Dale Chihuly Original 1978 Basket with Burgundy Threads, Handblown Contemporary Signed Glass Art

Artist: Dale Chihuly
Title: Basket with Burgundy Threads
Medium: Hand blown Glass
Size: 3 1/2"H x 4 1/2"W
Year: 1978
Signed: Signed and dated

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The muted color of this 1978 Basket with Burgundy Threads is emblematic of Dale Chihuly's early work, and stands in sharp contrast to the bright, saturated glasswork he is best known for today. Although his early work is aesthetically quite different from his later work, we can observe many precursors of what is to come, including the inventive shape, groundbreaking color application, and intricate details. Dale Chihuly's early work is the most sought after among serious collectors. In the early years, Chihuly worked with smaller teams that significantly limited the number of editions created. Furthermore, to appreciate Chihuly's glass work on its most complex level, the viewer benefits from intimate knowledge of the entire course of his career as a pioneer in the world of glass art. Upon close inspection, you will notice the pontil area of this piece was broken off at the pipe, caused in the creation of the piece and not after the fact; an attribute only seen on rare Chihuly work from the 1970s. Dale Chihuly's 1978 Basket with Burgundy Threads is signed by the artist and comes with a Gallery Certificate of Authenticity.

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.