Peter Layton was born in Prague and brought up in England. In 1960-62 he studied ceramics at Central School of Art and Design. After his studies he lectured in various colleges in the USA and Britain. Whilst at the University of Iowa he came across glassblowing, an interest that has lead him to become an influential figure in…
read the full biography
Peter Layton was born in Prague and brought up in England. In 1960-62 he studied ceramics at Central School of Art and Design. After his studies he lectured in various colleges in the USA and Britain. Whilst at the University of Iowa he came across glassblowing, an interest that has lead him to become an influential figure in the British Glass industry. He was awarded an honorary life membership to the Contemporary Glass Society in 2002, in 2003 received an honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Bradford and in 2008 received an honorary Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers. He has also produced several publications including Peter Layton and Friends, 2006.
In 1976 Peter Layton opened the London Glassblowing Workshop, located in an old towage works on the Thames at Rotherhithe. Over a period of over 25 years the workshop established itself as one of Europe's leading glassmaking workshops and is now the oldest in the UK. This is also where Peter Layton was to meet and start working alongside his eventual collaborator - Simon Moss.
In response to Layton's desire to work on a more ambitious scale, and to compliment each other's diverse skills, in 1993, Moss and Layton formed 'Peter Layton and Associates Limited', producing many large-scale stainless steel and glass, often site-specific, sculptures commissioned for architectural settings. Recent accomplishments include being short-listed for Shamrock Plaza Carlow in 2009 and Niche pieces for Azura in 2009.
Layton has participated in several solo exhibitions including Pattern, Colour, Format the Gallery Bevere, Worcester (2009), Sofa Chicago in New York (2008) and Glass Now Auction at the National Liberty Museum, Philadelphia (2007). He has also taken part in several travelling exhibitions throughout the UK, USA and Germany and commissioned work for John Lewis Stores and well as sculpture for the Queen Victoria cruise ship.
