Argentinian Glass Artist Silvia Levenson to Appear at Mint Museum

The Mint Museum Uptown will welcome Argentinian glass artist Silvia Levenson to Charlotte on Sunday as she’ll discuss the themes behind her sculpture, “Until Death to Us Part,” recently acquired by the museum. She will discuss her career and themes behind her work, which is known for starting conversations about difficult topics, such as violence against women inside the home. 

Levenson’s 330-pound glass sculpture consists of a large wedding cake topped by a plaster hand grenade. The sculpture, created in 2013, serves as a metaphor for the fragility of relationships and the domestic violence many women worldwide face every day.

“The family is often equated with sanctuary…but the evidence shows that it is also a place that imperils lives,” Levenson stated in a press release. “One-third of murdered women in the world are killed by a husband or partner.”

Levenson was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but emigrated to Italy in 1981 with her husband and young children to escape military dictator Jorge Rafael Videla’s oppressive regime. During his rule, which lasted from from 1976 to 1981, members of Levenson’s family were “disappeared.” Her experience over that intense and frightening time continues to inform her work. She currently divides her time between Buenos Aires and Lesa, Italy.

The museum purchased the sculpture with funds from the Mint Museum of Craft + Design Collections Board and the Charles W. Beam Accessions Endowment and installed it in February. 

Levenson’s appearance will be between 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, March 24, at Mint Museum Uptown; 500 S. Tryon St. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask Levenson questions and meet with her after the discussion. Free for members, admission price for nonmembers. Free for children ages 4 and under.