Auction of Paperweights Sold by The Art Institute of Chicago

L.H. Selman hosted a live auction in Chicago on September 17th, with bidders worldwide, online, by phone or absentee bid, selling close to 400 works of glass art originally owned by Arthur Rubloff, the Potter Palmers, Ella Grace Burdick and Lucy K. Kretchmer, and until several days ago, held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.

The combined hammer price for each paperweight sold by the Art Institute of Chicago will be given to the museum for the purchase of artwork. 100% of the net profits from the buyers’ premiums will be donated to the Glass Paperweight Foundation for their discretionary use to provide scholarships and purchase equipment for artists who are in need. .... READ MORE

Just Published: Classic Paperweight eBook

We are pleased to bring you “The Art of The Paperweight” by Lawrence H. Selman. We are now making these important books available online, as a free service to the paperweight community, and for all the newcomers who we hope will begin to share our passion for fine glass art paperweights. Here is a brief excerpt, please read and share as you see fit.

“I admire glass paperweights primarily because they are the culmination of some 2,000 years of glassmaking artistry and experimentation. When one looks at paperweights in terms of the history of glassmaking, one realizes that there is little that makes them unique. The workmanship in a millefiori paperweight, for example, is no better than that perfected for the production of inlay plaques in ancient Alexandria... READ MORE

"The Art Institute Of Chicago More Than Doubles Its Famed Rubloff Paperweight Collection"

— by Elysabeth Alfano, Huffington Post

“Paperweights? Yes, paperweights! If you can't really envision what they are (or why), you are in luck. The Art Institute of Chicago, which houses one of the largest paperweight collections in the world, is more than doubling its permanent Rubloff Paperweight Exhibit from 341 to more than 800 paperweights. For the first time ever, the museum, which has many very rare, antique examples of the art form, will also dedicate a space to contemporary paperweights... READ MORE