Chihuly at The New York Botanical Garden
The First Major Chihuly Exhibition in the New York Area
June 25 to October 29, 2006
A breathtaking stage is set for a breathtaking show. Renowned artist Dale Chihuly brings his spectacular glass sculpture to The New York Botanical Garden this summer in a stunning exhibition designed specifically for the Garden's collections and vistas.
Art meets nature in his dramatically beautiful pieces, which have enthralled audiences around the world. The historic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory?America's premier glasshouse?and other Garden landscapes provide a glorious setting for Chihuly's organic shapes in brilliant colors.
Set to inspire and thrill are more than 30 installations, featuring thousands of individual, hand-blown glass sculptures. Pieces tucked in among the plants beg the question, "Were they made by man or by nature?" Enormous, complex sculptures hang dramatically from ceilings and rise up from reflecting pools.
Among the monumental works are the 20-foot-tall Rose Crystal Tower, 30-foot Palm Dome Tower, Persian Chandelier, and the spectacular installation The Sun. At 4,600 pounds, The Sun is 14 feet high by 14 feet wide and comprises more than 1,000 pieces of glass in brilliant yellow, red, and blue.
A special highlight is Chihuly?s first-ever Neon Tower. This 20-foot-tall spire?s glass tubing?more than half a mile of it, filled with turquoise and chartreuse neon?was imported from Italy, shaped at the Chihuly Studio in Seattle, and specially engineered in Brooklyn.
Beneath the glass panes of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory are collections of nature's own masterpieces, including:
? exotic rain forest flora
? towering palm trees
? dramatic desert cacti
? vibrant Victorian-era bedding plants such as cannas and coleus
? tropical waterlilies and colorful lotus in the exterior courtyard pools
Dale Chihuly's intricately formed glass shapes are set against this dazzling array of plants. In select areas such as the Everett Children's Adventure Garden and Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, outdoor installations both complement and contrast with the natural landscape.
Some of Chihuly's other well-known series on display include:
? Ikebana: Named after a traditional Japanese art of flower arranging
? Macchia: Began with Chihuly's "waking up one day wanting to use all 300 of the colors in the hotshop"; named after the Italian word for "spotted"
? Niijima Floats: Reminded Chihuly of the fishing floats he used to find as a boy in the Pacific Northwest; named after an island in Japan
? Walla Wallas: Pieces with pointed tips that resemble their namesake, the famous sweet onions of eastern Washington State
? Herons: Named for their similarity to the shore birds of Finland, where this series originated
