Dale Chihuly Orange Basket with Oxblood Threads Signed Handblown Glass

Artist: Dale Chihuly
Title: Orange Basket with Oxblood Threads
Medium: Hand Blown Glass
Dimensions: 4 1/2" x 7" x 6"
Year: 1994
Inscription: Signed and dated "Chihuly 94"
Documentation: Includes gallery certificate of authenticity

Throughout his career, Dale Chihuly has explored the interplay of translucency and opacity, from the layered colored application of his Macchia series to the ribbed detailing of his Persians series. In this Orange Basket with Oxblood Threads, Chihuly uses an Ombre effect to gradually build up from a near-clear base to a fully saturated top. He adds a contrasting Oxblood thread detail near the lip, highlighting the unusual and organic shape of the vessel and adding a sense of movement to the piece. Although the baskets were one of Chihuly's earliest series, their streamlined organic shape makes them appear as some of the most modern pieces he's ever created.

Dale Chihuly's Orange Basket with Oxblood Threads is signed and dated "Chihuly 94" 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. By combining elements of his modern-era works, like the bold saturated ornge color, with the finer detailing of his early-era works, Chihuly creates one cohesive vessel drawing from a range of influences from throughout his artistic career.

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.