Want to See More Glass Sculptures by Dale Chihuly? Check Out These Books!

If you missed the exhibit of Chihuly glass sculptures that just left the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston – or if you saw the exhibit and would like to enjoy it a little longer – we have three books just for you. Bursting with color photographs of the sculptures and of Dale Chihuly and his team of glassblowers at work, these titles each have a distinctive take on the artist.

In Chihuly: Through the Looking Glass (MFA Publications, 2011), Gerald W. B. Ward, a senior curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, provides a critical overview of Chihuly’s long (more than four decades) and varied career. Ward’s particular interest is the way Chihuly’s spectacular pieces interact with the spaces in which they are installed, so the book goes beyond the MFA exhibit to show works in public spaces around the world, including red and blue chandaliers suspended over the canals of Venice, and glass towers highlighted against the ancient stone towers of the Tower of David Museum in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Dale Chihuly: A Celebration by Rock Hushka (Abrams, 2011) honors the artist’s Tacoma roots; he was born in Tacoma and maintains his studio in nearby Seattle. The book was published in conjunction with a special exhibit at the Tacoma Art Museum in honor of Chihuly’s 70^th birthday on Sept. 20, 2011. An essay by curator Rock Hushka focuses on the influence of the Pacific Northwest and Native American culture on the artist’s work.

Most personal of the books is Chihuly: 365 Days (Abrams, 2008), by Chihuly himself. Filled with his musings on becoming an artist, teaching, designing, creating, and more, it provides insight into Chihuly as a person as well as an artist. With more than 500 dramatic photographs, it also has the most pictures of the three books – a plus for Chihuly fans.

Click on the titles to request a copy of these books. You can’t look at them without smiling. As Chihuly remarks in 365 Days, “Glass has the ability, more than any other material, to bring joy and a certain happiness to people” – at least his glass.

Written by Emily Reardon, Coordinator of Public Services