Artist: Dale Chihuly
Title: Untitled
Medium: Framed Lithograph
Size: 4" x 8" image, 11 3/4" x 15 1/4" framed
Year: 1994
Inscription: Signed "Chihuly" and Dated "8-10-94"
Condition: Excellent condition
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity
The American glass sculptor Dale Chihuly is best known for using innovative techniques for handblown glass. Though primarily known for his asymmetrical and irregular vessels, his printmaking and drawing are essential aspects of his practice. Chihuly initially used sketches to share his ideas with his glassblowing team after losing sight in his left eye. Over the years, his printmaking evolved from just being a communication tool to another medium where he could explore light.
Chihuly’s drawings capture his flow of ideas and energy through his sweeping gestural motions. They embody the spontaneity and immediacy found in his glasswork through colors applied in layers. His interest in the freedom provided by drawing led him to pursue traditional printmaking. This medium offers an alternative method to connect intimately with his glassworks. Similar to his illustrations, his prints celebrate the sensibility of dynamic and energetic designs.
Untitled illustrates the gestural printmaking process of Chihuly. The lithograph consists of abstracted circular vessels that appeared to have been done spontaneously at the moment. The continuous line connecting each form highlights the freedom and steadiness of his thoughts and creative approach. Just like his glasswork series, this artwork juxtaposes traditional and contemporary art practices.
Untitled includes a gallery certificate of authenticity. The work is signed “Chihuly” and dated “8-10-94” on the front. Furthermore, the artwork is in excellent condition.
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.