciosa Lighting in Kamenický Šenov. The father had been designing there since the early 1960s, with the son joining the company in 1986, initially as a designer and later as creative director. Their hard-earned expertise in the construction and design of modern lighting fixtures, as well as the restoration of historic lights, has been seamlessly passed down to the present day thanks to the connection between generations; far from fading, on the contrary, it has flourished.
It is from this background – and no doubt also thanks to his successful studies at the world’s oldest glass-making school in Kamenický Šenov – that the characteristic respect for craftsmanship and tradition that defines Jaroslav Bejvl Jr.’s work springs forth, a respect he is able to combine with contemporary aesthetics in a way that is both empathetic and inventive. He likes to experiment, but he doesn’t show off; in this respect, he is both humble and self-assured. He has certainly been inspired by numerous business trips abroad, an internship at the studio of Dale Chihuly, an American icon of the world of artistic glass, and his meticulous study of historical materials. This is one of the reasons why his work is able to organically blend Czech glass-making tradition with inspirations from elsewhere and modern aesthetic and technological trends. The result is a range of lighting projects and others, each with its own distinctive character defined by a clear concept in harmony with its purpose.
In 2016, Jaroslav Bejvl Jr. opened his own studio. It designs bespoke lighting projects, offers designer collections and art-design objects, collaborates with other companies and specialises in the restoration of both historic and modern lighting fixtures. He hasn’t lost his passion, enthusiasm or spark. The scope of his activities is admirable, as is his ability to constantly come up with new ideas and concepts that are well worth your attention. Jaroslav Bejvl Jr. is able to work magic with glass and light, just as his father did.
Petr NovýChief curator of the Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou
Jaroslav Bejvl is one of the most important Czech glass designers and artists of today. In his work, he puts his vast knowledge of the traditional production of lighting fixtures, which he also restores, to good use. As part of his projects, he often combines verified traditional methods with the most advanced technologies and does not hesitate to experiment with hi-tech methods.
Glass artists use a variety of technology but what really matters is their individual approach to the technology chosen. Art without craft remains an introverted exhibition. Jaroslav Bejvl, an artist who has devoted most of his life to art, knows well when to whisper to glass and when it’s time to raise his voice. Above all, one has to remain talking — working with glass must be a dialogue rather than a soliloquy of a haughty fellow.