Dale Patrick Chihuly (b. September 20, 1941 in Tacoma, Washington, USA) is an American glass sculptor.

Chihuly graduated from high school in Tacoma. Supported by his mother, after his brother George's death in a flight-training accident in Florida and his father's death of a heart attack, he enrolled at the College of the Puget Sound (now University of Puget Sound) in 1959. A year later, he transferred to the University of Washington at Seattle, where he studied interior design, architecture and glassblowing.

In 1967 he received a Masters of Science in glassblowing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 1968 he received a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he later helped establish the school's glass program. In that year he also received a Fulbright Fellowship, and went on to become the first American glassblower to work in the prestigious Venini Fabrica on the island of Murano. Along with several other glass artists, Chihuly founded the influential Pilchuck Glass School in 1971 in Stanwood, Washington.

Chihuly lives and works in his 25,000 square foot (2300 m²) studio, nicknamed "The Boathouse" for its former use, on Lake Union. Since losing the vision in one of his eyes in an automobile accident in 1976, Chihuly (who wears an eyepatch) no longer has the depth perception necessary to handle the molten glass himself. Instead, he conceptualizes each project with paint and canvas and then employs a team of artists to do the work. In 1991, Chihuly began his Niijima Floats Series (see link below), some of the largest blown glass pieces in the world, at the Niijima International Glass Art Festival in Japan.

About his work

Chihuly's work is a story of his life. His fascination with abstract nature forms comes from his mother's garden in Tacoma, Washington. Also, his love for the ocean and its creatures is reflected in his work. Over the past forty years, Chihuly’s glass sculptures have explored color, design, and assemblage. Although his work varies in size and color, he is best known for his multipart blown masterpieces. Also interested in Irish culture, he has produced a sizeable volume of "Irish cylinders,"photo which are more modest in conception than his fanciful blown glass works.

Some of Chihuly's works cover whole ceilings of casinos and hotels, while others are mere palm-size abstract flowers. Chihuly uses intense, vibrant colors and linear decoration to bring his work to life; almost all of his works are vibrantly colored. He is also known for using neon and argon. Chihuly is best known for using nature and its surroundings as a setting for his pieces, and for creating his pieces as though they are part of nature. He sometimes entwines his pieces in tree branches and around tree trunks. He also suspends them in space and floats them in water.

United States

• Alabama

• • Auburn University, The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art

• • (2002) Birmingham Museum of Art.

• California - Soka University of America, Aliso Viejo. Founders Hall Art Gallery

• Colorado

• • (2004) Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs

• Delaware

• • (1999-2005) Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, Delaware

• Florida

• • 'The Arts' of St. Petersburg (mixed-use art community)

• Hawaii

• • Persians Yellow and Cobalt Wall Piece (1992) Honolulu Academy of Arts

• • Reef (2001, installed in ceiling) Honolulu Academy of Arts

• Illinois

• • Schaumburg Township District Library Main Branch

• Indiana

• • (2006) The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, Indianapolis

• Kansas

• • (2003) Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, Kansas.

• Minnesota

• • (2001) Mayo Clinic, Rochester

• Nebraska

• • (2000) Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha

• • (2000) University of Nebraska, Omaha

• Nevada

• • (1998) Fiori di Como, Bellagio Hotel and Casino, Paradise (Las Vegas)

• • (2004) Nevada Cancer Institute, Summerlin

• New Jersey

• • (2003) Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City

• New York

• • (1987) Rainbow Room Frieze, Rockefeller Center, New York

• • (1994) Persian Window, St. Peter's Church, New York

• • (2000) Fern Green Tower, Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York

• Ohio

• • (2003) , Franklin Park Conservatory, Columbus, Ohio

• • (2005) The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio

• Oklahoma

• • (2002) Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, The most comprehensive collection of Chihuly glass in the world!

• Oregon

• • (2000) Gilded & Ethereal Blue Chandelier, Global Aviation, Hillsboro Airport, Hillsboro

• Texas

• • (1995) Hart Window, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas

• Utah

• • (2002) Olympic Tower, Salt Lake City

• Washington

• • (1988) Frank Russell Company, Tacoma

• • (1991) City Centre Mall, Seattle

• • (1992-1993) Washington State Trade and Convention Center, Seattle

• • (1994) Union Station Federal Courthouse, Tacoma

• • (1995) Jundt Art Museum (Gonzaga University), Spokane

• • (1995) Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma

• • (1995) Microsoft Corporation, Redmond

• • (1996) Sleeping Lady Conference Retreat, Leavenworth

• • (1997) Tacoma News Tribune, Tacoma

• • (1998) Benaroya Hall, Seattle

• • (2002) Chihuly Bridge of Glass, Museum of Glass, Tacoma

• • (2003) Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma

• Wisconsin

• • (1998) Mendota Wall Kohl Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison

England

• (2001) Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Exhibitions

• (1996) Chihuly Over Venice, Venice, Italy

• (1999-2000) Chihuly in the Light of Jerusalem 2000, Tower of David, Jerusalem, Israel

• (2001-2002) Chihuly In The Park: A Garden Of Glass, Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago, Illinois

• (2004) Chihuly in the Garden, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, Georgia

• (2005) Gardens of Glass, Kew Gardens, London.

• (2005) Chihuly in Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan

• (2005-2007) Chihuly at Fairchild, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables, Florida

• (2006) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri

• (2006) Oisterwijk Sculptuur, Oisterwijk, Nederland

• (2006) New York Botanical Garden, New York, New York

• (2007) Wrapped In Tradition: The Chihuly Collection of American Indian Trade Blankets Mayborn Museum Complex, Waco, Texas

• (2007) Chihuly at Phipps: Gardens and Glass, Phipps Conservatory, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Bibliography

Chihuly by Donald Kuspit. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1998.

The Essential Dale Chihuly by William Warmus. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2000.

Trivia

• The documentary Chihuly Over Venice became the first HDTV program to be broadcast in the United States when it aired in November 1998.

• On the television show Frasier, a Chihuly glass bowl was included as part of the set for Frasier's stylish Seattle flat and occasionally featured in the story line.