Chihuly [Hardcover]

Donald Kuspit (Author), Dale Chihuly (Author), Jack Cowart (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1997

Dale Chihuly (b. 1941) is the most important contemporary artist working in glass. Largely due to his influence, the United States boasts the most creative and prolific art glass movement in the world. In this sumptuously produced volume, distinguished art critic Donald Kuspit offers the first full-scale study of Chihuly and his innovative, avidly sought-after work.

Chihuly began to work in glass some 30 years ago, inspired by its unique ability to convey and transform color, light, and space. A co-founder of the esteemed Pilchuck Glass School, north of Seattle, which now attracts artists from around the world, Chihuly has produced works in blown, cast, and stained glass but is perhaps best known for his multi-part sets, complex groupings, and inventive architectural installations.

Donald Kuspit's important assay, illustrated with specially created photographs of Chihuly's spectacular glass sculpture, deals with the relationship of medium to artistry and craftsmanship as he explores the dynamics of the creative process.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For more than 30 years, Dale Chihuly's work, principally in glass (but occasionally including such unconventional media as neon and ice), has challenged traditional distinctions between craft and art. Chihuly's oeuvre is notable for its vibrancy of color, the boldness of its shape and execution, and, in recent years, its studied mimicry of natural forms, from cacti to seaweed and jellyfish. The scale of these blown-glass works ranges from pieces suitable for a coffee table to vast hanging chandeliers that drape from ceiling to floor or shoot up like Christmas trees from below. At times, Chihuly's work is merely decorative, a collection of brightly colored, softened glass forms that resemble melted Christmas tree ornaments, sea anemones, squash, wriggling eels, and other organic shapes. The dizzying abundance of work created by Chihuly himself and his students-cum-assistants at his Pilchuk Glass School, and the enormously successful marketing of this art (Pilchuk, located near Seattle, is open to visitors), has lead some viewers to an overfamiliarity with the work. But art critics Donald Kuspit and Jack Cowart argue for its originality and importance in their introductory essays. (Perhaps overly so: Cowart compares the pieces to Matisse, Turner, and Walt Disney's Fantasia, while Kuspit evokes Freud, symbolism, and T.S. Eliot to argue for the works' seriousness of intent.) Even those readers familiar with Chihuly will be impressed with the capacious variety of form and function--candy bowls to chandeliers--captured in over 280 pages of photographs that exhaustively chart the artist's creations, along with the two essays mentioned above and a biographical time-line. For Chihuly fans who may not be able to afford a Chihuly original of their own, this book is the next best thing. --John Longenbaugh --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From The New Yorker

The fantastic, sometimes alarming glass sculptures of Dale Chihuly are lavishly and beautifully photographed in this enchanting display of his work, and rewardingly discussed by Mr. Kuspit. Biographical information and location of the works are included.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 343 pages
• Publisher: Harry N Abrams; First edition (October 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810963361
• ISBN-13: 978-0810963368
• Product Dimensions: 12.5 x 10 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,867,960 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly a worthwhile book, October 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Chihuly (Hardcover)

Among the thousands of art books on the market, Kuspit's exhaustive look at Dale Chihuly's career in glass is a bargain for the Amazon price. Filled with gorgeous color photos of Chihuly's unique work, and intelligently written, this book will grace any art lover's shelf.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As Alice in Wonderland!, June 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Chihuly (Hardcover)

From the front page to the end this book you will be mesmorized. For those familiar with Maestro Chihuly's work this is a bible, for those that just come to learn about his creations this book is a must have. I feel that Dale Chihuly is one of the most talented artists of this century. His vision and creativity are so outstanding in a world of modern art sometimes too bare and conceptual. The book is an array of picture after picture of Chihuly's work. Splendid details can inspire from a decorator to a fashion designer, every page is a microcosmo of creativity. If I had to travel the universe with just a suitcase full of books, this is absolutly one of them.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hypnotizing and beautiful, December 26, 2001

By 

Kristen A. Criado (Franklin, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chihuly (Hardcover)

I was introduced to Chihuly through a special on my local PBS station many years ago. I couldn't remember his name, but I always remembered that he was the brilliant man with the unorthodox style. His vision and his artistic talents are immense. This book is absolutely mesmerizing and gorgeous with page after page of color photos. From the "Chihuly Over Venice" project to his designs for the set of the opera "Pelléas et Mélisande" for the Seattle Opera. This book truly is a feast for the eyes and the soul. Chihuly is a master of glass and this book proves it.