Dale Chihuly (American, b. 1941), Yellow and Cobalt Persian Large Wall Installation

1993, (14) pieces including a large yellow wall mount basket with black lip wrap encompassing a well diversified assemblage of cobalt and yellow blown glass objects placed inside, with powder coated metal wall mount, button pontils, appears unsigned, together with installation instructions and images.

Largest 26 x 33 x 16 in.

The Contemporary Art Collection of Francine & Benson Pilloff, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Together with a framed original letter on Boathouse letterhead with a drawing of the wall installation and reading "Francine & Benson, Hope our paths cross- come to Halo's opening tonite at Travers if you can 6-8pm Wed. or Saturday nite 9-12pm at Boathouse. As Ever, Chihuly" and dated 2.3.93.; and a "Chihuly: Persians" small pamphlet from DIA Art Foundation, 1988.

Arguably the most famous glass artist in the world, Chihuly has become synonymous with fine contemporary glass in the way Charles and Ray Eames iconize mid-century modern design; and he continues to awe audiences with his vast displays of colorful installations to both architecturally engaging interiors and exteriors. Born in Tacoma, Washington, Dale Chihuly was introduced to glass while studying interior design at the University of Washington. After graduating in 1965, Chihuly enrolled in the first glass program in the country, at the University of Wisconsin. He continued his studies at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he later established the glass program and taught for more than a decade.

In 1968, after receiving a Fulbright Fellowship, he went to work at the Venini glass factory in Venice. There he observed the team approach to blowing glass, which is critical to the way he works today. In 1971, Chihuly cofounded Pilchuck Glass School in Washington State. With this international glass center, Chihuly has led the avant-garde in the development of glass as a fine art.

His work is included in more than 200 museum collections worldwide. He has been the recipient of many awards, including twelve honorary doctorates and two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Chihuly has created more than a dozen well-known series of works, among them, Cylinders and Baskets in the 1970s; Seaforms, Macchia, Venetians, and Persians in the 1980s; Niijima Floats and Chandeliers in the 1990s; and Fiori in the 2000s. He is also celebrated for large architectural installations. In 1986, he was honored with a solo exhibition, Dale Chihuly: Objects de Verre, at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Palais du Louvre, in Paris. In 1995, he began Chihuly Over Venice, for which he created sculptures at glass factories in Finland, Ireland, and Mexico, then installed them over the canals and piazzas of Venice.

The circular shaped disc with black lip having a one inch hole and hairline cracks (the element can be used in the installation in such a way that the damaged area is unseen); other pieces in good condition.