Artist: Dale Chihuly
Title: Chinese Red Seaform Pair
Medium: Hand Blown Glass
Size: 5.5" x 10.5" x 7.5"
Inscription: Signed "Chihuly" and inscribed with "PP95" for Portland Press Edition 1995
Year: 1995
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity
Dale Chihuly's "Chinese Red Seaform Pair" (1995) represents Dale Chihuly's enduring exploration of organic form, color, and transparency in glass. Created as part of the Portland Press edition and inscribed "Chihuly PP95," the set consists of two vessels designed to nest together, with one signed by the artist. The vibrant red hue distinguishes this example within the broader Seaform series, infusing the typically fluid, ethereal character of these works with heightened visual intensity. The scalloped edge, contrasting lip wrap, and striated surface further identify the pair as part of Chihuly's signature aesthetic vocabulary.
In its nested presentation, the "Chinese Red Seaform Pair" emphasizes Chihuly's interest in relational form, with the interior vessel echoing and amplifying the contours of the larger. This configuration recalls natural growth patterns found in shells and aquatic organisms while maintaining the abstraction that defines the Seaform series. The translucency of the glass allows light to move across the red surface and through its delicate structure, animating the vessels and shifting their tonal depth from fiery opacity to glowing luminosity depending on the angle of view.
Introduced in the 1980s, Chihuly's Seaforms draw on marine life as both subject and metaphor, translating the fragility and dynamism of the sea into glass. The Chinese Red variation highlights the expressive potential of bold color within this idiom, challenging the serene, pale palettes common in the series and underscoring Chihuly's ability to expand a single motif into a wide range of visual experiences.
Accompanied by a gallery Certificate of Authenticity, this 1995 pair stands as both a technical achievement and a testament to the artist's ongoing dialogue with nature, color, and form.
About Dale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly is a pioneering American glass artist whose innovative approach transformed the perception of glass from craft to fine art. Born in Tacoma, Washington, in 1941, Chihuly developed an early interest in art and design, ultimately studying interior design at the University of Washington before focusing on glassmaking. He continued his training at the Rhode Island School of Design, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design in 1965 and a Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics in 1968, where he began to experiment with blown glass techniques that would define his career.
Chihuly is renowned for his monumental installations, sculptures, and intricate blown glass works that combine vibrant color, organic forms, and technical innovation. His approach is characterized by collaborative studio practices, a method that allows multiple artisans to execute complex designs under his direction. By embracing scale, installation, and experimental form, Chihuly challenged traditional notions of glasswork as a decorative craft, establishing it as a medium capable of the same expressive power as painting or sculpture.
Throughout his career, Chihuly has produced a wide array of series, including his acclaimed Seaforms, Persians, and Macchia series, as well as large-scale architectural commissions for public and private spaces. His work often draws inspiration from nature, referencing plant life, underwater organisms, and the interplay of light and color. Chihuly's exploration of color, transparency, and reflective surfaces has made his work instantly recognizable, and his distinctive aesthetic bridges abstraction and naturalism.
Chihuly's contributions to contemporary art have been widely recognized, with exhibitions at major institutions including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Corning Museum of Glass, where he has maintained an ongoing relationship. His installations are part of permanent collections around the world, and he has received numerous awards and honors, including the National Medal of Arts.
Through his experimental techniques, large-scale installations, and dedication to collaborative studio practice, Dale Chihuly has reshaped the possibilities of glass as an artistic medium. His work continues to influence generations of artists and remains a cornerstone of American contemporary art, celebrated for its technical mastery, innovation, and visual impact.
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