Dale Chihuly Cobalt Blue Basket with Red Lip Wrap 1996 Signed Handblown Glass

Artist: Dale Chihuly
Title: Cobalt Blue Basket with Red Lip Wrap
Medium: Hand Blown Glass Sculpture
Size: 8" x 7.5" x 7"
Inscription: Signed and dated "Chihuly 96"
Year: 1996
Documentation: Gallery Certificate of Authenticity

Dale Chihuly's "Cobalt Blue Basket with Red Lip Wrap" (1996) belongs to the artist's influential Basket series, a body of work that redefined the sculptural and expressive potential of blown glass. Departing from traditional vessel symmetry, Chihuly developed the Basket form as a study in asymmetry, thinness, and the effects of gravity on molten material. In this example, the deep cobalt body establishes a saturated field of color, its translucency allowing light to move through the form and accentuate subtle variations in thickness. The vessel's gently slumped walls and irregular rim suggest a sense of softness and pliancy, qualities that contrast with the inherent fragility of glass.

The applied red lip wrap traces the perimeter of the opening, introducing a linear accent that sharpens the silhouette and creates chromatic tension against the blue ground. This interplay between body color and lip treatment reflects Chihuly's sustained investigation of color relationships and surface articulation during the 1990s. The work demonstrates the artist's interest in balancing control and spontaneity, as the final contour emerges through both deliberate manipulation and the material's response to heat and gravity.

"Cobalt Blue Basket with Red Lip Wrap" was created in 1996, executed in hand-blown glass, and measures 8 × 7.5 × 7 inches. The piece is signed and dated "Chihuly 96" and is accompanied by a gallery Certificate of Authenticity.

About Dale Chihuly

Dale Chihuly (b. 1941, Tacoma, Washington) is an American artist internationally recognized for transforming the perception of glass from a craft medium into a primary vehicle for large-scale contemporary sculpture. Over a career spanning more than five decades, he has become one of the most influential figures associated with the Studio Glass movement, expanding the technical, spatial, and expressive possibilities of blown glass.

Chihuly studied interior design at the University of Washington before earning an MFA in sculpture from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he was introduced to glassblowing. He later studied at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he went on to establish the school's glass program and served as a professor. In 1971, he co-founded Pilchuck Glass School in Washington State, which became a major center for innovation in contemporary glass.

A pivotal moment in Chihuly's career occurred in 1976, when an automobile accident left him blind in one eye, and later physical limitations prevented him from blowing glass himself. He subsequently shifted to a team-based working method, directing skilled gaffers to execute his designs. This collaborative approach enabled increasingly ambitious works and installations.

Chihuly's practice is defined by serial exploration of form and color. Major series include the Baskets, Seaforms, Macchia, Venetians, Persians, and Chandeliers. These bodies of work investigate asymmetry, translucency, and the expressive potential of line and hue, often pushing glass to its physical limits through thin walls, exaggerated scale, and complex surface treatments. His installations—frequently composed of hundreds or thousands of elements—transform architectural spaces and landscapes into immersive environments.

His work has been exhibited extensively in museums, botanical gardens, and public sites worldwide. Chihuly's sculptures are held in numerous public collections, and his large-scale installations have contributed to broader public engagement with contemporary glass. Through technical innovation, bold color sensibility, and theatrical presentation, Dale Chihuly has played a central role in establishing glass as a dynamic medium within contemporary art.