This weekend I was fortunate enough to see one of the most incredible displays of art, as we know it today. The deYoung Museum in San Francisco, CA hosted a three and a half month exhibit; Chihuly at the deYoung. Dale Chihuly is an incredible glass artisan; he has taken an art form easily done on a small scale into something so much bigger than imaginable.
The Chihuly at the deYoung exhibit had eleven galleries boasting his finest works and developments over many years. It was like walking through some sort of wonderland, a very fragile- breakable wonderland.
As you enter the dark and low-light exhibit, the first gallery was a recreation of Chihuly’s Glass Forrest- originally exhibited in 1972. Neon reds, whites and lavenders poured from the ground up. Standing there in awe, I thought- is this even possible? Instantly craving more I moved into the next gallery.
The next two galleries were filled with more colors and texture than I could take in. It seemed Chihuly’s inspiration came from somewhere far off but as you read and heard what each piece was modeled after, those inspirations seemed tangible.
The fourth gallery had Pendleton blankets lining one wall and on the opposite Indian baskets with mirroring glass works next to each. Down the center was a massive wo
od table, a resting spot for caramel colored Tabac Baskets.
The next gallery was the “Macchia Forrest”; there were a million colors in that room. Each piece was more beautiful and colorful than the last; I then turned the corner and landed in my favorite gallery. There were massive birch logs lying on the ground with many lavender spears shooting out of each one. The contrast from the subtle colored logs to the bright elongating shoots caught my eye off guard—truly stunning and serene.
The last few galleries were filled with even more amazing works; from antique fishing boats filled with glass orbs to 6 foot chandeliers that hung in Venice years ago in another Chihuly installation.
The way Chihuly combines light and glass that unmatched. He is an incredible artist that has and will inspire many generations.
Cheers to Chihuly!
