Chihuly: Four Decades of Iconic Work is the first major exhibition by renowned American glass artist Dale Chihuly in the UAE. It showcases his diverse works produced from 1985 to 2023, celebrating the artist’s impressive installations alongside more intimate pieces. On view at the Leila Heller Gallery, the exhibition will welcome all visitors until 20 September 2024.
With a career nearing 60 years, Chihuly has transformed the art of glassblowing, expanding the limits of the medium. His work masterfully blends ideas and practices of the Studio Glass Movement of North America with the Venetian glassblowing traditions, which he studied during his time at the Venini factory in Murano, Venice.
The exhibition displays over 50 glass sculptures and drawings, connecting different series and decades. From Chihuly’s iconic Baskets, delicate Seaforms, colourful Macchia, and dynamic Soft Cylinders to mesmerising Persians, each exhibited piece reflects the artist’s innovative craftsmanship, bold use of colour, and eye-catching forms.
Chihuly’s expressive drawings are as striking as his sculptures. The artist employs a full range of mediums, from acrylic paints to graphite and even fire, to convey his ideas with vibrant energy. Some drawings directly relate to his glass works, while others stand alone as independent artistic experiences. Chihuly also creates Light Drawings inspired by his fascination with stained-glass windows. Marrying light and colour, these drawings are painted on clear acrylic panels and illuminated from within.
Visitors can also view Chihuly’s new large-scale glass installations, Tower and Persian Wall, monumental sculptures that transform the spaces around them. These works create an enchanting interplay of light and shadow, reshaping environments with their radiant presence.
About the artist
Dale Chihuly (b. 1941, Tacoma, WA, USA), who resides in Seattle (WA), received a BFA in Interior Design from the University of Washington (Seattle, WA) in 1965 and earned an MSc in Sculpture from the University of Wisconsin (Madison, WI) in 1967. He continued his studies at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), from which he graduated with an MFA in Sculpture in 1986. Later, Chihuly established the RISD glass programme and the influential Pilchuck Glass School.
Chihuly’s smaller works draw inspiration from various sources, including sea life and basketry of the Pacific Northwest, as well as his experience working with glass in Venice. His creations are characterised by undulating, ribbed forms, vivid colours, and inventive patterns, reflecting his exploration of colour, line, form, and assemblage techniques. The artist’s large-scale works evoke natural elements like gardens, waterfalls, coral reefs, and forests, and emphasise the luminous qualities of glass in both indoor and outdoor settings.
Chihuly’s art pieces have been displayed in prestigious institutions around the world, including the Smithsonian, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs at the Palais du Louvre, the National Gallery of Australia, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Major exhibitions include Gardens by the Bay (Singapore, 2021); Royal Botanic Gardens (Kew, London, UK, 2019); Groninger Museum (Groningen, the Netherlands, 2018); Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (Bentonville, Arkansas, USA, 2017); and Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, Canada, 2016), to name a few.
The artist is a recipient of multiple awards, grants, and fellowships, such as a Gold Medal Award (2002) from the National Arts Club, the Globe Award (World Trade Center, Tacoma, WA, 1996), two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (1977 and 1975), and a Fulbright Fellowship (1968), and many others.
Chihuly’s works can be found in the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among others.
To get more information about Chihuly: Four Decades of Iconic Work, please visit the show’s official web page.
In addition, you might be interested in looking at the artworks by Michael Rice, which are on view at Mestaria Gallery.
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