Philip Baldwin & Monica Guggisberg: Adam Smith’s Amphorae

The wall-mounted glass installation brings together 27 amphora-like forms in black, gold, and transparent glass. Arranged in a grid and suspended within a brass frame, the vessels recall the ancient containers used for the transport and exchange of goods.

Adam Smith

The artwork takes its title from Adam Smith, the 18th-century Scottish economist and philosopher best known for The Wealth of Nations. Smith argued that individual initiative and economic exchange could contribute to broader prosperity and social development.

At the same time, Smith was attentive to the limitations and risks of economic systems. He recognized that commerce, innovation, and wealth creation exist alongside inequality, imbalance, and competing interests.

Adam Smith’s Amphorae reflects these tensions. The vessels vary in size, color, and transparency. Some appear luminous and prominent, while others recede into shadow. Together, they suggest both the opportunities and the uneven outcomes associated with trade, exchange, and economic development.

Amphorae

The amphora is a vessel with a long history across the Mediterranean and beyond. For thousands of years, amphorae were used to transport goods such as wine, oil, and grain. In archaeology, they are important markers of trade networks and the movement of both goods and people.

By drawing on this historical form, Baldwin and Guggisberg connect contemporary questions of exchange and globalization to much older traditions of commerce and cultural interaction.

The artists

Philip Baldwin (born 1947, USA) and Monica Guggisberg (born 1955, Switzerland) have collaborated for more than four decades. Their work combines influences from Swedish and Italian glassmaking traditions, resulting in a distinctive visual language characterized by precision, craftsmanship, and material experimentation.

Among the techniques they employ are Swedish overlay glass, in which layers of colored glass are combined, and the Italian battuto technique, where the surface is carefully cut and textured to create complex visual effects.

Sweden has played an important role in the artists’ development. Their collaboration began at the Orrefors Glass School in 1979, and Nordic design traditions continue to influence their work.

Adam Smith’s Amphorae
Philip Baldwin & Monica Guggisberg, 2025
Blown and cut glass, gold leaf, metal, brass frame

Donation by Dan T. Sehlberg, Gustav Bard, Filippa Lindström, Carl Hirsch, Stefan Hellberg, Sebastian Alexandersson, Eirik Winter, and Jon Åsberg.

Arranged by Galleri Glas, Nybrogatan 34, Stockholm.