Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany was an American decorative artist who lived from 1848 to 1933. He is most known for his work in stained glass and the decorative arts done in the Art Nouveau and Aesthetic art styles. Tiffany glass is a household name that is synonymous with style and luxury even still today.
Tiffany was born into a wealthy home in New York City. His father was Charles Lewis Tiffany, a jeweler who founded the retail store, Tiffany & Company. From an early age, Louis received top artistic training. He studied art under the American artist, George Inness, and the French artist, Léon Belly. After first focusing on painting, at 24 years old, Tiffany started studying chemistry and techniques in glassmaking. In 1879, with several of his colleagues, Tiffany started the company, Louis Comfort Tiffany and Associated American Artists. This company focused on interior design. Some of his notable commissions include Mark Twain’s house in Connecticut and several of the state rooms in the White House for President Chester Arthur.
Tiffany’s wife died in 1884. Soon after, the focus of his work shifted from overall interior decorating to decorative glass. He was interested in creating glass that left the impurities in. As a result, the Louis Comfort Tiffany and Associated American Artists company dissolved in 1885. That same year, he created his business, the Tiffany Glass Company. In 1889, Tiffany went to the Paris Exposition. It was there that he was exposed to the art nouveau style of Alphonse Mucha, and the art of fellow glassmaker, Émile Gallé.
Patented in 1894, and first made in 1896, Tiffany developed Favrile leaded glass. This is an iridescent art glass that has color embedded throughout the glass. Tiffany used this type of glass in his famous stained-glass windows. This type of glass yielded windows that were extremely luminous and richly colored.
In 1900, Tiffany exhibited his Favrile leaded glass at the Exposition Universelle in Paris, France to critical acclaim. He was awarded the gold medal and made a chevalier of the Legion of Honour, an honor also previously bestowed upon his father. In 1902, Tiffany renamed his company to Tiffany Studios. That same year, he also became the design director for his father’s company. His company employed a large number of artisans. There was a whole department run by women, and some believe that these women are responsible for some of his most famous floral designs. Louis Comfort Tiffany died in 1933 at 84 years of age.
Tiffany’s work is remembered for its Art Nouveau influence and mosaic work. He created an art style that was appreciated by most everybody. Today, Tiffany’s pieces are highly priced and are sought after by collectors. Large collections of his work can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Queens Museum of Art, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum, and the Haworth Art Gallery.
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