GLASGALERIE STÖLTING
The Gallerist – Tom Stölting
Tom Stölting was born in Prague in 1966 and moved to Germany in the 1970s. His mother, Eliska Stölting, studied at the Glass School and at Charles University in Prague until 1968. In 1988, she founded Glasgalerie Hittfeld just outside Hamburg — the world’s first gallery dedicated to contemporary Czech glass art. Growing up in this environment, Tom developed an early and lasting interest in contemporary glass.
The political changes brought about by the Velvet Revolution in 1989 allowed Czech artists to travel and exhibit internationally. Many were featured at Glasgalerie Hittfeld, giving Tom rare insight into the evolution of this art form and the opportunity to engage with leading artists from a young age.
He began studying graphic design in Hamburg in 1976. After completing his studies, he founded his own design agency and created magazines for various publishers. He later worked as Art Director at Heinrich Bauer Verlag, and then as Art Director for Magazine & Web Design at Gruner & Jahr.
In 1999, Tom joined AOL as Design Director Europe, overseeing graphic management and the development of European subsidiaries. He also worked on projects for CompuServe and Netscape. After the birth of his daughter, he returned to Hamburg to lead Research & Development at AOL, where he was responsible for developing the company’s video platform.
After nearly two decades in the media industry, Tom chose to follow a new path — one that reconnected him with his roots. In 2013, he fulfilled his mother’s vision by opening Glasgalerie Stölting in Hamburg HafenCity.
Today, he continues the over 35-year-old legacy of his mother’s gallery, focusing on Czech glass sculpture. Many of the artists represented are among the international elite of the contemporary glass scene. With a commitment to the highest artistic standards, Tom Stölting is dedicated to advancing his mother’s work by elevating Glasgalerie Stölting to the same level of international recognition as Glasgalerie Hittfeld.
