Francisca Snel

Contemporary artist working with glass, copper and material research

Francisca Snel is a Dutch contemporary artist creating sculptural works in glass and copper. Combining traditional glassblowing techniques with material research, she transforms familiar, everyday objects into unexpected sculptures that explore labour, value, and the way we perceive our surroundings.

 
 
Francisca Snel creating a glass sculpture in the glass museum in Leerdam

More About Francisca Snel

Francisca Snel is a Dutch artist based in Wommels. Her practice explores the constantly changing relationship between people and their environment, often beginning with materials and objects that are so familiar that we barely notice them.

Material research plays a central role in her work. Rather than treating glass simply as a medium, Snel investigates its physical properties, technical limitations, colour, transparency, and relationship with other materials. Her sculptures combine this experimental approach with the precision and knowledge of traditional craftsmanship.

Glassblowing is an important part of her current practice. Her glass works are made in Leerdam, a city with a long history of glassmaking in the Netherlands. The process is inherently collaborative: working with molten glass requires specialist knowledge, physical strength, precise timing, and close cooperation during the making of each individual work.