Designed as a research laboratory, the Cirva - Centre international de recherche sur le verre et les artes plastiques was established in Marseille in 1986 as a non-for-profit state entity to host international artists, designers and architects wishing to introduce glass to their creative process. These artists, who are often confronted with a difficult to master material for the first time, develop their designs assisted by the Cirva technical team.
Over thirty years, Cirva has hosted around 200 artists for various projects in the fields of contemporary art, design and decorative arts. It also owns a collection of 700 works exhibited in museums and art centers all over the world.

An exhibition dedicated to the Cirva atelier took place in April 2018 at Le Stanze Del Vetro .

C.i.r.v.a.