Dale Chihuly Large Signed Portland Press Series Ruby Macchia Hand Blown Glass Art

Artist: Dale Chihuly
Title: Ruby Macchia
Medium: Hand Blown Glass
Size: 10 1/2" x 9 1/4"
Year: 2000
Inscription: Signed and dated
Condition: Very good condition with no flaws
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity

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

Dale Chihuly's Ruby Macchia consists of the characteristic speckled effect and vibrant dashes of colors. Reds, pinks, and purples embody the harmony and dissonance of color combination. Additionally, a lime green edge juxtaposes the darker color palette pooling on the bottom of the piece. Through different degrees of opacity and transparency, the light comes through the vessel.

Ruby Macchia is part of a Portland Press series. It is signed and dated by the artist and includes 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.