Dale Chihuly
Few contemporary artistic careers compare in eminence to that of America’s premiere glass artist, Dale Chihuly. The creator of a remarkable repertoire of objects and installations, Chihuly has been featured in national and international exhibitions for over 40 years, is represented in over 200 museum collections, is the subject of a multitude of books and magazine articles, and has mentored generations of younger artists.
Chihuly was born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington and though his career has taken him around the world, the Pacific Northwest is still his home and most beloved inspiration. His foray into glass and the foundation for his interdisciplinary approach began as a weaving student at the University of Washington, where he would later enroll in Harvey Littleton’s glass program (Littleton is the father of the American Studio Glass movement and his program at University of Washington was the first of its kind in the United States). In 1968, he received his M.F.A. in ceramics from Rhode Island School of Design, where he would eventually establish a renowned glass department. A Fulbright Fellowship brought him to the Venini Glass Factory in Venice, Italy, where he learned a team approach to glass-blowing that has influenced his entire career. He returned to Washington in 1971 to co-found the Pilchuck Glass School, considered today as an international destination for the study and practice of glass.
Chihuly’s impressive list of exhibitions and temporary installations includes: an exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, France(1988; he is only the fourth American to be honored with a one-man show here); Nijima Floats (1992; American Craft Museum, New York, NY); Seaforms (a national tour begun in 1995 at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. that has traveled to more than a dozen venues); an installation for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ post-Academy Awards Governor’s Ball (1996); Chihuly in Australia (1998; for which he was a guest of honor at the Sydney Arts Festival); Chihuly in the Light of Jerusalem (1999; an installation at Tower of David, Jerusalem, Israel that attracted more than one million visitors); Crystal Tree of Light (2000; for the millennial celebration at the White House); Chihuly at the V & A (2001; Victoria and Albert Museum, London); an exhibition at the winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, UT (2002); Chihuly Across Florida (2004; a collaborative exhibition between the Orlando Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg); Gardens of Glass: Chihuly at Kew (2005; Kew Gardens, London, featured large-scale glass sculptures throughout the 300-acre property); Glass in the Garden (2006; Missouri Botanical Garden, featuring art displayed in the garden’s Climatron geodesic glass dome conservatory and the Shoenberg Temperate House); Chihuly at the de Young (2008; a major installation of sculptures at the de Young Fine Arts Museum and Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA); lle Fiori Venezia (2009; an exhibition at the 53rd Venice Biennale); sculptural installations at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Washington, D.C. and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA (2010); Through the Looking Glass (2011; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston); and many more.
One of his most substantial undertakings was Chihuly Over Venice, a project launched in 1995 when, inspired by his fascination with chandeliers, Chihuly brought his team of glassblowers to the well-known Iittala glassworks in Nuutajarvi, Finland to create thousands of glass sculptures, many of which were incorporated into chandeliers installed in various outdoor locations. The team traveled the project over the next two years to Lismore Castle in Waterford, Ireland and the Vitro Crisa factory in Monterrey, Mexico, culminating in Venice, Italy, where 14 chandeliers were installed in campos along the canals of a city famed for its glass tradition.
Chihuly has also been commissioned for notable permanent installations, including: the Chihuly Bridge of Glass, and at Union Station, both in Tacoma, WA; the lobby of Benaroya Hall (home to the Seattle Symphony); a four-part work at Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island, Bahamas; Fiori di Como at the Bellagio Resort, Las Vegas, NV; and his first permanent installation at Sleeping Resort in Leavenworth, WA.
Chihuly’s accolades are numerous and include: ten honorary doctorates; the fellowship of the American Craft Council; two Governor’s Art Awards; two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts; the American Council for the Arts Visual Artist’s Award; the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award; a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Glass Art Society, Seattle, WA; and being named the first National Living Treasures in the United States.
Chihuly is the subject of over 60 exhibition catalogues and books, most notably: Dale Chihuly: 365 Days (2008; Harry N. Abrams, New York, NY); Chihuly Drawing (2003; Portland Press, Seattle, WA); Chihuly Projects (2000; Portland Press, distributed by Harry N. Abrams, Inc.); and Chihuly (1997; co-published by Portland Press and Harry N. Abrams, Inc.).
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