Cadmium Red Basket Set with Plumbeous Black Lip Wrap

Dale Chihuly

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Object Label

Dale Chihuly is the best-known glass artist in the United States. Trained at the University of Wisconsin and the Rhode Island School of Design, he received the first Fulbright Fellowship in glass and went to Venice in 1968 to study at Venini, the most progressive glass factory in Italy. In 1971 he established the Pilchuck Glass School near Seattle, the only American art school devoted entirely to glassmaking. His affinity for the Northwest is profound; he has strong ties to the landscape and great interest in the arts of the native peoples there. This particular work was inspired by the traditional woven baskets of the Haida and other Northwest Coast tribes.


Chihuly has moved from small-scale vases of recognizable form to art that transcends the boundaries of traditional glassmaking. As this "basket" demonstrates, he has abandoned functionalism in favor of large sculptural forms. Often he and his assistants work on a grand scale, creating large environments composed of many thousands of glass elements for specific sites. In 1994, he created Brooklyn Wall, a temporary installation in the Museum's lobby.

Caption

Dale Chihuly (American, born 1941). Cadmium Red Basket Set with Plumbeous Black Lip Wrap, Designed and made 1993. Glass, 19 × 37 × 21 in. (48.3 × 94.0 × 53.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Charles Cowles and Dale Chihuly, 1995.60a-k. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Title

Cadmium Red Basket Set with Plumbeous Black Lip Wrap

Date

Designed and made 1993

Medium

Glass

Classification

Sculpture

Dimensions

19 × 37 × 21 in. (48.3 × 94.0 × 53.3 cm)

Signatures

no signature

Inscriptions

no inscriptions

Markings

no marks

Credit Line

Gift of Charles Cowles and Dale Chihuly

Accession Number

1995.60a-k

Frequent Art Questions

  • Whoa! What is this?

    This is a glass work by the artist Dale Chihuly. He is based in Seattle and he has also trained many other stained-glass artists.
    This work (as you may have read on the label) was inspired by basked made by Native American women in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.
    I think it also looks very organic, inspired by nature, like a flower or a jellyfish!
  • Where exactly in the US was this made?

    Dale Chihuly is from Washington state and that is where he creates the majority of his sculptures. Chihuly opened a glass making school in 1971, the Pilchuck Glass School near Seattle, the only American art school devoted entirely to glassmaking. He is really invested in the history and culture of the northwest, including the work of Northwestern Native American tribes. This piece was inspired by the woven baskets of the Haida.
  • Who made this?

    This was made by American glass artist Dale Chihuly. Chihuly works out of a studio in Seattle, Washington to create glass art. It's called a "basket" but it's really made as a work of art, to be looked at and not used!
  • Is this made of a single piece of glass or many pieces molded together?

    Dale Chihuly's Cadmium Red Basket Set is made up of eleven individually blown glass pieces. Chihuly opened a glass making school in 1971; the Pilchuck Glass School near Seattle is the only American art school devoted entirely to glassmaking!
  • Tell me more!

    This is a great piece of art glass by the artist Dale Chihuly. It is actually on the small side for him -- he normally creates enormous glass sculptures! Chihuly established the only American art school devoted entirely to glassmaking, the Pilchuck Glass School near Seattle, WA.
  • Tell me more.

    Dale Chihuly is one of the most famous glassmakers in the world. Cadmium Red Basket comes from a larger installation that the artist designed for the museum called "Brooklyn Wall" that included 35 similar pieces. The wall was on view between 1994 and 1995.
  • Does Chihuly have more pieces here?

    We have a few more pieces of his in the collection, but this is the only one currently on view.
    Okay, do you know when will the others be displayed?
    I'm not sure, I don't know of any current plans. This sculpture was part of a site-specific installation for the museum called the Brooklyn Wall.
  • I'M SCREAMING. ONE OF MY FAVE ARTISTS.

    Yes indeed, we LOVE Chihuly. This work was part of a larger installation at The Brooklyn Museum in 1994-1995, "Brooklyn Wall," with 35 other similar pieces.
    Was that the name of the installation? Brooklyn Wall?
    Correct: The Brooklyn Wall was an arrangement of approximately 35 yellow, orange, blue, and green flower-like forms (like this one) created from blown and spun glass. The pieces were installed upon the rear wall of the museum's main Lobby.

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