ft (0 m) high, blown glass chandelier by Dale Chihuly. Main entrance of Victoria and Albert Museum (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Dale Chihuly - The American Maverick of Glass Art
Dale Chihuly, an outstanding American glass sculptor, was born in Tacoma, Washington, U.S., on September 20, 1941. Graduating from the high school in his hometown, he enrolled for the College (now University) of the Puget Sound in 1959. In 1960, he shifted to the University of Washington, Seattle and studied there, 'interior designing,' 'architecture,' and 'glassblowing.' He did his masters in 1967, in 'interior designing' and 'glass blowing,' from the prestigious University of Wisconsin-Madison, Seattle. It was here that he developed an interest in 'glassblowing' and mastered it under Harvey Littleton. In 1968, Dale did his Masters in Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design. Later in the same year, the artist got his Fulbright Fellowship and got an esteemed opportunity to work with Venini Fabrica, Murano. In 1971, Chihuly founded the Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington.
Dale Chihuly's works excelled on coupling the play of natural light with the properties of transparency and translucency in glass. His relatively quicker recognition and fame stems from the timing of his start, a time when veneration for 'Glass Art' was quite dominant. Autobiographical in nature, Dale's works had 'abstract' flower forms and the depictions of aquatic life. All this was inspired by his mother's garden and his acquaintance with seaside from childhood in Tacoma.
In a car mishap in 1976, Dale Chihuly lost the vision of his left eye, due to which, his ability for deeper perception, required to handle molten glass, was affected. Consequently, he had to renounce the chief glassblower (gaffer) position and hand it over to William Morris. His association with Morris led to the creation of big scale, multihued glass works, recognized as "Macchia" series. Bold and bright lip wraps characterize the series. The alliance of Chihuly and Morris bloomed in the early 1980s with extensive works on the "Sea Form" series, which are rolling shell-like forms within glass works. Later on, the duo developed the "Soft Cylinder" and the highly flamboyant "Venetian" series, with the backing of Italian glassblower, Lino Tagliapietra.
Influenced by the grand glassblowing techniques of the great master Murano, Dale Chihuly tried many new techniques and approaches for the same. Sculpturing with a group of master glassblowers and assistants helped him create designer 'Glass Art' of a quantity and quality, unthinkable by his single hand. A subject of focus in many books and significant essays, Dale Chihuly's glass sculptures are globally exhibited in major museums, such as the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Louvre, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Whitney. His exclusive "Glass Chandelier Collections" are also put to display at Holsten Galleries.
By 1990s, Dale Chihuly diverted his interest to large-scale architectural 'glass Art Installations.' In 1991, Chihuly did "Niijima Floats Series" at the Niijima International Glass Art Festival, Japan. He gained global approbation in 1996 for his 3-dimensional work of "Glass Chandeliers." He contributed an array of impressive 'Installation Art' exhibitions, including "Chihuly Over Venice (1995-96)," "Chihuly in the Light of Jerusalem," "2000 at the Tower of David Museum of the History, Jerusalem (2000)," "Chihuly in the Park: A Garden of Glass at Chicago's Garfield Park Conservatory (2001-02)," "the Chihuly Bridge of Glass in Tacoma (2002)," and "Mille Fiori at the Tacoma Art Museum (2003)."
Dale Chihuly has regularly exhibited his works at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, near London, and at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables. The most recent exhibition was at the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in May 2007. A widespread and constant charisma in the art world, Dale Chihuly and his work has triggered substantial controversies and debates in the genre of 'Glass Art.'
Annette Labedzki received her BFA at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. She has more than 25 years experience. She is the founder and developer of an online art gallery featuring original art from all over the world. It is a great site for art collectors to buy original art. Is is also a venue for artists to display and sell their art. Artists can join for free and their image upload is unlimited. Please visit the website athttp://www.labedzki-art.com
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