Pavel was born and raised in the Czech Republic, a country with a long tradition of beautiful glass made with impeccable craftsmanship. His sculpture and jewelry are made from the highest grade of optical glass which is ground, polished, laminated, colored, and sand blasted. Pieces that will become jewelry are also combined with sterling silver that has been hand fabricated. Every piece is one of a kind, and is the result of hours of labor.
When designing his line of jewelry, he was challenged to integrate his glass with sterling silver while maintaining the integrity of each material. Pavel is not interested in setting the glass on top of the metal in a traditional stone setting, but integrating the two materials to form a whole. His work is inspired by clean geometric shapes. His pieces feature bold colors and crisp lines that optically reflect on themselves and refract light creating kaleidoscopic results. Pavel ultimately seeks a balance of symmetry and asymmetry, positive and negative space, as well as shape and color.
Education
1987 – 1991 Secondary School of Applied Arts in Bratislava, Slovakia
1993 – 1999 Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava, Slovakia
Department of glass
Awards
1997 The first place “Die New Beatle – Vase”, Volkswagen design, Wolfsburg, SRN
1998/99 Price from Rector for the best work on Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava
2012 Awards: European glass context – winner category glass artist, Bornholm, Danmark
Symposium
2000 International glass symposium, Lednické rovne, Slovakia
Collections
Gallery Nova
Gallery Groll
Aleksandrowiecz collection
Achilles-Stiftung, Hamburg, Germany
Victoria and Albert Museum, London , UK
Ernsting – Stiftung ,Coesfeld, Germany
Shanghai museum of glass, China
Solo Exhibitions
1997 ART GLASS FORUM, Frankfurt, SRN
1999 Space, light and glass, Slovak national museum, Bratislava, Slovakia
1999 Oliver Leššo, Ital Trade, Bratislava, Slovakia
2000 Glass sculpture, Gallery Groll, Naarden , Holand
2000 Architecture of the glass, Gallery Blue bowl, Bratislava, Slovakia
2000 Architecture of the glass, Plateaux Gallery, London, England
2000 Oliver Leššo – glass sculpture, Ambassy of the SR, London, England
2000 Architecture of the glass, Museum of Oscar Wild, Dublin, Ireland
2000 Architecture of the glass, Institut of Slovakia, Roma, Italy
2000 Architecture of the glass, Via Marguta, Roma, Italy
2001 Glass sculpture, Institut of Slovakia, Wien, Austria
2001 Oliver Leššo, Etienne&Van Den Doel Gallery, Haag, Holand
2002 Oliver Leššo, Millennium house, Martin, Slovakia
2003 Oliver Leššo – Lukáš Mjartan, JCC Gallery, Luxembourg
2004 Architecture of glass Oliver Lesso – Architecture of humor Koloman Lesso ,
Gallery of architecture SAS, Balassov Palace, Bratislava, Slovakia
2004 Two about one, Oliver Lesso and Milan Opalka, Gallery M.A.Bazovskeho, Trencin, SK
2005 Oliver Lesso, Gallery Nova, Bratislava, Slovakia
OliverLesso, Etienne Gallery, Österwijk, Holand
2012 Oliver Leššo – Imperium ( z osobnej zbierky) galéria Nova , Bratislava, Slovensko
Group Exhibitions
1995 Talents, Gallery Záhorie, Senica, Slovakia
1996 30 years glass on the Academy of Fine Arts, Gallery Medium, Bratislava, Slovakia
1996 Gallery X, Bratislava, Slovakia
1997 Gallery of Orava, Dolný Kubín, Slovakia
1997 M.A. Bazovský gallery, Trenčín, Slovakia
1997 Werk – stil- forum, Hamburg, SRN
1997 Volkswagen, Wolfsburg, SRN
1997 National gallery of Slovakia, Eszterházy palace, Bratislava, Slovakia
1998 Glass department exhibition of the Academy of Fine Arts, Východoslovenská Gallery, Košice, Slovakia
1998 European surednices, Glass art Gallery Simone, Bratislava, Slovakia
1998 Mystery of discowered space, Ambassy of the SR, London, England
