The Sand Art Bottles of Andrew Clemens

In the last quarter of the 19th century an amazing artist emerged. He turned out to be one of the greatest artists that most people have never heard of. Whenever people see even one of Andrew Clemens’ sand art bottles, they react with astonishment and disbelief. When they find out that he became completely deaf at the age of 5 years, they are even more intrigued to discover more about this mysterious man who died at the untimely age of 37 years.

Amidst a country undergoing rapid expansion and change, Clemens retreated into his own silent world creating works of art that stand unmatched to this day. While it is thought that Clemens made hundreds if not thousands of bottles over his short life, relatively few remain. Many of these are in Museums, some are in private collections and the ones that rarely appear at auctions sell for thousands of dollars.

Clemens’ overcoming his disability has been an inspiration to many who learn about him. He not only overcame a number of challenges but also thrived despite overwhelming odds. His sand art bottles were so unbelievable that many individuals in his time and thereafter have attempted to duplicate them. It has been said, by his contemporaries, that someone like Clemens is unlikely to ever surface again.