The artist, designer, and educator Jan Exnar (*1951) is a graduate of the Secondary School of Applied Arts in Železný Brod, specializing in glass shaping, and the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague, where he attended the glass studio of Prof. Stanislav Libenský. Since 1976, he has been working as an independent artist, is a member of the authors' group Rubikon, and until 2008, he designed externally for the glassworks Beránek in Škrdlovice. His extensive artistic portfolio includes public space realizations since the 1970s, including stained glass. Over four decades, he has presented his work in dozens of solo and group exhibitions both at home and abroad, and his works have become part of many prestigious public and private collections in Europe and overseas.
For the exhibition in Jablonec, Exnar, together with curator Petr Nový from the Museum of Glass and Costume Jewelry, carefully selected a set of objects, canvases, and drawings from his work that actively communicate with the space of the atypical museum extension. Included is a novelty that has not yet been seen at any exhibition. It consists of opaxite melted drawings, which the author himself refers to as liquegraphy, representing not only his further artistic position but also his unceasing desire to experiment and develop. “Jan Exnar is also a great glass technology expert; he melts his works himself in his studio in the Vysočina region. He understands glass and can utilize this knowledge artistically excellently,” adds Nový.
A fundamental inspiration for Exnar is the universe. His works can be compared to studies of emerging and disappearing planets, eternal souls, and guardians of the universe. He is an intrinsic constructor. His universe is not a chaotic jumble of amoebas but a planetary system in which he patiently develops his aesthetics. His works complement each other, communicate with one another, literally orbiting around each other. “Because Jan Exnar is currently focusing primarily on creation itself and has significantly limited his authorial presentations, we are very pleased that he responded to our offer. Our goal is a diverse exhibition dramaturgy, a significant part of which is also the reminder of the work of Czech creators with great international renown, among whom Exnar certainly belongs,” stated museum director Milada Valečková regarding the exhibition.
The exhibition JAN EXNAR – AD ASTRA can be visited at the Museum of Glass and Costume Jewelry in Jablonec nad Nisou until April 26, 2026.
