Dale Chihuly Paris Blue with Black Threads Hand Blown Glass Basket with Appraisal

Artist: Dale Chihuly
Title: Paris Blue Basket with Black Threads
Medium: Hand Blown Glass
Size: 5 1/2" x 5 1/4"
Year: 1999
Condition: Very good condition overall, please request a full report for condition details
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity and certified appraisal from Foss Appraisal Service

Dale Chihuly began his baskets series in 1977. Up until that time, glass art had been largely defined by symmetrical forms, flat surfaces, and finished edges. Chihuly's willingness to explore the inherent effects of gravity while drawing inspiration from the natural world created an entirely new type of glassblowing. Although they were one of Chihuly's first series, the baskets series has been one of the most enduring, which Chihuly continues the production of today.

This 1999 example is very similar to his 2001 Portland Press series by the same name. The Portland Press series is finished with a vibrant yellow lip wrap and does not include the black thread detailing we see in this 1999 version. It's quite possible that this iteration was either the direct inspiration or part of the creative process in Chihuly's realization of that Portland Press series.

Chihuly's Paris Blue Basket with Black Threads signed by the artist, and includes a gallery certificate of authenticity as well as a certified third-party appraisal from FOSS Appraisal Service listing the replacement value for this work as $5,000.

About Dale Chihuly

One of the most famous contemporary glass artists in the world, Dale Chihuly is best known for his monumental sculptures and installations. He is the name behind the spectacular ceiling at the Bellagio’s flower garden in Las Vegas and the creator of the Rotunda Chandelier at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Glassworks of Dale Chihuly are considered some of the most desired collectibles between the decorative arts devotees today. Despite his initial indifference towards education, Chihuly has spent a lot of time in school, obtaining both scientific and artistic degrees in sculpture from prestigious graduate schools. He displayed a proclivity for interior design and craft early on, but his true passion was always in the glass. He was a Fulbright Fellow in the late 1960s and an apprentice at the Venini Glass Factory in Venice. Mastering the art of Murano glasswork, he continued the experiments with glassblowing and thus became one of the people who brought the ancient art of glassblowing back into the spotlight on an international scale.

The monumental and small-scale artwork of Dale Chihuly is present in over 200 most renowned decorative art collections today, while the artist holds twelve honorary doctorates!

The most illustrious series in his work are Cylinders and Baskets he created in the 1970s; Macchia, Venetians and Persians from the 1980s, Niijima Floats and Chandeliers created in the 1990s; and a more recent one, Fiori from the 2000s.

For over 30 years, Dale Chihuly has been acting as an artistic director of his team of craftsmen, since he was incapacitated in two accidents, which left him blind in one eye and incapable of holding the blowing tube. This change allowed him to see the possibilities of glasswork on a much broader scale, while still maintaining his recognizable style.