Cobalt Macchia with Huckleberry Lip Wrap, 2012 by Dale Chihuly

Cobalt Macchia with Huckleberry Lip Wrap, 2012 by Dale Chihuly

Monumental Cobalt Macchia with Huckleberry Lip Wrap, 2012; Free blown, flared form with undulating rim, dappled with shades of green and yellow with a cobalt blue interior and huckleberry lip wrap; Engraved Chihuly 12; Provenance: Estate of Richard L. Weisman, Beverly Hills, CA; Size: 19 1/2 x 35 x 33 1/2".

"My work, to this day revolves around a simple set of circumstances: fire, molten glass, human breath, spontaneity, centrifugal force, gravity." - Dale Chihuly

Dale Chihuly, born September 20, 1941, is an American glass sculptor whose innovative approach has redefined the possibilities of blown glass. Widely recognized for his technical mastery and creative vision, Chihuly has transformed the medium into an expressive art form, producing both monumental installations and site-specific works that interact with their environment. His influence on contemporary glass art is unparalleled, blending artistic ingenuity with technical sophistication to create works of breathtaking scale and color.

Chihuly first began experimenting with glassblowing in 1965, shortly after embarking on an extensive education in sculpture. He earned a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1968, the same year he was awarded both a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation grant for his work in glass and a prestigious Fulbright Fellowship. These honors allowed him to travel to Venice, where he worked at the famed Venini factory on the island of Murano. It was here that he first witnessed the collaborative “team approach” to glassblowing, a method that would profoundly shape his later practice.

In 1976, while working in England, Chihuly was involved in a severe car accident in which he was propelled through the windshield, leaving his face badly lacerated and permanently blinding him in his left eye. Undeterred, he returned to glassblowing, only to suffer a dislocated right shoulder in 1979 while body surfing. Unable to handle the glassblowing pipe himself, Chihuly fully embraced the collaborative techniques he had seen in Murano, hiring skilled assistants to perform the physical work. Reflecting on this pivotal moment, he stated, "Once I stepped back, I liked the view." By stepping into the role of supervisor and problem solver, Chihuly gained a newfound freedom to envision his work from multiple perspectives, anticipate challenges, and orchestrate complex, large-scale creations that would have been impossible alone.

Among his most acclaimed series is the Macchia series, begun in 1981 and continuing to the present day. “Macchia,” Italian for “spot,” reflects Chihuly’s fascination with layering and color. As he explained:

"The Macchia series began with my waking up one day wanting to use all three hundred of the colors in the hot shop. I started by making up a color chart with one color for the interior, another for the exterior, and a contrasting color for the lip wrap, along with various jimmies and dusts of pigment between the layers of glass. Throughout the blowing process, colors were added, layer upon layer. Each piece was another experiment. When we unloaded the ovens in the morning, there was the rush of seeing something I had never seen before. Like much of my work, the series inspired itself. The unbelievable combination of color—that was the driving force."

Timothy Anglin Burgard, in Chihuly the Artist: Breathing Life into Glass (2008), describes the Macchia series:

"Often balanced slightly off-center, they attempt to capture the essence of glass in its most volatile state—simultaneously hot and flowing, yet also cooling and congealing. The blurred edges of the color striations and 'spots' suggest that they are being dissolved by heat or have coalesced into opal-like mineral deposits. Chihuly's 'lip wraps'—ribbons of colored glass that run along the vessel's lip—evoke a super-heated inner core and recall the leading edge of a lava flow breaking through the congealing perimeter of a magma mass. Chihuly's Macchia are permanently aglow with the fires of their creation."

Robert Hobbs, Rhoda Thalhimer Endowed Professor of American Art History at Virginia Commonwealth University, adds:

"In the Macchia, Chihuly transforms the static orientation of classic Venetian blown glass into dynamic forms of monumental scale. He heightens tension between interior and exterior through dissonant color combinations and contrasts of opacity, translucency, and transparency. Rather than continuing the delicate filigree of traditional Bianconi examples, he creates a bolder, more visceral impact by rolling ships of colored glass into the vessel walls, producing a uniquely mottled effect."

Chihuly’s work, often realized with the support of his talented team of artists, has been the subject of numerous documentaries, monographs, and exhibitions worldwide. His pieces continue to captivate audiences and command significant attention in the art market.

Cobalt Macchia with Huckleberry Lip Wrap (2012) is an exceptional example of Chihuly at the height of his creative powers. This monumental Macchia features a rich cobalt blue interior, accented with green and yellow spots, and finished with a contrasting huckleberry-colored lip wrap. The interplay of color, texture, and form exemplifies the fluid dynamism and technical mastery for which Chihuly is celebrated. Bold, vibrant, and monumental in scale, this piece is a testament to the artist’s enduring innovation and stands as a striking centerpiece for any contemporary art collection.

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