Dale Chihuly Philodendron Ikebana Purple Vase Original Signed Hand Blown Glass

Artist: Dale Chihuly
Title: Philodendron Ikebana 2002
Medium: Hand Blown Glass
Size: 11" tall
Inscription: Signed and dated "Chihuly 02"
Year: 2002
Condition: Excellent condition with no flaws
Documentation: Gallery certificate of authenticity

The American glass sculptor Dale Chihuly is well-known for his innovative techniques for creating handblown glass sculptures. His glass practice is a departure from traditional symmetrical and perfectly formed vessels. Instead, his works embrace asymmetry and irregular shapes to create unique sculptural forms.

The literal translation for the Japanese word ikebana is to arrange flowers or to make flowers alive. Traditionally, this Japanese art form highlights the inner qualities of plants through the arrangement of flowers, blossoms, branches, leaves, and stems to express emotions. Chihuly embraced the concept to inform and influence his handblown glass series characterized by long-stemmed flowers and leaves presented in vase-like vessels of various forms. The sculptor often places his Ikebanas in garden settings, creating a new harmony of art and nature.

Philodendron Ikebana Vase consists of a single tall handblown vase. The title of the piece alludes to the tropical climbing plant philodendron that would be placed inside the vessel. The simple yet dramatic presentation of the piece showcases a harmony between art and nature while infusing the work with ethereal components. Furthermore, the iridescent qualities of the glass enhance its vibrant blue and purple pigmentation.

Philodendron Ikebana Vase includes a gallery certificate of authenticity. The work is signed and inscribed with “02.” Furthermore, the artwork is in very good condition overall.

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. Glass works 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 degree 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.

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 glass work on a broader scale, while still maintaining his recognizable style.