'Gilded Black Ikebana with Two Carmine Stems', 1999

Dale Chihuly (b. 1941) is a world-renowned glass artist, known for his massive sculptures and experimentation with bold colors and unconventional forms. His glassmaking process and mixed-media approach render his works asymmetrical and irregular, serving as a departure from traditional glassmaking methods, which are grounded in symmetry and uniformity. Chihuly draws inspiration from items with everyday functionality and unique forms – everything from Christmas ornaments to Native American baskets to bottle openers – as well as his international travels to countries such as Israel, Italy and Japan. A weaving class he took while enrolled at the University of Washington, Seattle inspired his later Cylinder series, in which he fuses threads of glass onto glass vessels to impart a woven, textural look. With his Pink Macchia (1986), the artist achieves a mottled, variegated look by combining a range of colors and attaching glass chips to the outside of the sculpture. Chihuly obtained his MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1968, and became the head of their Glass Program from 1969-1980. In 1971, the artist co-founded the Pilchuck Glass School in his native Washington, a celebrated institution which helped to train many famous glassmakers such as William Morris. Chihuly has an extensive exhibition history spanning a variety of spaces, including botanical gardens, museums, and the canals of Venice. He is known for curating the color, form, and size of his sculptures to the unique layouts and constraints that these areas present, creating unexpected and striking results. His exhibitions have taken place in renowned national and international venues including Kew Gardens, the New York Botanical Garden, the Venice Biennale, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.