Lothar Böttcher
South African glass sculptor Lothar Böttcher carves presence from solid glass — objects with ancient resonance and contemporary observations held in permanent collections at the Corning Museum of Glass, the Glasmuseum Frauenau, and institutions across Europe and Africa.
Working predominantly in cold glass — carving, cutting and polishing optical crystal by hand — Böttcher’s practice bridges the prehistoric and the contemporary. His sculptures draw on the enduring magic of ancient artefacts and cave imagery, translating that animistic charge into works that feel both timeless and urgently alive.
Recognised in the Homo Faber Guide and featured in New Glass Review 45, his work has been exhibited across four continents and is represented by galleries in South Africa, Germany, and the USA.
Discover a collection meticulously crafted by skilled hands, each piece telling its own story through the interplay of light and form.
A journey into the artist’s world.
Changing Channels Photograms
Darkroom photograms constructed from light, glass sculptures, and hand-cut stencils. Each image reveals itself only in the developer — analogue, irreversible, and unique. Edition of 5. Part of Echoes of Presence, Alliance Française Pretoria, June 2026.
Visual Oases in Exceedingly Distracted Times
We spend our lives believing the shadows on the wall in our caves are the real thing. We don’t even want to go outside any more. Our attention is the currency. We spend it freely.
Trapping a Beast Inside the Screen
A Beast trapped inside a screen. A sculpture revealed after the final polish. Lothar Böttcher on the two questions that drive his practice in glass.