Vladislav Urban was an academic sculptor based in Brno. His creative output included small sculptures, paintings and designs for glass, jewellery and furniture. He was frequently associated with architects involved in public development projects. In the environment of Czech culture and the applied arts, he gained the reputation of a successful designer of industrial and decorative glass. His work is well represented in many Czech and foreign art collections. In the professional literature of these institutions, he is cited as belonging to the 1960´s generation of artists.
Vladislav Urban was born in Pilsen in 1937. He studied jewelery design and craftsmanshift at the Jewelery school in Turnov and then at the Prague Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design. He was trained in glass sculpture at the studios of Prof. Arch. Karel Stipl, Assoc. Prof. Vaclav Platek and Prof. Jozef Soukup (Prof. Jan Bauch). He began working as a designer whilst learning the craft skills of various glasswork disciplines, namely in Kamenicky Senov, Chribska, Novy Bor, Podebrady and Svetla nad Sazavou. He discovered the world of auxiliary operating practises in the glass industry at Teplice v Cechach in 1961 where he acquired a knowledge of glassmaking. He also conducted experiments with metals to produce glass moulds in which his designs could be formed. His life-long association with the phenomenon of glass began there.
In 1973, he moved into research and development within the furniture Industry at DG, Brno, where he spent fifteen fulfilling years as a designer in a variety positions. With his works of arts, he participated in competitions, associational exhibitions, shows, fairs several World Expositions (EXPO) and international symposia. He organized his own exhibitions.
Vladislav Urban se do historie lisovaného skla zapsal díky své vynalézavosti a experimentování. Váza, představující jeden ze stovek návrhů této žijící legendy, svým rustikálním vzorem připomíná horské masivy. Ostatně výrobce ji pokřtil Tatry. Modelace vznikla hranou lžíce cíleným vrásněním měkké masy a následným přesným odlitím do kovové formy. Vladislav Urban posunul technologii výroby lisovaného skla o krok dále, když v praxi prosadil výrobu forem odléváním přímo z jeho modelu. Tak mohly být na tvar aplikovány nové struktury a modelace, jichž před tím nebylo možno docílit. Typ této vázy se vyráběl v rozdílných variantách v dnes již zaniklých sklárnách Sklounion.