glasmontage

Glassmontage is a term associated with the artistic arrangement of broken glass pieces, usually collected and reassembled into a new composition. The artist Selim Moehler, a then-student at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, reportedly coined this term in the early 20th century.

Moehler's work, along with the work of other related artists, can be seen as a manifestation of various movements in the early 20th century, including Cubism, Dadaism, and assemblage art. The composition of glass pieces challenges traditional notions of art, particularly in its ability to evoke strongly emotional reactions from the viewer. Critics at the time struggled to assign this unorthodox art a definitive categorization, contributing to its mysterious early years.

In 1934, Moehler exhibited his piece, 'glassmontage', at the Salon des Realites Nouvelles in Paris. This event marked one of the first times in which the term was used in a professional setting, and also recognized the phenomenon as an art form distinct from its predecessor media.