In 1999, I think in was December, there was a special exhibition in the "Tower of David" museum in Jerusalem. The whole territory, inside and outside, was magically transformed by seemingly randomly placed glass installations, sculptures, by the renown American artist Dale Chihuly.

Why do I remember so precisely? Because I was there, which is in itself a feat . And I was just about a couple of weeks pregnant (my son has just turned 10 this August).

But most of all I remember being completely and totally, all-consumingly (I probably cannot say that in English, and yet - I must) blown away. Never in my life have I been so affected by an artist. Never have I seen works of art which entranced me and captured my very soul, so that I dreamed about them for years at night.

I still do. This is the work that has caught my imagination so competely:


Chandelier at the Tower of David

The Internet abounds with material about Chihuly. There are YouTube movies and blogs galore. And yet... after talking about him with a friend over SKYPE and discovering there are people who know nothing at all about him (unbelievable, and yet I did not either, before 1999) - I decided to make a post about his delicate and yet powerful art here.


Palazzo di Loredana Balboni, Mexico, 1996


Campiello del Remer, Ireland, 1996


Violet Persian Set with Red Lip Wraps Glass. Spenser Museum of Art


In 2000, Chihuly's commission from the Victoria and Albert Museum for a 30 ft (9.1 m) high, blown glass chandelier dominates the museum's main entrance.


He was born in 1941, in Tacoma, Washington. His life was far from easy. This is what Wiki has on his biography (for some reason, his website I seem unable to load):



Chihuly's The Sun was on temporary display until January 2006 at Kew Gardens, London, England. The piece is 13 feet (4 m) high.


Dale Chihuly glass art at the exhibition of his work in Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in 2005

His smaller size work is no less different, light and exotic than his sculptures.


Putti Sealife Cylinder. Schantz Galleries, Stockbridge, MA


Cardinal Red Seaform Set with Charcoal Lip Wraps. Schantz Galleries, Stockbridge, MA


Kings Blue Persian Set with Rouge Lip Wraps. Schantz Galleries, Stockbridge, MA


Silvered Copper Piccolo Venetian with Gilded Jet Coil. Schantz Galleries, Stockbridge, MA


Chandelier.Schantz Galleries, Stockbridge, MA


Blue Herons, Walla Wallas, and Reichenbach Mirrored Balls. Schantz Galleries, Stockbridge, MA

There is a lot more at Schantz Galleries, Stockbridge, MA.

"The NSU Glass Garden". Alvin Sherman Library


Sea Blue and Green Tower, 2004. Holsten Galleries Contemporary Glass Sculpture


Majestic Macchia, 2009. Holsten Galleries Contemporary Glass Sculpture


Cerulean Macchia, 2010. Holsten Galleries Contemporary Glass Sculpture


Persian Ceiling, 1999. Holsten Galleries Contemporary Glass Sculpture


Cobalt Blue Venetian with Yellow Flowers, 2008. Holsten Galleries Contemporary Glass Sculpture


Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix

This are good pages to look at for more:
Inspiration from Dale Chihuly
The Amazing Art of Dale Chihuly in the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix
Gallery Litvak, Modern Art

And as I have began, so I shall conclude with some more Tower of David photographs from various sources.


Dale Chihuly. Red Spears. Tower of David. By Moti Barness


http://movies.israel.net/articles/chihuly/chihuly.html


Overview of the completed installations. Close to us - The Moon. Far, in Pink - The Crystal Mountain. By William Warmus.


The White Tower, nicknamed by some the Medusa Tower. By William Warmus.


The White Tower, nicknamed by some the Medusa Tower and the Blue Feather Tower. By William Warmus.


Blue Feather Tower. 48 feet tall, 2000 pieces of glass, it descends 20 feet into the archeological substructure of the Citadel, its base surrounded by stone shot launched by siege machines against the fortress. By William Warmus.


A pair of Rock Pigeons has taken up a perch in the Blue Feather Tower at about the second story level. By William Warmus.


Two extremes of the project:
Industrial strength and Infinite delicacy: Mohammed arc welding the armature of the Crystal Mountain, where each strut is capable of supporting the weight of a person, versus the incredibly fragile glass edges of the 47 foot tall Blue Feather Tower, which as we saw above can just support the weight of birds.


The Blue Feather Tower. http://i12bent.tumblr.com/post/19261165 ... -today-sep


The Tower of David Museum, Jerusalem. By Dror Bar-Natan.

This was the sight I have seen that memorable night in winter 1999. This was the sight I dream of occasionally since then. I leave you to judge for yourselves, how this artist's work has affected you, although, naturally, seeing on the Internet is not in any way like standing underneath that massive chandelier, that Sun, and see its glorious tentacles burst in every direction like the very explosion of chaotic, yet orderly, life, and try to reach you below with their delicate touch.

I can only add to that that there are some artists who are a mile above others; who touch your very soul, and you are never again the same. Dale Chihuly is one such artist for me.

Dale Chihuly has come to Israel again, and his exhibition has taken place in the Litvak Gallery, in Tel Aviv. Last weekend we have gone to see it, as you can well imagine I could not miss such a chance. My 10-year-old son went with me, and it has turned into a full-blown family excursion as we were joined by my kid-brother with his wife and also my father with his partner.

The Persian window

The white flower (I forget the name of this exhibit), my father and my son.

As expected, I found his art amazing, fluid and vibrant.
Ice-crystals. The placement of this one on the terrace is so right and startling, with the buildings at the background. And then when it got dark, even more striking.

The fire spikes.

My son liked the art immensely, to my great relief. So much that he patiently listened to every explanation on the little audio-guide thingy we received at the entrance, including the introduction about the gallery owners and exhibition preparation.
The blue double candelabra:

Blue spheres. They look like planets to me.

Fire tower:

A star, hanging above you head, white with amber elements. Surreal and soft. Strange to say "soft" about glass, isn't it?

A vase:

Canes. They appear to be moving to a wind we cannot feel.

The dark room: a room with black velvety walls, ceiling, floor and the fiery-orange items on a shiny-black surface of an exhibition table, lighted discretely from above. A totally ethereal feeling enhanced by the reflections of the exhibits in the table surface.

Unfortunately, I can help nothing. I think, you will find the correct decision. Do not despair.