Bertil Vallien (1938). He was affiliated with Kosta Boda since 1963 and by far the most internationally celebrated glass artist and designer in Sweden.

He has received numerous prestigious awards, and his work is well represented in the leading museums of the USA, Europe and Japan. He is known most of all as the master of sand casting. His solid, deep-blue, four-meter-long ship has become part of modern glass history. In 2023, Bertil Vallien and Kosta Boda celebrate 60 years of partnership.

"I see my role as a designer and artist in much the same way a musician regards treble and bass. I am more interested in what goes on inside the glass than I am in the outer shell. I want my glass to capture traces of what has been and what is yet to come."