Selected Work

The Frank Lloyd Gallery will present a selection of historical works by Dale Chihuly from October 18 through November 22, 2003. Viewers will have a rare opportunity to see artworks that were chosen from the artist’s collection of early work, providing insight into the development of one of the world’s most acclaimed artists. During the 1970s, Dale Chihuly’s work helped to revolutionize the American studio glass movement. The artist retained many seminal works for his own collection, and is now making them available for the first time in this selected show. The gallery will exhibit these luminous pieces, some of which are groupings of multiple parts.

Dale Chihuly’s incredible achievements in the medium of glass have become well known to an international audience. His large-scale installations have been documented in several publications and films, and a worldwide audience knows his undisputed prominence as a formative and influential figure. This show will concentrate on several examples of more intimate works from the early years of the artist’s work.

Chihuly was involved in the American studio glass movement from the beginning, having studied glassblowing under Harvey Littleton in 1966 at the first glass program in the United States. Chihuly also established the glass program at Rhode Island School of Design in 1969, and his students included Hank Adams, Howard Ben Tre, Dan Dailey, Therman Statom and Toots Zynsky, among others. Chihuly went on to found the seminal Pilchuck Glass School in 1971, continuing his major contributions to contemporary glass.

These historical works by a major artist in the field of contemporary glass follow several significant shows at the Frank Lloyd Gallery. From the beginning of its exhibition program, the gallery has re-contextualized the achievements of important historical figures in the field of ceramics. Acknowledged and reviewed by several critics, a 1998 exhibit re-examined the period of 1959 to 1963 in the work of John Mason, Ken Price and Peter Voulkos. Mason’s monumental work of the early 1960s was the subject of a large installation in 2000, which featured his unprecedented monolithic X Wall, 1965. Most recently, a survey exhibition of the work of Peter Voulkos covered the years 1953 to 2000.

The presentation of a selection of historical works by a foremost artist working in glass follows these memorable shows of historical figures working in ceramics. The presentation of the work of Dale Chihuly is made in partnership with L.A. Louver. This marks the first collaboration between the two galleries, and announces their joint representation of the work of Chihuly. Dale Chihuly has graciously agreed to release these significant historical works, in acknowledgement of the collaboration of the Frank Lloyd Gallery and L.A. Louver.

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