Photos By Gail
Marvin Lipofsky’s 1/4 Pounder with Cheese (1973) is a standout piece from his Great American Food series, and a fascinating example of Pop-inflected commentary within the American Studio Glass movement.
Created using blown glass with a metallic luster, the sculpture is shaped to loosely mimic the soft, rounded form of a hamburger patty on a bun — complete with the sensual, organic contours Lipofsky was known for.
What sets this piece apart is its presentation: the glass “burger” is housed inside a found McDonald’s Quarter Pounder paper box, anchoring the artwork directly to consumer culture. This juxtaposition of handcrafted glass — a labor-intensive, elevated medium — with a disposable fast-food container reflects Lipofsky’s wry and subversive critique of mass production, consumption, and American identity.
I Found This Image on a Post Card!
While the artist is more widely recognized for his amorphous, abstract glass forms and contributions to the California glass scene, works like 1/4 Pounder with Cheese show his occasional lean into conceptual and cultural commentary. The piece reflects a moment in the early 1970s when artists across media were beginning to question the distinctions between high and low art, and how materials and context shape meaning.
This particular sculpture offers both a nostalgic nod to 1970s Americana and a sharp, glittering bite of cultural critique.
Photographed in the Museum of Arts and Design in New York
I work at the Lipofsky Studio and recently came across an audio of his slide lecture. He made molds from the food. He shows the burger and had this to say:
“…I made what I called the great American food series of drinking cups and of course we had to have a McDonald’s hamburger but it was very difficult to take the hamburger and make an aluminum mold so that I could blow the glass for the hamburger…
[inaudible question] Yes, original but it’s very difficult because it doesn’t last very long after you buy it. You must hurry, very fast put wax on it.” Lipofsky, Hadamar Lecture 1980
Thanks for your interest in his work!
Thank you so much, Jeanette, for your lovely comment! — G