Artist: Dale Chihuly
Title: Orange and Blue Baskets
Medium: Original Mixed Media Painting on Paper
Paper Size: 60" x 40"
Date: C. 2000
Inscription: Signed "Chihuly" on the front
Documentation: Includes a Gallery Certificate of Authenticity from Modern Artifact
Dale Chihuly's "Orange and Blue Baskets" reflects the artist's innovative approach to translating his sculptural forms into two-dimensional compositions. This 60" x 40" large-scale mixed media work on paper depicts two inverted orange basket forms with marigold lip wraps, set against a radiant blue background. The unusual orientation of the baskets underscores Chihuly's willingness to reimagine familiar motifs, emphasizing form, color, and rhythm over literal representation.
The Basket series, which Chihuly first developed in the late 1970s, was inspired by the slumped shapes of Native American woven baskets he encountered in the Pacific Northwest. In this painting, those influences are reframed through bold painterly gestures and high-key color contrasts. The inversion of the vessels introduces a new perspective, drawing attention to the contours and lip wraps that define their silhouettes while abstracting their utilitarian origins.
Although Chihuly is best known for his glass installations, his paintings stand as significant works in their own right. They often serve as both independent expressions and conceptual extensions of his sculptural practice. In "Orange and Blue Baskets", dynamic brushwork and saturated hues echo the vitality and fluidity of blown glass, while the interplay of orange and blue heightens the sense of vibrancy and depth.
Signed on the bottom front and accompanied by a gallery certificate of authenticity from Modern Artifact, "Orange and Blue Baskets" demonstrates Chihuly's ability to extend his artistic vision across mediums, creating works that are as bold and immersive on paper as they are in glass.
About Dale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly (b. 1941) is an American artist whose pioneering work in glass has reshaped contemporary art. Known for his monumental installations and innovative techniques, Chihuly expanded the possibilities of glass far beyond functional or decorative craft. His sculptures, characterized by brilliant color, organic form, and immersive scale, have secured his place as one of the most influential figures of the modern studio glass movement.
Born in Tacoma, Washington, Chihuly studied interior design at the University of Washington before discovering glass in the early 1960s. He pursued advanced training at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he worked under Harvey Littleton, and at the Rhode Island School of Design, earning an MFA in 1968. A Fulbright Fellowship soon took him to Venice, where his time at the Venini glassworks introduced him to the collaborative process of glassblowing. This method of working in teams would become a defining feature of his practice.
In 1971, Chihuly co-founded the Pilchuck Glass School in Washington State, which developed into a premier international center for glass art. He also taught at the Rhode Island School of Design, shaping a generation of artists who contributed to the growth of the studio glass movement in the United States.
Chihuly's art explores the expressive capacity of glass through series such as Seaforms, Macchia, Persians, and Chandeliers. His works often incorporate hundreds of individually blown elements assembled into dynamic environments that echo natural forms like sea life, flowers, and landscapes. By embracing accident and improvisation, Chihuly emphasizes the fluidity of glass and its ability to interact with light in transformative ways.
His career includes major exhibitions at leading institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the de Young Museum in San Francisco. Landmark projects like Chihuly Over Venice (1995) and Chihuly in the Light of Jerusalem (1999) brought his art to global audiences. Permanent installations, including Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle, showcase the scale and ambition of his vision.
Although a 1976 accident left him blind in one eye and later prevented him from blowing glass personally, Chihuly's collaborative studio model enabled him to continue creating large-scale works. His leadership and vision have expanded the boundaries of glass as a medium, influencing artists and collectors worldwide.
Dale Chihuly remains a central figure in contemporary art, celebrated for transforming glass into a vehicle for sculptural innovation, architectural integration, and immersive artistic experience.
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