Chihuly: Color, Glass, and Form

by Dale Chihuly, Henry Geldzahler (Foreword)

"The first image that comes to mind when we attempt to describe Dale Chihuly's work and his trajectory through life is one of fluid movement with elusively inflected highlights. His life, largely spent on the road, is dictated by his prime obsessions, the making of glass and the conditions of exhibiting it. In recent years he has come to the conclusion that his task does not end when the glass has been blown and allowed to cool. Photographing the work and designing simple, effective installations are necessary stages in communicating with his audience. "The delightful thing about much new art of quality is its mischievous ability to break the rules. Chihuly successfully resists being trapped in many of the pigeonholes that make for neat categories, but leach art of its complexity. First, he confidently bestrides the distinction between craft and art. And second, he has never felt the need to choose between abstraction and representation - between the natural and the invented which has proven the great bugaboo in art all these years.

Genres: Art

128 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1986

About the author

Dale Chihuly is considered one of the most innovative and iconic figures in contemporary art. Chihuly has been working with glass as an artistic medium for nearly fifty years, to increasing critical and popular acclaim. His solo exhibition venues have included the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the de Young Museums, San Francisco; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. His work is in the permanent collections of more than 200 museums worldwide.

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

absolutely love the process Chihuly manages harnessing the three key elements of glass making: fire, gravity and spontaneity. There is going to be an exhibition of Chihuly glass works in Toronto Oct 10/20-January 24/2021; a must on my bucket list

[Syntaxx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic photographs. Includes concept art/drafts. Informative forward. Great for both fans of Chihuly and those who are just starting to get acquainted with the artist.