Chihuly at the NYBG

 

The  glass sculptures of Dale Chihuly currently exhibited at the New York Botanical Garden literally left me speechless. The fragile beauty of glass contrasting starkly with the verdant parkland will forever be imprinted on my mind.

It was a pleasant day, not too hot and a bit cloudy when we set off to NYC. The brilliant blue Sapphire Star at the start was just a taste of what was to come

Made of hundreds of sharp spires, it looked like a spiky ball!

Before we knew it , the Red Reeds on Logs (tall spears installed on logs from the Botanical Garden itself ) stood majestically before us!

 

An element of surprise ran through the entire exhibition.Imagine coming across a rustic boat with glass balls in a whimsical composition called  The Boat Float anchored  in the middle of an artificial pond?

Similarly, walking past the gorgeous peonies, we were dazzled  and intrigued  by the curly glass tendrils of the  Sol De Citron outside the Haupt Conservatory . 

Wasn’t this a wonderful teaser of the treasures inside? Here , amidst the exotic tropical plants are interspersed  more installations like the White Belugas that seem to be natural blooms!

Or  the mysterious Glass house Fiori .

What inspired them? What do they represent?

Smaller works

While the outdoor installations are dramatic and awe inspiring, so are  Chihuly’s smaller works that are shown in the Ross Gallery & Hall.

A magnificent sculpture, The Blue Polyvitro Crystals, fashioned  from a polyurethane resin heralds this part of the exhibition. It looks like ice cubes rising from the fountain!

Chihuly’s smaller works  leave you marvelling at their breathtaking,  ethereal beauty.

The artist

Dale Chihuly /tʃᵻˈhuːli/ (born September 20, 1941) is an American glass sculptor and entrepreneur. His works are considered unique to the field of blown glass, “moving it into the realm of large-scale sculpture.” [2] The technical difficulties of working with glass forms are considerable, yet Chihuly uses it as the primary medium for installations and environmental artwork.

He has had major exhibitions of his works worldwide and several of his sculptures are on permanent display .

Among many permanent exhibitions is one at Seattle, Washington so if you happen do be there, do drop in :

Chihuly Garden and Glass
305 Harrison Street
Seattle, WA 98109

http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/

He has also donated some of his works to  Union Station at his hometown Tacoma, Washington.

[Tweet “But for all of you in the New York City area , I would strongly recommend a visit to the Chihuly exhibition at the NYBG especially on a bright, sunny day. “]

Disclaimer : The images used in this post are all mine save the Union Station End of Day which is taken from the artists’ web site.

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