Loretta H. Yang

杨慧珊

Loretta H. Yang is a pioneering force in contemporary Chinese glass art. Originally a celebrated film actress in 1970s–80s Taiwan, Yang was twice awarded Best Actress at the prestigious Golden Horse Awards, as well as Best Actress at the Asia Pacific Film Festival. At the height of her cinematic career, she made a bold decision to leave the film industry and dedicate herself to the revival of Chinese glass casting, a craft that had vanished for nearly two millennia.

In 1987, Yang co-founded LIULI, a contemporary glass art studio that redefined the perception of Chinese glass—known historically as liuli—through the revival and reinvention of the lost-wax casting technique. Over the past three decades, she has developed a distinctive body of work that merges traditional Chinese aesthetics with a deeply humanistic and spiritual narrative.

Yang’s sculptures are recognized for their purity of form and profound philosophical depth, often drawing inspiration from Buddhist teachings, classical Chinese culture, and universal themes of compassion and self-reflection. Her dedication to the art form has elevated Chinese contemporary glass onto the global stage, with works in the permanent collections of world-renowned institutions including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, The Palace Museum in Beijing, and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York.

She has served as honorary professor or guest instructor at several prestigious institutions, including:

Centre International de Recherche sur le Verre et les Arts Plastiques (CIRVA), Marseille, France
The Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass, USA
Notojima Glass Art Museum, Ishikawa, Japan
Tsinghua University Academy of Arts & Design, Beijing (former honorary professor)

Her work not only embodies the rebirth of a lost Chinese art but also presents a powerful contemporary voice—one that bridges East and West, tradition and innovation, material and spirit.

Loretta H. Yang – Museum Collections

Works by Loretta H. Yang have been acquired into the permanent collections of renowned institutions worldwide, including:

• The Palace Museum, Beijing, China

• The National Art Museum of China, Beijing

• Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK

• Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France

• National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington D.C., USA

• The Museum of Arts and Design, New York, USA

• Corning Museum of Glass, New York, USA

• Bowers Museum, California, USA

• Glass Museum of Conches, France

• Glasmuseet Ebeltoft, Denmark