Nigel Benson is an experienced lecturer who regularly gives lectures, most notably on a range of 20^th century British glass topics, but is well qualified on topics covering both Continental and Scandinavian glass, including post-war Czech. He is happy to create fresh lecture topics on request. Unlike many lecturers who refer to notes, Nigel prefers to prepare thoroughly in order to talk directly to the audience with the aim of creating an experience whereby no lecture is exactly the same.

Established Lecture Topics:

POST-WAR GLASS:

An overview of glass produced in the post-war era, concentrating on the UK, Scandinavia and Italy, comparing designers and countries, their influences upon one another and illustrating how design changed to reflect the period.

BRITISH POST-WAR CUT GLASS:

From the immediate post war years to the beginning of the Studio movement at the end of the 1960’s Britain boasted innovative young designers, many of whom are now fully recognised, while others not. Both are included in this overview of the designs of post-war British glass, which aims to show the progression from the pre-war hangover through to the pioneering work of Sam Herman and his acolytes who formed the first Studio glass outlet in the UK, ‘The Glasshouse’.

INNOVATION AND INFLUENCE: Whitefriars Glass 1860's -1940:

MISTAKEN IDENTITY: The Minefield of Arts & Crafts Glass, or, Is It Powell? 

Over recent years, particularly since the Whitefriars Glass exhibitions held at Manchester, then London in 1996/7 many collectors think purely in terms of Powell, or Whitefriars, when thinking of Arts & Crafts glass in Britain. Yet there are many other companies who produced glass associated with the style and ethos of that movement. The work of these companies, Kempton, Richardsons, Stuart & Sons, John Walsh Walsh and Thomas Webb, etc., is examined in this talk, with reference to the work of Powell & Sons and how, sometimes, the work of different companies can be confused.

NAZEING ART GLASS PRODUCTION FROM THE 1930's and 1950's:

The main purpose of this talk is to compare Nazeing’s pre and post war art glass wares, and how the colours and shapes differed. There is also an explanation about the thinking behind what is now believed to be a third period of art glass production influenced by their main buyer and wholesaler, Major Elwell, accompanied by illustrations of items from this source.

COMPARISONS IN CLOUDY ART GLASS: The Cloudy, or 'marbled' glass of Powell, Gray-stan and Nazeing: Being written and photographed.

THE BRITISH TWENTIETH CENTURY DECANTER: Being written and photographed.

             ________________________

Writing - Books

Nigel Benson has authored and co-written a number of books as well as acting as consultant on others.

"Collecting Modern Design"

In 2000 Miller's published Collecting Modern Design. Nigel acted as Glass Consultant for this Miller’s Publication. The book is split into four periods covering the 20th century with each period is broken down into the various mediums, including glass. Each section gives a brief history outlining the influences that created the type of glass being produced at the time, starting in the early part of the 20th century and finishing with the Studio Glass Movement of the 1980’s and 1990’s.

Necessarily, because of the form of the book, the content is primarily an overview of the subject, but the glass sections were conceived to be read as a continuous section, giving an insight into the pertinent points of glass design through the 20th century should the reader wish to read those sections alone. Nigel was also responsible for selecting the items that represented each period from specific sources that had not been used in other publications at the time.

"Millers Guide to Collecting '50's & 60's Glass"

Also in 2000 Miller's asked Nigel to write a book in the Miller’s Collector’s Guide series. The resulting book Glass of the 50's and 60's covered collecting glass of the 1950’s and 1960’s from across the world within the tight format of the series. One aspect of the book was that glass was to be available, and at a price that any collector could afford.

The brief also required that, if possible, glass that had not been generally acknowledged by collectors be selected as a precursor to future collecting. Although it was also necessary to include some of the more sought after work by designers as a goal to achieve.

The text and captions were written by Nigel, who also selected all the items to be photographed and commissioned specially by the publisher. This pocket sized 64pp book has been received well and is now sold out.

"Art Deco To Post Modernism, a Legacy of British Art Deco Glass"

In 2003 Nigel Benson and Jeanette Hayhurst (a fellow glass dealer) held a groundbreaking exhibition on cut glass, entitled Art Deco to Post Modernism, A Legacy of Britsish Art Deco Glass. The exhibition was to highlight an area of glass collecting that hitherto had been largely ignored by the collecting and museum fraternities. It took some eight years to assemble the items. A 40pp catalogue was produced for the event in which Nigel wrote the essays about each manufacturer and Jeanette took the photographs and wrote the captions. Both undertook original research for the exhibition and its catalogue.

The catalogue is full of information and images that have not before been collated within the covers of a book. Whilst there may be pieces
written and illustrated within other publications there is probably more in this compact volume than in all those publications put together on the period 1920 – 1970 about British cut glass.

