IOAN NEMTOI was born in 1964 on a farm in Trusesti near Dorohoi, in North-Eastern Romania, as the eldest son of a large family. When Nemtoi was in the 5th grade one of his teachers noticed his artistic talent and sent him to art school. Later he went on to the art branch at high school where he worked with clay and metal primarily. He studied at the Art Academy in Bucharest for six years, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Ceramics, Glass and China. In 1995, Nemtoi returned to his native town to start up his first glass studio. He not only chose this location for the “very fine sand in this area, which is excellent for glass-making" but also because he wanted to bring life and prosperity back to this remote town, battered by hardships in the communist era. His works are now selling all over Europe and the USA and being shown in major art exhibitions and private collections. His workshop quickly grew and now employs the best glass blowers of the area. In the past several years his work has gained tremendous popularity in Europe as his pieces have been donated by Romania to the Vatican as well as to Unicef Headquarters in New York. Recent exhibitions include his permanent exhibit at his own Ioan Nemtoi Gallery in SoHo, New York, as well as a monumental solo show, My Extravaganza, at The Gallery @ Oxo, London, which was soon after acquired by McLaren, Inc., for display at their corporate headquarters, also in London. He intends to open an International Glass Academy in Dorohoi soon where young glass artists from all over the world can come and work under his guidance.