Chihuly in Cheekwood
from 'Sophisticated Living Nashville Nov/Dec 2020'
Dale Chihuly makes a triumphant return to Nashville with stunning large-scale glass installations on Cheekwood’s grounds (until January 10, 2021)
A quintessential example of Chihuly’s daring approach to large-scale installations, the “Sun” reflects his lifelong interest in architecture and the natural world. A massing of color and form on a grand scale, the Sun has appeared in varying palettes, from bold combinations of fiery orange, red, and yellow, to more subdued hues of rich golds and clear glass forms. Since its debut in 1998, the “Sun” has been a featured installation at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, and it has been on view at prestigious institutions around the world, such as the de Young Museum, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and London’s Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Chihuly’s iconic “Sun” is in the permanent collections of museums including the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
The beluga form was created during a month-long phase of experimentation in Nuutajärvi, Finland in which the artist grouped them into installations in and along the nearby Nuutajoki River. White belugas were blown in 1997 in Vianne, France, where Chihuly and his team were making new work at a local glass facility.
“White Beluga”, 1997
Chihuly first filled boats with glass in Nuutajärvi, Finland, during the 1995 “Chihuly Over Venice” project. After several days of glassblowing, Chihuly started tossing glass forms into the Nuutajoki River to see how they would look in the environment. As the glass floated downstream it was retrieved in wooden boats by local teenagers, inspiring Chihuly to begin massing forms into wooden boats, creating what would become the “Boat” series.
Chihuly’s initial phase of extensive experimentation with “Chandeliers” culminated in the “Chihuly Over Venice” project (1995-96). Subsequent projects continued to challenge the artist to create large sculptures for spaces without ceilings or where the ceilings could not bear the weight of “Chandeliers”, giving life to the development of the “Tower” series.
“Scarlet and Yellow Icicle Tower” (30 x 7 ½ x 7’), 2013
Chihuly began his “Chandelier” series in 1992 for an exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum. These sculptures are assembled with multiple hand-blown glass forms mounted to a steel armature. “Chandeliers” demonstrate Chihuly’s desire to mass and control color on a grand scale. Over the years, he has explored both multicolored compositions and variations on a single color. Unlike traditional chandeliers, they reflect light instead of emitting it.
