Dale Chihuly Four-Piece Castillian Red Basket Set with Black Lip Wraps Signed 2000 Handblown Glass

Artist: Dale Chihuly
Title: Four-Piece Castillian Red Basket Set with Black Lip Wraps
Medium: Hand Blown Glass
Dimensions: 4.5" x 13" x 13"
Year: 2000
Inscription: Signed and dated to smallest element 'Chihuly 00'
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity

Dale Chihuly's "Four-Piece Red Basket Set with Black Lip Wraps" continues the artist's long investigation of the Basket form, a series that redefined the expressive possibilities of blown glass through asymmetry, thinness, and deliberate irregularity. Each element is shaped with gently slumped walls and uneven rims that appear to yield to gravity, emphasizing the pliant, almost textile-like character Chihuly has drawn from molten glass. The saturated red coloration establishes a visually cohesive field across the group, while the black lip wraps trace the contours of each opening, creating sharp graphic edges that heighten contrast and clarify silhouette. This interplay between luminous body color and dark linear accent underscores the tension between fragility and control that animates the Basket series.

The four forms operate as a coordinated yet varied ensemble. Differences in height, curvature, and the degree of flare at each rim introduce a measured rhythm from one vessel to the next, encouraging the eye to move across the grouping rather than settle on a single focal point. Surface undulations and subtle striations record the physical processes of blowing and shaping, allowing evidence of heat, motion, and touch to remain visible. The black lip treatments unify the set visually while also drawing attention to the delicacy of the edges, reinforcing the departure from traditional symmetrical vessel forms in favor of expressive distortion and organic contour.

Created in 2000, the set is executed in hand-blown glass and measures approximately 4.5 inches in height and 13 inches in diameter. The smallest element bears the signature and date "Chihuly 00". The work is accompanied by a gallery certificate of authenticity.

About Dale Chihuly

Dale Chihuly is a pioneering American artist whose innovative use of glass has fundamentally altered the trajectory of contemporary sculpture and installation art. Born in Tacoma, Washington, in 1941, Chihuly rose to prominence during the emergence of the Studio Glass movement, helping to shift glass from a utilitarian medium into a form of expressive fine art.

Educated at the University of Washington and the Rhode Island School of Design, Chihuly also studied in Venice, where exposure to traditional glassblowing techniques reinforced his interest in vibrant color and dramatic form. These influences are evident throughout his career, particularly in works that emphasize movement, asymmetry, and optical intensity.

A defining moment in Chihuly's career occurred in the late 1970s when physical limitations led him to adopt a collaborative studio practice. Rather than diminishing his output, this transition expanded the scale and ambition of his work. Chihuly's installations—often composed of hundreds or thousands of individual glass elements—are now recognized as some of the most immersive sculptural environments of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

Major bodies of work such as the Persian, Seaform, and Ikebana series exemplify his exploration of balance, transparency, and visual rhythm. His large-scale installations have been exhibited in historic and contemporary settings alike, from botanical gardens to encyclopedic museums.

Through his commitment to experimentation and his redefinition of artistic authorship, Chihuly has secured a lasting position within the canon of contemporary art.