Paperweights are a true form of art. Some people collects paintings and have tons of wall space to display them.
Most of us go to museums to enjoy all works of art. I can understand that some folks have their likes and dislikes,
but to call them “tchotchkes” is a bit banal. Are you aware of the history and the price tag on these pocket size
creations? The work and detail is just incredible. From an antique millifiore to an underwater modern, and everything
in between, this is art. These artists make a living working with molten glass. Educate yourselves and take a short walk
to a wonderful shop L.H. Selman. These paperweight specialists might teach you a thing or two.

I am a Chicagoan, living in South Africa on assignment. Every time I return to Chicago, I go to the Art Institute to view
this wonderful collection. My small collection, comes with me on the road and it reminds me of home.

Linda Worthington

Joseph Barri
Milton, MA 02186

What ever happened to the notion that a journalist does research before going to print? How long would it have taken you to get a grasp on the unique art form known as the Paperweight? The Ryerson Library at the Art Institute has many fine books on the subject and just a little further down Michigan Avenue the L.H. Selman Gallery has a vast library and a knowledgeable staff that would have been only to happy to assist you in some basic research.

Not only do you show a lack of understanding of art you show a lack of Chicago history. Arthur Rubloff did so much for the city he loved. He was a great humanitarian and had a deep love of art. His gifts to Northwestern University and The University of Chicago and to the Art Institute of Chicago will live forever.

The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the worlds great art museums and collectors and art lovers come from all over the world to view the Rubloff Collection. Its shear idiocy not to recognize the significance of this important collection for its artistic merit.

Those of us who are life long Chicagoans find it hard to believe that you would belittle one of Chicago’s treasures, an Art Museum that we are so proud of.

Currently three important American Museums, The Flint Institute of Art, The Akron Museum of Art and the Tacoma Glass Museum, are featuring special Paperweight Exhibits. Could it be that Art Curators, Art Historians and Museum Directors know something about this art form that you do not. A small amount of effort on your part would have given you a clue.

Most amazing is that the Tribune would have allowed this to go to press.

- Nancy Alfano

After reading your review of the Rubloff collection of paperweights at the Art Institute of Chicago, I seriously question your understanding of this art form. I must assume that your article merely stated your opinion — limited as it may be. For many collectors and art critics, paperweights represent tasteful and delightful objects of glass art that have a fascinating, colorful and rich history.

Dwight Lanmon, former director of the prestigious Corning Museum of Glass, considers “paperweights to be among the most outstanding technical achievements in the 3500-year history of glassmaking.” He also said they were “the crown jewels for collectors”.

The respected author, historian and fine art collector, Paul Hollister, said paperweights “ …cry out for a recognized place in the hierarchy of beautiful objects made by man. The finest of them, created by true and great artists, rank with the finest illuminated manuscripts, the bronzes of Cellini, the boxes of Faberge, or the portraits of the greatest of the miniaturists.”

Paperweights continue to be in demand by collectors. For your information, the world record price for a single paperweight is just over $250,000, sold in a 1990 Sotheby’s auction. How would you explain to that buyer your comment that paperweights are only “moderately pretty hunks of glass…”? He laid his money on the table — you only expressed your inexperienced opinion. I recognize your right to express your opinion, but I would hope that you might have checked your facts before publicizing to the world your lack of experience.

I’m sorry that you did not appreciate the Rubloff collection of paperweights at the Art Institute. These are considered the finest collection in the world. I’m also sorry that you chose to write your article expressing your personal opinion without doing a little background research to become better informed. I think you missed the boat.

-Art Elder

Did you know? Facts about fine glass paperweights

1. The highest price ever paid for a paperweight was $258,000, purchased in 1990 by a private collector at a Sotheby’s auction in New York. The piece, an antique paperweight produced by the French Clichy Factory was known as The Basket of Flowers.

