Friday, November 7, 2014

Chihuly Exhibit at the Denver Botanic Garden




Are you familiar with the artwork of Dale Chihuly?  He is an American artisan of the Studio Glass Movement and elevated the perception of the glass medium from the realm of craft, to fine glass sculpture. He is a true artistic master for our time, whose glass artworks are in over 200 museum collections worldwide. I became familiar with his glass from exhibits I saw in the de Young Museum in San Francisco and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, plus a large display at the Borgata Hotel and Casino in New Jersey. I wrote a blog post about the Borgata Hotel collection, which you can read on this link.




When I heard that the Denver Botanic Garden was presenting the Rocky Mountain Region's first major outdoor exhibition of Chihuly's artwork, I was very excited and determined to see it. The exhibit began on June 14, 2014, and will end November 30, 2014, so I knew time was running out. Happily, my husband and I finally had a free day to see the exhibit last week.  The Denver Botanic Garden is a top-ranked US botanical garden, which I've visited many times in the past, but to see it decorated with Chihuly's glass sculptures was a special treat! As soon as we entered the garden the dazzling "Blue Icicle Tower" greeted us!  Chihuly has done many outdoor exhibits of his glass art before and said that he chose his best works for the Denver Botanic Garden exhibit.



The O'Fallon Perennial Walk in the garden became transformed into the "Perennial Fiori," -- a magical blending of natural flowers with glass flowers of all shapes, sizes, and colors.  

Here are a few examples of the art glass along the walk:





























The exhibit beautifully blended the glass sculptures into the natural beauty of the botanic garden's landscape in many varied, and visually delightful, ways.




The glass sculptures looked unique, viewed both near and far.





They incorporated themselves so well into the landscape, as to look like a natural part of the garden!





The "Neodymium Reeds" are seen both at a distance...






....and close up.  They were a bright touch of color in the Rock Alpine Garden.






Although we made our visit to the exhibit at the end of October, the autumn weather in Denver had been mild enough that roses, and many other flowers, were still in bloom.  The glass made beautiful backdrops and accents for each!






The contrast of the "Red Reeds" in the native grasses of the Plains Gardens was stunning.





As was the colorful "Float Boat" in the Monet Pool. I think this was my favorite glass art sculpture of all!






Just look at the profusion of art glass balls in the boat and their reflection on the water!  Just breathtaking!





Every turn in the garden leads us towards more beauty.






It was hard to tell what was real, and what was not, at times.






These are the blue "Walla Walla" onion-like shapes floating in the Japanese Garden...





...which lead to the "Blue and Purple Boat," It was another favorite of mine, and I wanted to photograph it from every angle!





More reflections on the water.






The autumn trees became a lovely backdrop for the bright blues and purple glass. 





The spectacular color was everywhere!





The "Summer Sun" was still shining in the Denver Botanical Gardens!






Thank you, Dale Chihuly, for making the world a more beautiful place, and thank you Denver Botanic Garden for hosting such a spectacular display!


You can also find me on 



Bookmark and Share

61 comments:

Al said...

I love it - I've got to see this before it ends!

Proud Italian Cook said...

Absolutely stunning, beautiful, great shots Pat, what a beautiful backdrop for his work, love him!

Linda @ Life and Linda said...

Beautiful Pat...something so gorgeous to behold. Have fun with the social media buttons.

Kris said...

Beautiful!!

Parsimonious Décor Darling said...

I've been a fan of Chihuly for a few years now. Your pictures capture the beauty of his creations sublimely! Thank you for sharing!

diane b said...

Wow Gobsmacking beautiful. There are so many and so colourful and fabulous shapes and sizes. The boat and reflection is stunning and so are all your other photos. I must keep an eye out for more of his work

Mary @ The World Is A Book said...

I love Chihuly's work but have yet to see an outdoor exhibition in the botanical gardens. Your pictures are beautiful! It's so wonderful to see how the art was integrated so well with the plants.

eileeninmd said...

Pat, what a lovely post.. The exhibit and Chihuly Glass is beautiful. I am just sorry we did not have more time in Denver to see the Botanic Gardens. Your photos are gorgeous, thanks for sharing your visit.. Have a happy weekend!

