The story of each of our crystal products begins on a designer's sketch pad. From the initial idea to the final design. Meet our designers and the inspiration behind their creations.
Rückl's Artistic Director Kateřina Handlová
She grew up in a family of glass artists. From high school to graduation from UMPRUM, she studied glass and gained her design experience all over the world. In 2015, she worked at the Dutch studio Thier&VanDaalen, then designed lighting fixtures, for example for LASVIT. In 2017, she held the position of Senior Designer at LASVIT and went to work in Dubai for three years. In 2017, she designed the Shibari and Tide-up Romance crystal lighting collections for the Bomma glassworks. She still participates in the designs of Bomma constellations to this day. She loves fashion, oriental culture and original jewelry. All of this is a great inspiration to her.
Kateřina finds beauty in quality craftsmanship, which explains her passion for detail. She loves glass for its unique character and the challenges and possibilities that working with it brings. With her original artistic approach, she is definitely among the most talented and remarkable young Czech glass designers.
Rony Plesl
A leading Czech artist, sculptor, designer, professor and native of Jablonec nad Nisou, Rony Plesl has been leading the Glass Studio at the Prague Academy of Fine Arts and Design since 2008 and is among the most prominent contemporary Czech designers. He applies his original style to both the field of fine arts and the field of design. In his work, he explores the possibilities of glass sculpture, which he approaches as a unique medium. He builds on the work of his predecessors, especially Stanislav Libenský, and deeply respects the history of the craft. In 2018, he first introduced the groundbreaking technology of molten glass at the Fire Walk with Me exhibition. A turning point in his work was brought about by the Sacred Geometry exhibition installation in the Santa Chiara Chapel at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 2019. Rony Plesl's artworks are represented in public collections in the Czech Republic, abroad and in many private collections around the world.
A large part of Czechs are familiar with his work, as he has designed glasses for Budweiser Budvar, Plzeňský Prazdroj and Mattoni mineral waters. He has received many awards for his work: Good Design Award (2019, 2013, 2010), Red Dot Award (2019, 2007), Czech Grand Design (2011) and others.
In 2017, he became the artistic director of Rückl Glassworks and set its new direction. He is behind most of our brand's products, which pay tribute to Czech glassmaking and icons of Czech history.
"For me, Rückl is a piece of the amazing history of Czech cut crystal. I enjoy discovering hidden inspirations in old patterns and simply rearranging them into different forms, stories and contexts," explains Rony Plesl.
Kristyna Venturova
Kristýna Venturová originally focused on ceramics and porcelain during her studies at the Václav Hollar School of Art in Prague. However, in 2017 she successfully completed her studies in glass design at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design under the guidance of Rony Plesl and is now successfully developing it further.
During her studies, she completed two internships at the Kyoto Toyama Institute of Glass Art in Japan, which has been a lifelong passion and inspiration for her. Japanese culture, with its extraordinary approach to handcrafting, represents a bottomless well of ideas for her. Kristýna combines traditional methods with contemporary innovations, thus managing to bring the essence of emotions and rock-solid values to her products. She likes to base her creations on subconscious reactions to stimuli.
Czech history tells a great story of inventive spirit, fertile soil and entrepreneurial tenacity. Beer, the iconic golden drink that gave us a culture of friendly gatherings and storytelling. Toast to Rückl nobility with Storytellers beer glasses by Kristýna Venturová.