2. While one of the world’s largest collections of paperweights was assembled by the late Arthur Rubloff, a Chicago developer and avid collector, there are thousands of collectors world-wide who share his passion. Throughout history, kings, queens and celebrities have collected paperweights. Like other expensive art objects, they have been a hobby of the upper classes. Famous collectors have included Oscar Wilde, King Farouk, Colette, Empress Eugenie, Truman Capote, Eva Peron, Malcolm Forbes, and President Clinton.

3. The creation of fine glass paperweights is by far the most technically complex form of all glass working, requiring many years of practice before a glass artist masters control of the molten medium used to create them. The inner design is created out of colored glass, while in its liquid form at 2,000+ degrees F, and is then encased in molten crystal. All stages in the process, from creation of the design to cooling (annealing) the glass, require a technical tour de force of knowledge and skill.

4. The first glass paperweights were created in the mid-1850s in France. Competition between rival glass factories of Baccarat, Saint Louis, and Clichy caused what was first created as a simple novelty item to evolve into rare presentation pieces, which demonstrated the makers’ skills. While they still retain the name given them in Victorian times, glass paperweights have never been used to hold down paper. Instead they have always been collected as precious objects of art and are displayed as such by collectors everywhere.

5. Original methods for creating paperweights has changed little over the past 160 years since the French factories competed to make their finest work. The major difference is that today’s makers use computer-controlled annealing ovens. The clear glass used for encasement is clearer than the glass used in the 1850s, but the colors of the interior designs have not faded in the least.

6. Much of the Arthur Rubloff paperweight collection now housed in the Art Institute of Chicago was assembled by Lawrence H. Selman, founder of L. H. Selman Ltd., who traveled to auctions in the United States and Europe to bid on behalf of his client. Like other art auctions, many of the high prices paid were due to worldwide interest in these works of art, resulting in bidding wars between collectors attempting to acquire them. To put things in perspective, only one of the world’s five most expensive paperweights-the Pantin Silkworms-is in Arthur Rubloff’s collection.

7. The world’s largest purveyor of fine glass paperweights is L. H. Selman Ltd., formerly a California glass art gallery which was acquired in 2009 by the Clark family of Chicago. The gallery is now located at 410 S. Michigan Ave., across the street from the Art Institute. For more than 40 years, L. H. Selman Ltd. has served as a leading envoy for glass collectors, supplying them with rare antique and contemporary paperweights. The company hosts various events throughout the year, including gallery exhibitions, and semi-annual online paperweight auctions, which attract bidders from around the world.

L. H. Selman Ltd. deals with some of the most prestigious glasshouses, museums, and individual paperweight artists known today, offering the most extensive inventory of antique and contemporary paperweights in the world. L.H. Selman Ltd. has also published more than 30 books about paperweights under the imprint of Paperweight Press.

8. The top five most expensive paperweights sold at auction in modern times:

1. Clichy Basket of flowers: $258,000 (June 26,1990, Sotheby’s)
2. Pantin Bird in the nest: $182,600 (April 1990, L. H. Selman Ltd.)
3. Pantin Salamander with red and white blossoms: $156,500 (April 29,1998, Sotheby’s)
4. Pantin Silkworms: $143,000 (December 2,1983, Sotheby’s) – Acquired by Arthur Rubloff and on display at the AIC.
5. Saint Louis Encased gingham overlay: $117,600 (July 10,1979, Christie’s)

All the best,

-Lawrence H. Selman, founder of L. H. Selman Ltd. and former agent for Arthur Rubloff.

I was shocked when I read your article in the Chicago Tribune this morning. I suspect you know very little about paperweights and do not seem to recognize that art comes in many forms and many different mediums. I do not think you would have written this article If you had done research on the history of paperweights or even taken a tour of L.H. Selman, LTD which is located in the Fine Arts Building.

In addition to being sarcastic and uninformed, your article was very derogatory towards Mr. Rubloff who obviously generously loaned or donated his collection to the museum. I do not know the Rubloff family, but I cannot help but think they would certainly be outraged by your negative comments.

I sincerely hope you will print a retraction.

Sincerely,

Susan C. Newman