Dale Chihuly Jasmine Basket Pair Signed Portland Press 2010 Hand-Blown Glass

Artist: Dale Chihuly
Title: Jasmine Basket Pair
Medium: Hand Blown Glass
Large Basket: 3.5" x 8" x 7.5"
Small Basket: 4" x 5.25" x 5.25"
Inscription: Signed and dated "Chihuly PP10"
Year: 2010
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity

Dale Chihuly's 2010 Portland Press edition "Jasmine Basket Pair" reflects the artist's enduring exploration of asymmetry, color, and organic form within blown glass sculpture. Comprised of two individual basket forms that may be displayed separately or nested together, the work continues Chihuly's celebrated Basket series, which first emerged during the 1970s and remains one of the foundational bodies of work within his career. The larger basket measures 3.5" x 8" x 7.5", while the smaller basket measures 4" x 5.25" x 5.25".

Rendered in luminous marigold glass, the sculptures are accented by dramatic oxblood lip wraps and finely applied oxblood threading that introduce additional visual texture and contrast. The interplay between the warm golden tones and the darker detailing enhances the dimensionality of the forms while emphasizing the translucency and reflective qualities of the glass. Light passing through the surfaces reveals subtle tonal variations and layered depth characteristic of Chihuly's studio practice.

The irregular silhouettes and softly collapsing contours reflect Chihuly's deliberate departure from the rigid symmetry traditionally associated with Venetian glassmaking. Inspired in part by Native American baskets he encountered during the 1970s, Chihuly developed these forms to embrace imperfection, movement, and spontaneity. The resulting compositions possess a distinctly sculptural quality, balancing fragility with monumentality despite their intimate scale.

The small basket is signed "Chihuly PP10", identifying the works as part of the Portland Press series. The pair demonstrates Chihuly's ability to merge technical precision with expressive form, creating objects that function simultaneously as vessels, abstract sculpture, and studies in color and light. Through their fluid profiles and vivid palette, the works embody many of the defining characteristics that have made Chihuly one of the most influential figures in contemporary glass art.

Purchase includes a gallery certificate of authenticity from Modern Artifact.

About Dale Chihuly

Dale Chihuly is internationally recognized for his monumental glass sculptures, immersive installations, and transformative impact on contemporary glass art. Associated with the Studio Glass movement, Chihuly helped elevate blown glass from a primarily decorative medium into a major form of contemporary sculpture and installation art. His works are known for their vibrant coloration, organic forms, and architectural scale.

Born in Tacoma, Washington in 1941, Chihuly studied interior design at the University of Washington before pursuing graduate work in sculpture and glass. He later earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Rhode Island School of Design, where he would eventually lead the school's glass program. In the late 1960s, Chihuly received a Fulbright Fellowship to study in Venice, where he worked at the renowned Venini glass factory and observed the collaborative techniques of traditional Murano glassblowing studios.

In 1971, Chihuly co founded the Pilchuck Glass School, which became one of the most influential institutions dedicated to contemporary glass education and experimentation. Throughout the following decades, he developed numerous landmark series including Baskets, Macchia, Persians, Venetians, Niijima Floats, Chandeliers, and Fiori, each expanding the possibilities of scale, color, and sculptural complexity within glass.

Chihuly's installations have been exhibited internationally in museums, botanical gardens, and architectural settings, including the ceiling installation at the Bellagio and the Rotunda Chandelier at the Victoria and Albert Museum. His works are included in more than 200 museum collections worldwide.

Following two major accidents that left him blind in one eye and unable to physically blow glass in the traditional manner, Chihuly increasingly adopted a collaborative studio model in which teams of artisans execute his designs under his artistic direction. This approach enabled the artist to expand the scale and ambition of his installations while maintaining the distinctive visual language that defines his work today.