Artist: Dale Chihuly
Title: Cranberry Red Seaform Set with Teal Lip Wrap
Medium: Hand Blown Glass
Year: 1997
Largest piece: 8 x 16.5 x 16.5 in
Second largest: 7 x 13 x 7 in
Third largest: 4.25 x 8 x 4.25 in
Smallest: 3.5 x 3.25 x 3.25 in
Documentation: Includes a Gallery Certificate of Authenticity
"Cranberry Seaform Set with Teal Lip Wrap" (c. 1997) is a four-part handblown glass sculpture by American artist Dale Chihuly, recognized internationally for his pioneering contributions to contemporary glass. This work is part of Chihuly's Seaform series, a body of work that explores organic, free-form vessels inspired by the fluidity and movement of marine life. Each element of the set presents delicate, undulating contours and a translucent surface, emphasizing the artist's interest in natural rhythm and asymmetry.
The set features a distinctive cranberry color palette paired with contrasting teal lip wraps, an unconventional chromatic combination that heightens the visual tension and emphasizes the structural edges of each form. The variation in size and shape among the four pieces creates a dynamic interplay, suggesting motion and weightlessness, consistent with Chihuly's intention to evoke the qualities of life beneath the sea. The thin, rippling walls of the glass accentuate the optical properties of light and color, shifting in appearance depending on viewpoint and illumination.
Chihuly's Seaform series represents a significant development in the studio glass movement, notable for pushing the boundaries of traditional vessel-making through scale, form, and complexity. Rather than functioning as utilitarian objects, the works are presented as sculptural forms that reference, but do not replicate, natural marine structures.
This set reflects the artist's ongoing exploration of glass as a medium capable of expressing fluidity, transparency, and organic transformation. Through the combination of vibrant color, spontaneous form, and refined craftsmanship, "Cranberry Seaform Set with Teal Lip Wrap" contributes to Chihuly's broader investigation of nature-inspired abstraction in contemporary glass art.
Dale Chihuly's "Cranberry Seaform Set with Teal Lip Wrap" includes a gallery certificate of authenticity.
About Dale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly (born September 20, 1941) is an American artist internationally recognized for his groundbreaking work in glass. Over the course of his career, Chihuly has transformed the field of studio glass into a respected contemporary art form, elevating it from a craft tradition into large-scale, immersive installations that bridge sculpture, design, and architecture. His innovative approach, marked by technical experimentation and bold use of color, has made him one of the most influential figures in late twentieth- and early twenty-first-century art.
Born in Tacoma, Washington, Chihuly studied interior design at the University of Washington before turning his attention to glass. In 1965, he enrolled in the first glass program in the United States at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, founded by Harvey Littleton, and later continued his studies at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he received an MFA in 1968. That same year, Chihuly was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship that enabled him to work at the Venini glass factory in Murano, Italy. His experience in Venice introduced him to the collaborative, team-based methods of glassblowing, a model that would become central to his own artistic practice.
In 1971, Chihuly co-founded the Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington, with patron Anne Gould Hauberg and art supporter John Hauberg. Pilchuck quickly became a leading international center for glass art, attracting artists from around the world. At RISD, where Chihuly taught for more than a decade, he trained a generation of artists who helped shape the American studio glass movement.
Chihuly's work is characterized by its fluid forms, vivid colors, and monumental scale. He is best known for his series such as Baskets, Seaforms, Persians, Macchia, Ikebana, and Chandeliers, each of which explores the expressive possibilities of glass as a sculptural medium. By embracing chance and spontaneity in the blowing process, Chihuly achieves organic, undulating shapes that evoke natural phenomena, from ocean life to plant growth. His installations often incorporate hundreds or even thousands of individual glass elements, arranged to create environments of light and color that immerse the viewer.
Throughout his career, Chihuly has exhibited widely in major museums and cultural institutions. His work has been presented at the Louvre in Paris, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the de Young Museum in San Francisco, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Large-scale exhibitions, such as Chihuly Over Venice (1995), Chihuly in the Light of Jerusalem (1999), and Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle (opened 2012), have further expanded his reputation as a visionary in contemporary art. His permanent installations can be found in public spaces, gardens, and architectural settings around the world.
Despite a serious injury in 1976 that left him blind in one eye and later prevented him from blowing glass himself, Chihuly continued to lead teams of skilled glassblowers in executing his vision. This collaborative model has allowed him to realize ambitious projects on a scale that few artists in glass have attempted.
Today, Dale Chihuly is regarded not only as a master of glass but also as a cultural innovator whose work has redefined the possibilities of the medium. His legacy lies in both his personal body of work and in his role as a founder of the studio glass movement, influencing artists, collectors, and audiences worldwide.
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