Dale Chihuly Cylinders and Baskets Charcoal and Watercolor Signed Original Painting Contemporary Art

Artist: Dale Chihuly
Title: Untitled (Baskets and Cylinders)
Medium: Mixed Media, Watercolor Drawing
Paper Size: 22" x 29 1/2"
Frame Size: 28" x 35 1/2"
Inscription: Signed and dated 'Chihuly 1980' with gallery label to verso
Year: 1980
Condition: Museum quality
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity

Originally intended as a blueprint for the internal team of glassblowers, Dale Chihuly's drawings have become a highly collected art form in their own right. This 1980 charcoal and watercolor painting uses watercolor to communicate the unique translucent qualities often seen in Chihuly's work as well as pencil detailing to show the rich texture and detailing of the glass shards in the cylinders. The detail of these drawings give us an inside glimpse into Dale Chihuly's creative process and show us the thoughtful creation of each work of glass art. The gallery retail price for this original Dale Chihuly Cylinders drawing is approximately $24,000. This piece comes in the frame pictured. It is signed and dated 'Chihuly 1980' with gallery label to verso and comes with a certificate of authenticity from Modern Artifact.

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.