Peter Mandl
(b. 1947, Prague) is a Czech-born sculptor working primarily in glass and bronze, whose career spans more than five decades. Following the events of the Prague Spring, he left Czechoslovakia in 1968 and settled in Sweden, where he has lived and worked since, establishing his studio practice on the west coast near Halmstad. His work is represented in numerous private and public collections worldwide.
Mandl’s artistic formation is rooted in both Central European glass tradition and Scandinavian modernism. He studied at the College of Glass Art in Železný Brod between 1962 and 1966 and was admitted to art studies in Prague in 1968 before continuing his education in Sweden at Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm from 1969 to 1972. He also undertook studies at Orrefors’ Glass School, gaining direct exposure to industrial and studio glass production. Early professional experience included work in glassworks in Czechoslovakia and later collaborations with leading Scandinavian glasshouses such as Kosta and Orrefors, as well as work in Germany.
Peter Mandl has devoted his life to sculpture. Through a distinctive forming and mould-melting technique, he captures fleeting moments in solid glass and bronze, transforming movement into permanent form. His sculptures evoke natural forces—wind, waves, organic growth—as well as the human body, often the female figure. These forms appear frozen in time yet remain visually dynamic, conveying a sense of continuous motion that invites contemplation and calm.
What distinguishes Mandl’s work is his ability to balance classical proportion with fluid abstraction. His sculptures are not narrative in a literal sense, yet they tell a story through rhythm, tension, and flow. Light plays a crucial role, particularly in his glass works, where careful cold-working and polishing guide the viewer’s perception and heighten the sensation of inner movement. The result is sculpture that is both sensuous and restrained—pleasing to the eye, intellectually engaging, and emotionally resonant.
Moving fluently between glass and bronze, Mandl applies the same sculptural thinking across materials, allowing each medium to express weight, motion, and stillness in different ways. His works occupy a distinctive position within contemporary sculpture, where technical mastery, natural inspiration, and poetic form converge.