Customer Reviews

Chihuly Gardens & Glass

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Artist Dale Chihuly's forty-year career continues to surprise and astound as he radically transforms perceptions about the medium of glass. In this beautifully illustrated book, you will see Chihuly's extraordinary installations at the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago. He has taken glass well beyond the traditional display case, out into nature itself. The brilliance of color and form of the glass, and the plants it is set among, creates a new reality within the conservatory. Long before arriving at Garfield's gate, Chihuly had been placing his work in unusual settings, often outdoors. From the canals of Venice to the historic walls of the ancient city of Jerusalem, Chihuly has worked his magic. These images, side by side with Chihuly's quotes, provide insight into the personality of this major artist, and show the wide range of his interests as well as his sense of humor.
An essay by Barbara Rose addresses Chihuly's place in art history, while the essay by Garfield Conservatory director Lisa C. Roberts provides a history of garden conservatories captured so effectively in the vintage postal cards from Chihuly's own collection that open the book). Artist Mark McDonnell explores the intriguing locations that Chihuly is drawn to and his ongoing interest in glass buildings.
2002 hardcover
15 x 9½"
192 pages, 97 color reproductions

I realize that every 7 weeks or so, a brand new, extraordinarily beautiful Chihuly book springs full-grown out of the artist's head and scurries over to your local Barnes & Noble. I feel that this book is particularly worthy of your time and money.

This book shows off his work to great advantage. This is a ridiculously long, oblong hardback with full-page color illustrations that are reproduced in a way to showcase color and texture.

More importantly, this book reveals Chihuly's obsession with sculpting natural forms to great advantage. We see his pieces placed in natural settings and the interplay between his sometimes terrestrial and sometimes alien pieces in counterpoint (or in harmony) with foliage is compelling. Thus, there's the art of the pieces themselves, the art of their placement in nature, and the art of photographing these installations -- multiple platforms for aesthetic appreciation.

Finally, I love the fact that the book opens with 20 or so enormous reproductions of vintage postcards showing the historical relationship between gardens and glass. Stunning greenhouses/conservatories made of metal and glass are part of our cultural heritage and this tradition is one that Chihuly busts wide open.

Chihuly is highly-focused on organic forms and seeing

Incredible artistry captured in pictures. Chihuly's exhibits are scattered over the globe, if you haven't seen them in person, this book will give you a glimpse of what you are missing. I have it out on display all the time.

The pictures of his work in this book are amazing- you can hate to read and love this book- he is a remarkable artist and these magnificent pictures will have anyone looking for a long time.
Perfect size and would make a fabulous gift!

Gorgeous, huge, coffee-table book showcasing some of Chihuly's most spectacular (but aren't they ALL?) installatins and exhibits at the various botanical gardens around the world. Terrific Book, whether used or new. Buy it!