When Keith Cummings began exploring glass as a sculptural material during his Fine Art studies at Durham University in the 1960s, the Studio Glass movement had not yet emerged. Working without precedent or instruction, he turned to historical examples for inspiration – among them the rich, opaque jewel-like quality of Ancient Egyptian glass, and the sculptural pâte de verre work of nineteenth century French artists such as Amalric Walter, whose pieces resembled modelled translucent stone rather than anything made by blowing. How such objects were made remained, at the time, a mystery. That mystery became the driving force behind a lifetime of enquiry.

The works on display range from a piece made forty four years ago to one completed earlier this summer. Together they reveal both the development of a distinctive sculptural vision and the restless technical experimentation that has always underpinned it. For Cummings, each new work is in some sense an experiment – a contribution to an evolving body of knowledge that he has shared generously through decades of teaching and publication. His influence on the field has been profound: kiln-forming is now recognised worldwide as a primary method of working with glass. This is, in every sense, a living body of work.