Dale Chihuly 1979 Signed Early Era Peach Basket Hand Blown Glass

Artist: Dale Chihuly
Title: Peach Basket
Medium: Hand Blown Glass
Dimensions: 5"h x 5"w x 6"d
Year: 1979
Inscription: Signed and dated "Chihuly '79"
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity

Dale Chihuly's 1979 "Peach Basket" belongs to the early development of the artist's influential Baskets series, which emerged in 1977 as Chihuly increasingly moved away from the more regular, vertically oriented forms of his earlier Cylinders and Soft Cylinders. The Baskets allowed him to explore the behavior of hot glass through deliberately irregular forms, emphasizing asymmetry, gravity, and the organic qualities inherent in the medium.

This example is distinguished by its peach-colored glass, a particularly uncommon material within Chihuly's oeuvre. Peach examples are generally associated with the artist's work from the mid-1970s through the early 1980s, making works from this period comparatively scarce. The vessel's softly rounded profile and subtly undulating rim demonstrate Chihuly's interest in allowing the physical properties of blown glass to influence the final form rather than imposing strict geometric symmetry.

The Baskets series marked an important transition in Chihuly's approach to glass sculpture. Rather than treating the vessel primarily as a functional container, Chihuly used the familiar basket form as a framework for investigating volume, color, transparency, and the expressive possibilities of distortion. In works such as "Peach Basket", the relatively compact scale concentrates these qualities within a simple, highly tactile form.

The work is signed and dated "Chihuly '79" and measures 5 inches high by 5 inches wide by 6 inches deep. It is accompanied by a gallery certificate of authenticity.

About Dale Chihuly

Dale Chihuly (1941–2025) was an American artist best known for transforming blown glass into monumental sculptures and immersive installations. Born in Tacoma, Washington, Chihuly studied interior design and architecture at the University of Washington before developing an interest in glassmaking. He later studied at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Rhode Island School of Design, where he established a glass program and subsequently taught.

Chihuly's career was shaped by experimentation with the physical and expressive possibilities of glass. In the late 1960s and 1970s, he became associated with the emerging American studio glass movement, which challenged traditional distinctions between craft and fine art. His work emphasized color, scale, transparency, and organic form, often incorporating collaborative techniques in which teams of glassblowers produced individual components under his direction.

Among Chihuly's most recognizable bodies of work are his Baskets, Cylinders, Seaforms, Macchia, Persians, Ikebana, and Fiori series. His large-scale installations frequently combine numerous glass elements to create expansive environments that respond to architecture and light. Notable projects include Chihuly Over Venice, Chihuly in the Light of Jerusalem, and Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle, a permanent exhibition dedicated to his work.

Chihuly's art is held in major museum collections internationally and has been exhibited extensively in museums, galleries, and public spaces. His work has played a significant role in expanding the visibility of contemporary glass sculpture and demonstrating the medium's potential for large-scale artistic expression. Today, Dale Chihuly remains an influential figure in American glass art, with his sculptures and limited-edition works widely collected and exhibited.