Tea in the Library said...

I was lucky enough to catch his exhibit a few years ago while in Seattle. Lovely pictures I hope it inspires people to get out there and experience some art. I am also fortunate enough to see his work at the Borgata. It amazes me that people walk in and past stunning pieces of art - just can't wait to give the casino all their money I guess! Thank you so much for sharing - brought back just how lovely the exhibit is. Happy Pink Saturday!

LV said...

Thank you for allowing us to enjoy such great work of art with you. I would never have seen it otherwise. Awesome!

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

Chihuly in a natural outdoor setting must have been amazing! Thank you for sharing these photos.
I love his work.

Linda Kay said...

This glass artistry is absolutely beautiful. Thanks for taking us along on your visit.

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

His work is stunning. I would have never seen it otherwise. Thanks so much for sharing.
Sam

A Colorful World said...

His glass pieces are always so interesting displayed among flora or on water. I really love the blue spiky one in the second photo and the blue and purple boat! What a great exhibit to get to see!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I love this! We have been to his studio in Tacoma . Amazing to see all of this in Denver! ( I love that Botanical Garden> ... And we might get a chance to see it as we should be in boulder the day after TG. ). Depending what the kids have planned .

Vee said...

Exquisite! It must have been a thrill to see. My favorite is the rowboat filled with those beautiful glass orbs.

(My header is a PicMonkey ending to a Photoscape beginning. I don't receive your comments in my inbox anymore. Some Blogger issue...)

Anonymous said...

Chihuly has so much talent with glass. I'm glad his work was added to this exhibit close to you!

Sarah said...

Incredible! Chihuly's work always amazes me. I've seen several of his installations. Thanks for sharing this one.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

Chihuly can really enhance a garden. We visited the botanical gardens in Saint Louis where they had several Chihuly installations and it really gave the gardens some oomph.

Donna said...

What a special treat to see this magical display. This would have been a treat to see in person...I think I would have been like a kid in a candy store ...each exhibit as incredible as the next. Thanks for sharing.

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

Quite amazing. When I saw the first picture I was simply wondering what sort of exotic plants these were...wouldn't have dreamed they were glass!

I am glad that you made it there and were able to share :)

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

Wow, a fabulous exhibition of glass art. Since I know I'd never get to see it in person I 'm glad you went and shared your photos Pat.
Thank you for linking to Mosaic Monday.

Rajesh said...

Wonderful and unique exhibits at botanical garden.

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

I'm so glad you got to go and take these amazing photos! You went on a beautiful day, too so they are crisp and clear. What magnificent art! I'll try to remember his name in case we ever have a chance to see this art. Sweet hugs!

Barb said...

This is a fabulous exhibit. Bob and i visited in September. I relived the experience through your photos. Pat, I hope all is well with you.

Sara - Villa Emilia said...

What a wonderful post, Pat! Very good photos of a really interesting exhibition. A big Thank You for sharing them with us that couldn't easily visit a garden in the USA!

La Petite Gallery said...

Just wonderful. we have an Artist in Camden Maine, he does this glass work and has a lovely Restaurant. Enjoyed thistour. Yvonne

Hazel said...

What a tour! The garden looks fabulous with Chihuly's art. I'm glad to learn about him a bit. The icicle tower looks like a head of a tropical pineapple.

Jeanne said...

Good morning Pat, Your post just knocked me out. Without reading your post I went straight to your photos. I immediately thought of the lighted ceiling in the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. The glass art reminded me of that gorgeous glass art ceiling and sure enough it is the same artist. HGTV once featured Chihuly's home and his pool bottom has his gorgeous art glass installed. He is amazing and the Denver Botanical Gardens are fabulous. The water features especially caught my eye too. This is a great post to share. Thank you.
Hugs,
Jeanne

SmilingSally said...

Hello Pat,

Ooo, how special! Chihuly has a museum down here; I MUST go see it!

Thanks for sharing these interesting blues. The art glass looks as if God Himself grew it.

Have a Happy Blue Monday!

Ida said...

Wow! You are so lucky to have seen this. I would really enjoy seeing his work in real life. It's amazing and I loved all of your gorgeous photos. So much beauty.