The exhibition has since received outside recognition as it won the ‘In-House Exhibition of the Year’ Award given by the British Antiques and Collectables Awards (BACA) in August 2004.

"Art Deco to Post Modernism"

The catalogue to the 2003 exhibition and currently the only publication dealing solely about the subject. 

British Manufacturers had maintained that it was traditional 'design' that sold during the 1920's and 1930's and had largely ignored the Scandinavian approach where factories generally employed trained in-house designers. There were exceptions to this, such as Keith Murray an architect who freelanced for Stevens & Williams. Clyne Farquharson of John Walsh Walsh and William Wilson at Whitefriars were successful in-house designers and, as such are highly regarded by today's collectors, along with the work of Keith Murray.

These three designers are generally thought of in connection with British glass design between the wars. There is also- an awareness of Ludwig Kny and perhaps of Reginald Williams-Thomas, but not many will know of J.Cuneen, Freda Coleborn, Deanne Meanley, Doreen Norgrove, R. Pierce, or W. J. Whitworth, to name only a few. Not many will have even heard of some of the major designers who influenced both contemporary and future generations of glass designers, such as David Hammond, John Luxton, Helen Monroe, and Irene Stevens. On the other hand many collectors will know the work of Geoffrey Baxter for Whitefriars, but it is only fairly recently that they have shown interest in his cut glass work.

Available from this site. Email for a copy.

Price: £12.00p +pp

ISBN 0-9545718-1-9

Writing - Articles

Nigel regularly submits articles to the Glass Cone, the quarterly magazine of the Glass Association and contributes information and comment to the Glass Message Board and Whitefriars.com forums - see links page.

Below is a list of articles that have appeared in various publications. Specially commissioned photographs were used to illustrate a number of the articles. Back issues of some of the magazines may still be available from the publishers.

               _________________________

50 Years of British Glass 1924-1974

Antiquexplorer Magazine No.88 April 2008

pp13 - 15. A fresh look at glass production in Britain during these eventful years, beginning with the 'British Empire Exhibition' held in Wembley in 1924, covering the influentual Harrods exhibition and the subsiquent 'Art in Industry' at the Royal Academy in 1935. There is brief discussion about 'art' cut glass, working through to the beginnings of The Studio Glass Movement with Sam Herman, the Glasshouse, and Michael Harris.   

                ________________________

Scottish Glass - Vasart 

Antiquexplorer Magazine No.88 April 2008

pp 5 - 7.  An overview of the history and identification of Vasart's production.

               ________________________

British 'Art' Cut Glass 1920-1970: A Fresh Look

Visitor Guide "Antiques For Everyone" 27-30 July 2006

pp 8 - 11. An explaination of the exhibition being held at the fair, giving information about how to look at 'art' cut glass by mixing up the manufacturers and designers and placing the items under the headings of, Geometric, Abstract, Figurative, Abstracted and Sculptural. Accompanied with specially commissioned photographs.

               _________________________

Scottish Glass

Antiques Magazine No.1056, 20 Aug – 2 Sept 05

pp 48 & 49. A brief history of a Northern Dynasty discussing the production of the Ysart family of glass blowers and their influence on later glassmakers, such as William Manson and John Deacon, including their paperweights.

                _________________________

Gifts for Christmas

Antiques Magazine No.942, 23 – 29 Nov 02

pp 48 & 49. A light hearted look at what people might purchase for Christmas.

                _________________________

Collecting Twentieth Century Glass

Antique & Collectors Trader, No.42 - Nov 02

pp 1 & 12. An introduction to collecting 20th century glass with tips on isolating potential areas to look out for.

               _________________________

Arts and Crafts Glass in Britain

Antiques Magazine No. 936, 5 -11 Oct 02

pp 56 & 57. An article examining Arts and Crafts glass covering the work of factories other than by James Powell & Sons (Whitefriars), such as Kempton’s, Richardson’s, Stuart & Sons, John Walsh Walsh, and Thomas Webb.

               _________________________

Later Scottish Glass

Antiques Magazine No.925, 29 June – 5 July 02

pp 50 & 51. Tracing the history of Scottish glass from ‘Clutha’, by James Couper & Co., through Monart, Vasart, Strathearn, Edinburgh & Leith and Caithness, with passing reference to John Deacon and William Manson.

                _________________________

Twentieth Century Glass – Collecting and Investing

Antiques Magazine No. 852, 11 – 17 Nov 2000

pp 62 & 63. A brief survey of 20th century British glass and the reasons for collecting and investing.

             ______________________

CONSULTANCY:

In addition to acting as consultant on books and to auction houses 20th Century Glass is happy to advise both private and public collections on their aquisitions.

We also provide a sourcing service, please email for details.