Artist: Dale Chihuly
Title: Untitled
Medium: Original Watercolor and Acrylic Painting
Paper Size: 41 1/2" x 29 1/2"
Frame Size: 53" x 41"
Year: ca 1992-95
Inscription: Inscribed "For Mary" and Signed "Chihuly" on the front
Documentation: Includes Gallery certificate of authenticity
The creative process of Dale Chihuly is intrinsically connected to drawing. “I always drew,” he admitted, confirming that the glass-blowing operation cannot be reviewed without considering his two-dimensional work. He would often draw immediately before his glassblowers would materialize a piece, inventing design and shape right on the spot, in a quick-paced, energetic action enlivened with artistic thought throughout.
In this Untitled Dale Chihuly painting, we see two side-by-side Ikebanas illustrated in a vibrant color pallet of blue, yellow, and gold. The metallic components of his acrylic drawings were an important developmental step in his personal exploration of two-dimensional mediums as standalone art forms. As he did with glass, he continued to innovate his techniques to create new, exciting compositions.
This Untitled work painting is inscribed "For Mary" and signed by Chihuly on the front. It includes a gallery certificate of authenticity.
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.