Artist: Dale Chihuly
Title: Dark Rust Ikebana with Cyan Stems
Medium: Original Acrylic on Arches Paper
Paper Size: 30.25" × 22.25"
Frame Size: 33.75" x 25.75" x 2.25"
Year: circa 2005-2009
Inscription: Signed "Chihuly" on lower front
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity
Studio number: 07.556.d1
In Dark Rust Ikebana with Cyan Stems, Dale Chihuly reinterprets the Japanese art of floral arrangement through his painterly vocabulary, blending his enduring fascination with organic form and bold chromatic tension. Executed in acrylic on richly textured Arches paper, the work features two vessel-like forms in deep, oxidized red—a tonal register evocative of scorched earth or weathered metal. Rising from these dark orbs are explosive cyan lines terminating in chartreuse-and-emerald blooms, evoking stems bending toward light in choreographed motion.
Created between 2005 and 2009, this piece is part of Chihuly's Burned Black series, a body of work marked by its dramatic surface treatments and somber palette, often achieved by singeing or staining the paper to evoke a sense of elemental transformation. Here, Chihuly pairs gestural energy with a controlled compositional rhythm, drawing a parallel to his blown-glass Ikebana series, where color, form, and negative space achieve sculptural balance.
The artist's hand is evident in every sweeping mark, and the dynamic interplay of acid-toned highlights against a scorched, rust-hued ground recalls the alchemical fusion central to his glass practice. Signed prominently on the lower front, the work is accompanied by a Gallery Certificate of Authenticity and catalogued under studio number 07.556.d1.
About Dale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly (b. 1941, Tacoma, Washington) is an internationally acclaimed American artist known for revolutionizing the studio glass movement and elevating blown glass from a craft tradition to a respected contemporary art form. Over the course of his career, Chihuly has become synonymous with breathtaking, large-scale glass installations that combine organic form, vivid color, and a remarkable sense of movement and light.
Chihuly began his formal studies in interior design at the University of Washington but soon developed an interest in glassblowing. In 1965, he enrolled in the first glass program in the United States at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he studied under Harvey Littleton, a pioneer of the American studio glass movement. He later earned an M.F.A. in sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he would later establish and teach in the school's glass program.
A Fulbright Fellowship in 1968 allowed Chihuly to work at the renowned Venini glass factory in Murano, Italy. There, he learned the value of teamwork in the glass studio, a philosophy that would become central to his artistic practice. Rather than creating each piece himself, Chihuly developed a collaborative model that allowed him to direct teams of skilled glassblowers, pushing the scale and complexity of his projects far beyond what a single artist could produce alone.
Despite losing sight in one eye in a 1976 car accident and suffering a shoulder injury that limited his ability to blow glass himself, Chihuly continued to oversee and conceptualize all his works, focusing increasingly on installation art. His best-known series include Macchia, Persians, Seaforms, Ikebana, and Chandeliers—each exploring the expressive possibilities of glass through fluid forms, radiant color, and dynamic presentation.
Chihuly's work has been exhibited in major museums and gardens around the world, including the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the de Young Museum in San Francisco, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. His outdoor installations at sites such as the New York Botanical Garden, Kew Gardens, and the Biltmore Estate have further broadened the reach and accessibility of his art.
In 2002, the artist opened the Chihuly Garden and Glass museum in Seattle, a long-term exhibition space that showcases his glass and drawings against a dramatic backdrop of architecture and natural landscape. This venue has become a major cultural landmark, drawing visitors from around the globe.
Dale Chihuly's impact on contemporary art is profound. By reimagining glass as a sculptural and architectural medium, he has broken down barriers between craft and fine art. His bold vision and commitment to innovation have forever changed the perception of what glass can be, establishing him as one of the most important artists of his generation.
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