Although the name Chihuly has been familiar to me for decades, I was not aware of the scope and diversity of his work until seeing pieces pop up around the Garden (while being assembled on the grounds) over these past few weeks. With only days away from opening to the public, here is a sneak peek.
His works in the garden vary, from those that are seamlessly integrated into the landscape to others that act as monumental stand-alones. Over the years he has explored and integrated materials other then glass: from pioneering a plastic he coined polyvitro to incorporating neon lights into his forms. Yet, his purely glass forms steal the show.
As with all objects, it is about how light hits the form; here - Chihuly’s glass. His mastery is no better highlighted than with the series of interdependent, inter-related and cocooned blown glass forms featured in both the Art Gallery and Rotunda of the Garden Library Building.
Returning to the Garden for an evening event, I found the works enchanting.