1998 Mystery of discovered space, The Vardy Gallery, Suderland, Great Britain
1998 Dialogs, Frederiksberg City Hall, Denmark
1999 Contemporary slovak glass, Plateaux Gallery, London, England
1999 Transparences, Chateau de la Roche Guyon, France
1999 ART 99, Glaskunst Triennale, Norimberg, SRN
2000 Gallery Groll, Naarden – Vesting, Holand
2000 Talents, München, SRN
2000 Holland Art Fair, Kunst van 1900 TOT HEGEN, Holand
2000 Transparences, Palfi palace, Bratislava, Slovakia
2000 Metamorphosis of the glass, M. A. Bazovský gallery, Trenčín, Slovakia
2000 Metamorphosis of the glass, Orava gallery, Dolný Kubín, Slovakia
2000 Reflecties, Niewegein, Holand
2000 Brittle Beauty, Contemporary slovak art glass, Perugia, Italy
2001 Contemporary decorativ art, SOTHEBY´S, London, England
2001 Dialogues with the light – contemporary slovak glass, Via Larga Gallery, Florence, Italy
2001 Pan Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Holand
2001 International glass symposium LR 2000, Palfi palace, Bratislava, Slovakia
2001 Dialogues with the light – contemporary slovak glass, Palazzo Ferrajoli, Roma, Italy
2002 Dialogues with the light – contemporary slovak glass, Slovak Institut Berlin, Germany
2002 Mystery of space, Maison du Verre, Puy – Guillaume, France
2002 Pan Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Holand
2005 Ezzo Gallery, Wien, Austria
2005 Talents, Slovak institute in Prague, CR
2006 Contemporary art from Slovakia, European central bank, Frankfurt, Deutschland
2006 Sofa Chicago, Plateaux Gallery, USA
2006 St ’Art , Gallery Nova, Strasbourg, F
2006 Coburg glass price for contemporary glass in Europe 2006, Kunstsammlungen der veste Coburg, Coburg , D
2007 Leo Kaplan Modern Gallery, New York, USA
2007 Slovak contemporary glass, Maiden lane exhibition space, New York, USA
2007 Finalist price gallery Nova, Gallery Z, Bratislava, Slovakia
2007 Meister der moderne 2007, München,Germany
2007 Art and interior, Veletrzni palace, Prague, CR
6/2008 Sofa 2008 New York, Prism Contemporary Gallery, USA
11/2008 Sofa 2008 Chicago, Prism contemporary Gallery, USA
2008 4TH anniversary invitational, Prism Contemporary Glass, Chicago, USA
2008 Quest Gallery, London, UK
2008 Indie London, Collect 2008 –Victoria and Albert Museum, Plateaux gallery, London, UK
2008 “Mastervork” Paris, marc 2008, F
2008 Mark Peet Visser Gallery, ‘ S-Hertogenbosch, NL
6/2009 Sofa, West, Prism Contemporary Glass, USA
2009 Price of gallery Nova 2nd yeat , Bratislava, Slovakia
2009 I “ Verre” , JCC Gallery, Luxembourg
2009 Winterausstellung 2009, Gallery Handwerk, Koblenz, D
2010 Marshall –Lekae Gallery
2010 Prism Scottsdate, Prism Contemporary Glass, Chicago, USA
2011 Slovak contemporary glass with gallery Nova, Jewelry Souks, Beirut Souks, Beirut, Libanon
2011 Art/Greenwich seafair – The fine Art yacht , USA (15-19 september 2011 Plateaux gallery)
2012 International trade Fair in Munchene , Germany
2012 Europeanglasscontext 2012, Bornholm, Danmark
2012 Bienale Brabant – Tilburg, NL
2013 Hofburg Vienna art fair, Wien, Austria
2013 I- glass , Slovak contemporary glass, Shanghai, China
2014 – Coburg Glass Prize, Germany
2014- White and Weiss, Bratislava
2014 – exhibition Slovak glass , Lednicke Rovne, SR
2015 – Quingdao Contemporary Glass Art Exhibition, Quingdao, China
2016 – Palm Springs Fine and Fair ,USA
2016 – Sarasota glass art weekend, USA
2016 – Verre contemporain Slovaque, Claret, France
2016 – Glass now ! ,Munchen, Germany
2016 – Decorex , London, United Kingdom
2016 – Luxury made , London, United Kingdom
2017 – Sarasota glass art weekend, USA
Press / about :
Books : Slovak glass decade 1960 – 2010 Sabina Jankovičova
Slovak Contemporary glass
European glass context 2012
Coburg glass preis 2006
Galeria Nova 1991 – 2011
Neues glas / new glass/ Winter 2013 (4/13)
