Avalon Gallery presents the wonderfully original glass art of Christian Thirion, who has taken an unconventional route toward becoming one of today’s emerging masters of glass sculpture. 

Christian has always been captivated by glass. As a boy in his native France, Christian would spend family holidays in Barcelona and Venice where he marveled at the sight of glassblowers gathering and shaping hot, glowing glass with masterful ease. Trained as a master French pastry chef, he moved to the United States in 1979 to share his expertise with culinary students and pastry enthusiasts.

Christian opened restaurants in California, yet he still found himself drawn to glass. In the early 1980s he launched his creative pursuits as a stained glass artist. In 1987, a friend told him about a glassblowing class at a local community college. The moment Christian handled the pipe with the molten glass, he found his calling. He left pastry to pursue glassblowing full time.

The fluidity of his shapes, innovative use of colors and textures combined with his varied motifs define Christian Thirion’s personal style. An award winning glass artist, he exhibits his work in more than 100 galleries, as well as in public and private collections throughout the United States, South America, Japan and Europe.