Dale Chihuly Original 1987 Atlantis Coral Macchia Handblown Glass with COA and $28K appraisal

Artist: Dale Chihuly
Title: Coral Macchia
Medium: Handblown glass
Size: 23 ½” x 17 1/2” x 12 1/2”
Year: 1987
Inscription: Etched “Chihuly 1978”
Condition: Very good condition overall, please request a full report for condition details
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity and a certified appraisal from FOSS Appraisal Service

The American glass sculptor Dale Chihuly is well-known for his innovative techniques for creating handblown glass sculptures. His glass practice is a departure from traditional symmetrical and perfectly formed vessels. Instead, his works embrace asymmetry and irregular shapes to create unique sculptural forms.

Chihuly began his Macchias series in 1981 when he decided to use the three-hundred colors of glass rods available. He used the colors in unexpected and endless color combinations creating a series that embraces a never-ending potential. Chihuly’s Macchias series incorporate one solid color on the inside, a layer of either translucent or opaque white colored glass chips, and a layer of another tone. A macchia has at least three layers of different colors.

Coral Macchia consists of the characteristic speckled effect and vibrant dashes of colors. The presence of pinks, corals, yellows, blues, and purples explores color combinations and their dissonance. Additionally, the piece embodies different degrees of opacity and transparency. Created at the Atlantis Hotel as a special project, the work is one of the larger Macchias created by Chihuly, almost at two feet in height, width, and length. Notably, as part of the custom installation, this Macchia has an unusual footed piece at the bottom.

Chihuly's Coral Macchia is signed and dated on the bottom and includes a gallery certificate of authenticity from Modern Artifact. It also comes with a certified appraisal for $28,000 from FOSS Appraisal Service.

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. Glassworks 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 degrees 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.

The 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 glasswork on a much broader scale, while still maintaining his recognizable style.