Dale Chihuly Original Large 45” Azure Blue Ikebana Vase with Sunflower Hand Blown Glass Sculpture

Artist: Dale Chihuly
Title: Azure Blue Ikebana with Sunflower
Medium: Hand Blown Glass
Size: Vase measure 18” x 25”, with flower the entire piece measures 45 1/2" tall
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity

Dale Chihuly has always been inspired by the natural world; from his organic, lifelike “Seaform” series to his ornately embellished floral “Venetian” series. His “Ikebana” series borrows most directly from nature, playing homage tot he Japanese art of flower arranging, rendered in handblown glass with stunning detail. The word Ikebana translates to the practice of arranging flowers or to make flowers “alive.” Traditionally, this Japanese art form highlights the inner qualities of the plants by arranging flowers, blossoms, branches, leaves, and stems to express emotions. Dale Chihuly embraced the concept to describe his series featuring long-stemmed flowers and leaves made from glass presented in vase-like vessels in various forms. Chihuly often places Ikebana in garden settings, creating a new harmony of art and nature.

Dale Chihuly’s Azure Blue Ikebana with Sunflower showcases a wide range of Chihuly’s innovative techniques. The delicate glass of the sunflower contains an astonishing amount of color variance and visual texture, while the vase is rendered in his iconic spotted “Macchia” style. The twisting azure blue stem supports the piece, rounding out the composition and creating visual balance. Including the vase and flower, this piece stands at 45 1/2” tall, giving it a commanding presence. Dale Chihuly’s Azure Blue Ikebana with Sunflower includes with a gallery certificate of authenticity. It is in very good condition overall. Please request a full condition report for details.

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.