Dale Chihuly

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Dale Chihuly.
Dale Chihuly.

Dale Patrick Chihuly (b. September 20, 1941 in Tacoma, Washington, U.S.) is an American glass sculptor.

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[edit] Biography

Chihuly graduated from high school in Tacoma. Supported by his mother, after his brother George's death in a flight-training accident in Florida and his father's death of a heart attack, he enrolled at the College of the Puget Sound (now University of Puget Sound) in 1959. A year later, he transferred to the University of Washington at Seattle, where he studied interior design, architecture and glassblowing.

Chihuly's work Inside and Out belongs to the Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska.
Chihuly's work Inside and Out belongs to the Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska.

In 1967, he received a Masters of Science in glassblowing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 1968, he received a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he later helped establish the school's glass program. In that year, he also received a Fulbright Fellowship, and went on to become the first American glassblower to work in the prestigious Venini Fabrica on the island of Murano. Along with several other glass artists, and with the support of John Hauberg and Anne Gould Hauberg, Chihuly founded the influential Pilchuck Glass School in 1971 in Stanwood, Washington.[citation needed]

Chihuly lives and works in his 25,000 square foot (2300 m²) studio, nicknamed "The Boathouse" for its former use, on Lake Union. Since losing the vision in one of his eyes in an automobile accident in 1976, Chihuly (who wears an eyepatch) no longer has the depth perception necessary to handle the molten glass himself. Instead, he conceptualizes each project with paint and canvas and then employs a team of artists to do the work. The documentary Chihuly Over Venice became the first HDTV program to be broadcast in the United States when it aired in November 1998. In 1991, Chihuly began his Niijima Floats Series Niijima Floats Series, some of the largest blown glass pieces in the world, at the Niijima International Glass Art Festival in Japan.

[edit] About his work

Chihuly's Glowing Gemstone Polyvitro Chandelier in the Joslyn Art Museum.
Chihuly's Glowing Gemstone Polyvitro Chandelier in the Joslyn Art Museum.

His fascination with abstract nature forms comes from his mother's garden in Tacoma, Washington. His love for the ocean and its creatures is also reflected in his art.

Over the past forty years, Chihuly’s glass sculptures have explored color, design, and assemblage. Although his work varies in size and color, he is best known for his multipart blown masterpieces. Also interested in Irish culture, he has produced a sizeable volume of "Irish cylinders,"[1] which are more modest in conception than his blown glass works.

Fiori di Como on the Bellagio Hotel lobby ceiling on the Las Vegas Strip.
Fiori di Como on the Bellagio Hotel lobby ceiling on the Las Vegas Strip.

Some of Chihuly's works cover whole ceilings of casinos and hotels, while others are hand-sized abstract flowers. Chihuly uses intense colors to bring his work to life. He is also known for using neon and argon. Chihuly has a store at the MGM Grand Casino in Macau.[citation needed] One of Chihuly's sculptures was prominently displayed on the sitcom Frasier, which is set in nearby Seattle.

Chihuly uses nature as a setting for his pieces, and for creating his pieces as though they are part of nature. He sometimes entwines his pieces around tree branches and trunks. He also suspends them in space and floats them in water.

[edit] 2006 lawsuit

In 2006, Chihuly filed a lawsuit against a pair of glassblowers, including Robert Kaindl, whom he accused of copying his work.[2][3] The lawsuit was settled out of court.[4]


Chihuly glass in Garfield Park.
Chihuly glass in Garfield Park.

[edit] Permanent collections

In 2000, Chihuly's commission from the Victoria and Albert Museum for a 30 ft (9.1 m) high, blown glass chandelier dominates the museum's main entrance.
In 2000, Chihuly's commission from the Victoria and Albert Museum for a 30 ft (9.1 m) high, blown glass chandelier dominates the museum's main entrance.

[edit] United States

Another piece from the Inside and Out installation at the Joslyn Art Museum.
Another piece from the Inside and Out installation at the Joslyn Art Museum.

[edit] Canada

[edit] England

[edit] Exhibitions

A Chihuly in Coral Gables, FL with floating spheres in the background.
A Chihuly in Coral Gables, FL with floating spheres in the background.

[edit] Gallery

Chihuly's The Sun was on temporary display until January 2006 at Kew Gardens, London, England. The piece is 13 feet (4 m) high

Missouri Botanical Garden installation (two spheres)

Missouri Botanical Garden installation (glass vase with bamboo)

Missouri Botanical Garden installation (glass vase with bamboo)

At the Tower of David

In the lobby of the Bellagio hotel and casino, Las Vegas, USA.

[edit] Bibliography

  • "Chihuly Over Venice" by William Warmus and Dana Self. Seattle: Portland Press, 1996.
  • Chihuly by Donald Kuspit. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1998.
  • The Essential Dale Chihuly by William Warmus. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2000.
  • Dale Chihuly:365 Days. Margaret L. Kaplan, Editor. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2008.

[edit] References

  1. ^ photo
  2. ^ Floridian: Glass warfare
  3. ^ The Seattle Times: Local News: Glass artist Chihuly's lawsuit tests limits of copyrighting art
  4. ^ The Seattle Times: Local News: Chihuly, rival glass artist settle dispute

[edit] External links

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