Contemporary glass art: the estate of the gallerist Mary Anne Sanske

Mary Anne Sanske-Bucher (1955-2020) was one of the few gallerists in Europe to specialise early on in the studio glass movement that originated in America, and she had a decisive influence on the glass art scene in Switzerland. Born in Camden, New Jersey, she moved to Zurich in 1979 and opened the Sanske Galerie in 1982.

A platform for a young medium

She promoted and represented internationally known artists from the USA, Europe and, in particular, Venice — her companions included Lino Tagliapietra, Laura and Alessandro de Santillana and Livio Seguso. The glass artist Philip Baldwin paid tribute to her in his obituary: «Mary Anne championed contemporary glass art in Switzerland at a time when the field still received little attention here.»

The works auctioned reflected the breadth of the medium: a vase by Dale Chihuly from the «Venetian» series, a boat sculpture by Bertil Vallien, bowls by Laura Diaz de Santillana and vases by Baldwin & Guggisberg with fine cutting by Paolo Ferro.

The Sanske estate was offered at the Autumn Auction 2024.