October 18 2025 – March 29 2026, at Kosta Boda Art Gallery.
nUlrica Hydman Vallien was truly unique – vibrant and fearless, bursting with energy and a boundless productivity. She embodied the glamour of the 1980s, always with something new in the works: from painted airplanes to glass, painting, and graphic art – all instantly recognizable through her distinctive visual language.nnThere was an expressive POP in Ulrica, and she simply could not hold it back. The joy of her hand could not be tamed – it lived a carefree life of its own. If she was not painting directly on the glass, she embedded the images within it, either through traditional glassmaking techniques or by boldly experimenting with new ones.nn
Hydman Vallien’s major breakthrough came in 1986, when she launched both Open Minds and Caramba – two hugely successful series that became classics and are still closely associated with her today. In 1991, she introduced Tulipa, a series that took her popularity to new heights – Tulipa remains the best-selling glass series in the world. At the peak of its international demand, Ulrica Hydman Vallien alone kept a studio of around twenty decorative painters at Kosta Boda Glassworks fully employed.
nFor Kosta Boda, Ulrica is of immeasurable importance – both as a person and as an artist. Her artistic legacy lives on, nurtured and further developed by new generations of artists and craftspeople at the Kosta glassworks.nnUlrica invites us to see the world with an open mind – Open Mind!n
