Lot 2114
Dale Chihuly (American, b. 1941), Green & Magenta Chandelier
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Lot Details & Additional Photographs
32 x 36 in. diameter
The Contemporary Art Collection of Francine & Benson Pilloff, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Exhibited:
GLASS TODAY, Cleveland Museum of Art, 1997, p. 50
Fusion: Contemporary Art Glass from North Carolina Collections, North Carolina Museum of Art, 2005 (accompanied with a photo copy from the exhibition)
Accompanied by a slide image, three 4 x 6 photographs and several photo copies showing the original installation at the Pilloff residence, one of which shows Dale Chihuly with then girlfriend Leslie Jackson (Chihuly, m.2005), a larger installation image; a selected biography circa 1992; and a framed original letter on Chihuly Studio letterhead reading: "Benson & Francine I'm so delighted that you've put together a museum quality Chihuly collection - Isn't Tracy great to work with! It was a pleasure to get to know you and so glad you liked the drawing - Come to the Opera! Later nite, March 25, The Best! Als Ever, Chihuly, Petra says Hi!" and dated 2.10.93; also with a copy of "Pelléas + Mélisande + Chihuly" - a book which shows Chihuly's work for the opera.
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.
Good condition; all pieces have been inspected.
