Uedem, Germany, *1954

Wilfried Grootens was born in 1954 in Uedem, Germany. In 1973 he completed his training as a glass and porcelain painter with Hein Derix in Kevelaer. What followed were eventful years in which Wilfried traveled through Asia, South and Central America and the Middle East. From 1981 he took part in various music projects and recordings such as with the Karnataka College of Percussion, Embryo, Dissidenten.

Since 1989, Wilfried has been working with glass again and started experimenting in his own studio in Kleve. 

These experiments eventually led him to the unique style he is known for today.

Wilfried's sculptures consist of several layers of painted glass. The layers are stacked and glued together. The glued layers are then perfectly polished to form cubes, ovoids or hemispheres. The shapes on the individual layers gradually shrink or enlarge and, when viewed together, form a wonderful three-dimensional body that appears to float in the vitreous body. The painted bodies are reflected on the cube's planes, partially duplicating each other and disappearing entirely in one glance - in a dizzying display of optical illusion and geometry as art.

Since 1991, Wilfried has regularly won prizes for his work, which obviously leaves a lasting impression not only on collectors all over the world, but also on juries.