Ida said...

I forgot to mention I live in Walla Walla so it was fun to see the "blue onion" shaped pieces. Also Whitman college has one of his pieces displayed somewhere on their campus. I must find out where and go take a picture of it.

Charlene N. K. said...

They're so beautiful and colorful! I like most of them. Thanks for the "walk" with you there.

podso said...

A fascinating post! Amazing color.

joyh82 said...

Beautiful! Sadly I missed that when it was at the St Louis botanical gardens.
Joy @ Books and Life

Ciao Chow Linda said...

I love his work Pat and have seen it in several places, but not so many all in one place as you saw in Denver. I wonder if the snow is going to affect the pieces.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Wow---that is amazing... I've never heard of Chihuly, but I'd absolutely LOVE to see that exhibit... Love all of the colors ---and would love to see this exhibit come to Biltmore... WOW---great pictures. Thanks for sharing.

Hugs,
Betsy

Linda W. said...

Wow - amazing! Lots of those art pieces fit right into the landscape.

Annesphamily said...

The artwork is simply stunning. It is always a treat to visit the Botanical Gardens. A beautiful place. Thanks for sharing. Hugs, Anne

Indrani said...

Such beautiful creations. Each is a work of wonder!

Anonymous said...

WHat fabulous works of art!

Daniela said...

Dear Pat, what a gorgeousness you show us with these amazing photographs !
I think that during this fabulous walk you've felt like Alice in Wonderland :)
Thank you for this lovely good morning you've gave me as a gift, heartily thank you.
Sending love, my dearest friend
xox
Dany

fredamans said...

Lovely exhibit. I've not heard of that artist before but am a big fan of blown glass sculptures and art. :-)

Fun60 said...

I've never seen garden sculptures so at home before.

Judy said...

Wow! Quite amazing. What a great way to exhibit the art!

Anonymous said...

Wow, I thoroughly enjoyed Chihuly's work through your eyes! Stunning and such skill! Thanks for posting this.

Happy@Home said...

I'm so glad you were able to visit the garden during this exhibit. Wow, it is stunningly beautiful! I remember reading about him when we planned our trip to Seattle last year. Unfortunately time didn't allow us to visit while there.
You took gorgeous photos and I thank you for sharing them here. Next best thing to seeing it in person.

The Furry Gnome said...

Absolutely incredible!

Jill Harrison said...

wow! absolutely truly magnificent. I can't pick a favourite. Thanks for taking us there. Have a wonderful week and thank you for stopping by my blog.

betty-NZ said...

What a wonderful treat to see! The artwork is fabulous.

Anonymous said...

What wonderful shots of the art!

Jim said...

These are wild. Terrific shots.

Rambling Woods said...

What beautiful glass works. I am looking at photo after photo and thinking.. Oh my I hope nobody breaks one... LOL.... You captured some wonderful color on your visit.. Michelle from Nature Notes.

lisa lewicki hermanson said...

This is one of the best sitings of Chihly's work I have ever seen - you're right, the work fits perfectly into that botanical landscape - and SO many works, too !!

Anonymous said...

Wow! That stuff is crazy neat!

peppylady (Dora) said...

I just can't decided which I like the best. There all so need and now I'm going to find Dale Chihuly face book page and give him a "like"
Looks like you have no clouds in your area, just like North Idaho.

Coffee is on

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

This is a spectacular garden with its glass additions. For me they work best when they are are in or near water where you have the wonderful reflections of them. I especially love the boat. Have a lovely weekend.

Nefertiti said...

Magnifique j adorerais voir ca moi mm !

'Tsuki said...

Wow, this exhibit is so unique !!! It is very hard to picture those colorfull stem are actually in glass.

Merisi said...

What magnificent way to
show Chihuly's work, thank you so much for sharing this exhibition with us. What a feast for the eye it must have been, walking amongst all that beauty.

Dale Chihuly is a great artist and this exhibition really makes a great show of this master's work.

Claudia said...

That summer sun! Those blue Walla Walla onions - all of it - just love how seamlessly they are worked into the gardens. They don't seem out of place at all. Art and nature at its collaborative best!