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Dale Chihuly

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Dale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison.
Rhode Island School of Design.
Known forGlass sculptor

Dale Patrick Chihuly (b. September 20, 1941 in Tacoma, Washington, United States) is an American glass sculptor.

Biography

Chihuly graduated from high school in Tacoma. Supported by his mother, after his brother George's death in a flight-training accident in Florida and his father's death of a heart attack, he enrolled at the College of the Puget Sound (now University of Puget Sound) in 1959. A year later, he transferred to the University of Washington at Seattle, where he studied interior design and architecture.

In 1967, he received a Master of Science in sculpture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he studied under Harvey Littleton. In 1968, he received a Master of Fine Arts at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he later helped establish the school's glass program and taught full time for eleven years. He also received, in 1968, a Fulbright Fellowship, and went on to become the first American glassblower (but not the first American artist/designer) to work in the prestigious Venini Fabrica on the island of Murano. Along with several other glass artists, and with the support of John Hauberg and Anne Gould Hauberg, Chihuly founded the influential Pilchuck Glass School in 1971 near Stanwood, Washington.[1]

Chihuly lives and works in his 25,000 square foot (2300 m²) studio, nicknamed "The Boathouse" for its former use, on Lake Union. Since losing the vision in one of his eyes in a car accident in 1976,[2] Chihuly (who wears an eyepatch) no longer has the depth perception necessary to handle the molten glass himself. Instead, he conceptualizes each project with paint and canvas and then employs a team of artists to do the work. The documentary Chihuly Over Venice became the first HDTV program to be broadcast in the United States when it aired in November 1998. In 1991, Chihuly began his Niijima Float Series[[3]], some of the largest blown glass pieces in the world, after visiting the island of Niijima in Japan.


About his work

File:CrystalTowers ChihulyBridge.jpg
Crystal Towers on the Chihuly Bridge of Glass, Tacoma, Washington.

His fascination with abstract nature forms comes from his mother's garden in Tacoma, Washington. One of his sculptures would be prominently displayed on the sitcom Frasier, which is set in nearby Seattle. His love for the ocean and its creatures is also reflected in his art.

Over the past forty years, Chihuly's glass sculptures have explored color, design, and assemblage. Although his work varies in size and color, he is best known for his multipart blown masterpieces. Also interested in Irish culture, he has produced a sizeable volume of "Irish cylinders,"[4] which are more modest in conception than his blown glass works.

Some of Chihuly's works cover whole ceilings of casinos and hotels, while others are hand-sized abstract flowers. Chihuly uses intense colors to bring his work to life. He is also known for using neon and argon.

Chihuly uses nature as a setting for his pieces, and tries to create his pieces as though they are part of nature. He sometimes entwines his pieces around tree branches and trunks. He also suspends them in space and floats them in water. Although it is not widely known, some components of Chihuly's installations (for example, the stacked aqua-colored chunks on the "Chihuly Bridge of Glass" in Tacoma, Washington) are made of an acrylic-type material rather than glass.

Chihuly also maintains two retail stores in partnership with MGM Mirage. One is located at the Bellagio in Las Vegas[5], the other at the MGM Grand Casino in Macau[6]. A number of non-exclusive galleries also carry his pieces.

2006 lawsuit

In 2006, Chihuly filed a lawsuit against a pair of glassblowers, including Robert Kaindl, whom he accused of copying his work. But was found unsuccessful as the glass blower federation (GBF) said that Chihuly's designs feature basic shapes therefore any novice would be able to create the spiral glass which feature in many Chihuly's compositions [7][8] The lawsuit was settled out of court.[9]

Permanent collections

United States

In 2000, Chihuly's commission from the Victoria and Albert Museum for a 30 ft (9.1 m) high, blown glass chandelier dominates the museum's main entrance.
File:Chihuliplants.JPG
Chihuly glass in Garfield Park.
File:Dale Chihuly.jpg
Blown glass in the main entrance of Oklahoma City Museum of Art.
File:Dale Chihuly, Inside and Out 2000, Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, NE 10 Jun 2007.jpg
Another piece from the Inside and Out installation at the Joslyn Art Museum.
File:Chihuly glass in milwaukee.JPG
Close-up of Chihuly glass sculpture at the Milwaukee Museum of Art.

Canada

England

Exhibitions

File:Chihuly in Miami.jpg
A Chihuly in Coral Gables, FL with floating spheres in the background.

Bibliography

  • Chihuly Over Venice by William Warmus and Dana Self. Seattle: Portland Press, 1996.
  • Chihuly by Donald Kuspit. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1998.
  • The Essential Dale Chihuly by William Warmus. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2000.
  • Dale Chihuly:365 Days. Margaret L. Kaplan, Editor. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2008.

References

  1. ^ Pilchuck Glass School
  2. ^ Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Chihuly victimized by his own success?
  3. ^ Chihuly - Niijima
  4. ^ photo
  5. ^ List of stores at the Bellagio
  6. ^ Press release by MGM Macau mentioning Chihuly shop (search for "Chihuly retail").
  7. ^ Floridian: Glass warfare
  8. ^ The Seattle Times: Local News: Glass artist Chihuly's lawsuit tests limits of copyrighting art
  9. ^ The Seattle Times: Local News: Chihuly, rival glass artist settle dispute
  10. ^ San Jose Museum of Art | Sculptures
  11. ^ Chihuly at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
  12. ^ Delaware Art Museum
  13. ^ The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
  14. ^ http://www.wichitaartmuseum.org/exp2k3.html
  15. ^ artsmia.org : viewer
  16. ^ Dale Chihuly
  17. ^ Chihuly - Borgata Hotel + Casino, Atlantic City
  18. ^ http://www.fpconservatory.org/exhb_chihuly.htm
  19. ^ http://www.slco.org/fi/slcoart/art/Chihuly-Dale/Tower.html
  20. ^ Chihuly at the Frank Russel Bldg
  21. ^ Chihuly City Centre Installation
  22. ^ Chihuly Washington State Convention Center Installation
  23. ^ Chihuly - Union Station
  24. ^ Dale Chihuly
  25. ^ Chihuly - Icicle Creek
  26. ^ Chihuly - The News Tribune
  27. ^ Chihuly
  28. ^ Chihuly - Hilton Lac-Leamy, Hull, Quebec
  29. ^ Dale Chihuly
  30. ^ Chihuly at the V&A
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