Dale Chihuly Large Signed Pink Seaform with Olive Green Lip Wrap Hand Blown Glass Sculpture

Aritst: Dale Chihuly
Title: Pink Seaform with Olive Green Lip Wrap
Medium: Hand-Blown Glass
Size: 6 1/2" x 17 1/2" x 15 1/2"
Edition: Portland Press 1983
Inscription: Signed and dated on underside
Documentation: Certificate of Authenticity included

In his recent career, Dale Chihuly has become famous for his larger-than-life glass pieces. Ranging from massive Macchias to large-scale installations, he has shown that manipulating scale can have an incredible impact. This 1983 pink macchia with olive green lip wrap is a very early example of his willingness to explore large-scale glass sculpture. In the early 1980s, Chihuly worked with significantly smaller teams which often limited the size of objects he was able to produce. Measuring an impressive 17 1/2" wide by 15 1/2" deep, this piece stands out as a rare exception.

The pale pink color is treated with varying degrees of opacity and translucency, echoing the organic, ethereal elements of the sea for which the seaform series is named. In true Dale Chihuly fashion, he finishes the pieces with an unexpected color pairing punctuated with an olive green lip wrap.

This exceptionally large pink Dale Chihuly seafoam comes to us from a private collection in Washington. The piece is signed and dated "Chihuly 83" on the underside and comes with a gallery certificate of authenticity.

About Dale Chihuly

One of the most famous contemporary glass artists in the world, Dale Chihuly is best known for his monumental sculptures and installations. He is the name behind the spectacular ceiling at the Bellagio’s flower garden in Las Vegas and the creator of the Rotunda Chandelier at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Glass works of Dale Chihuly are considered some of the most desired collectibles between the decorative arts devotees today. Despite his initial indifference towards education, Chihuly has spent a lot of time in school, obtaining both scientific and artistic degree in sculpture from prestigious graduate schools. He displayed a proclivity for interior design and craft early on, but his true passion was always in the glass. He was a Fulbright Fellow in the late 1960s and an apprentice at the Venini Glass Factory in Venice. Mastering the art of Murano glasswork, he continued the experiments with glassblowing and thus became one of the people who brought the ancient art of glassblowing back into the spotlight on an international scale.

Monumental and small-scale artwork of Dale Chihuly is present in over 200 most renowned decorative art collections today, while the artist holds twelve honorary doctorates!

The most illustrious series in his work are Cylinders and Baskets he created in the 1970s; Macchia, Venetians, and Persians from the 1980s, Niijima Floats and Chandeliers created in the 1990s; and a more recent one, Fiori from the 2000s.

For over 30 years, Dale Chihuly has been acting as an artistic director of his team of craftsmen, since he was incapacitated in two accidents, which left him blind in one eye and incapable of holding the blowing tube. This change allowed him to see the possibilities of glass work on a broader scale, while still maintaining his recognizable style.