Dale Chihuly Signed Original Large Wild Violet Macchia Contemporary Glass Art

Artist: Dale Chihuly
Title: Wild Violet Macchia with Yellow Lip Wrap
Medium: Handblown glass
Size: 27" x 37" x 31"
Year: 2001
Inscription: Signed
Condition: Very good condition overall, request a full condition report for details
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity

The American glass sculptor Dale Chihuly is best known for using innovative techniques for handblown glass. His glass practice is a departure from traditional symmetry and perfectly formed vessels. Instead, his sculptures embrace asymmetry and irregular shapes. Chihuly began his Macchias series in 1981 when he decided to use the three-hundred colors of glass rods available. He used the colors in unexpected and endless color combinations. This series embraces the never-ending potential of multiple color patterns and command energy.

The artist initially referred to his new series as “the uglies,” a term given to the sculptures by his mother. Its current name came from a friend, Italo Scanga, who dubbed the works with word macchia, the Italian for spot. Chihuly’s Macchias series incorporate one solid color on the inside, a layer of either translucent or opaque white colored glass chips, and a layer of another color. A macchia has at least three layers of different colors.

Wild Violet Macchia with Yellow Lip Wrap consists of the characteristic speckled effect and vibrant dashes of colors. A vibrant yellow border jarringly juxtaposes the subdued violet inside. The various shades of purples, pinks, and yellows explore tension through a dissonant and contrasting color combination. Additionally, the piece embodies different degrees of opacity, translucency, and transparency.

Wild Violet Macchia with Yellow Lip Wrap comes with a gallery certificate of authenticity. It is in very good condition overall. Please request a full condition report for details.

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.