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Exhibition: ‘Maestro: Recent Works by Lino Tagliapietra’ at the Museum of Glass, Tacoma

Exhibition dates: 14th July – 6th January 2013

Lino Tagliapietra (Italian, b. 1934)
Fuji
2011
Blown glass
16 3/4 x 19 1/4 x 6 1/2 inches
Photo by Russell Johnson

Oh my, oh my, oh my these are just divine, especially the last three.

Marcus

Many thankx to the Museum of Glass for allowing me to publish the photographs in the posting. All works by Lino Tagliapietra (Italian, born 1934). Courtesy of Lino Tagliapietra, Inc. Please click on the photographs for a larger version of the image.

Lino Tagliapietra (Italian, b. 1934)
Masai (Masai d’Oro)
2011
Blown glass
59 x 98 x 10 inches
Photo by Russell Johnson

Lino Tagliapietra (Italian, b. 1934)
Petra
2012
Blown glass
10 x 15 x 5 1/4 inches
Photo by Russell Johnson

Lino Tagliapietra (Italian, b. 1934)
Borboleta (il giardino di farfalle)
2011
Blown glass
26 x 157 x 118 inches
Photo by Francesco Allegretto

Museum of Glass marks its 10th Anniversary with a new exhibition featuring the work of esteemed artist Lino Tagliapietra. Maestro: Recent Works by Lino Tagliapietra showcases 65 glass masterpieces created during the past decade (2002-2012). The exhibition opens Saturday, July 14, amidst the anniversary celebration weekend.

Tagliapietra is known internationally as the maestro of contemporary glass. Beginning at the age of eleven, he was trained by Muranese glass masters, perfecting his glassblowing skills through years of observation, repetition, and production. In subsequent years, his precision and mastery of molten glass became secondary to his creative expression. Tagliapietra has invented numerous new techniques and designs, creating works that are technically flawless and visually breathtaking – belying the complexity and difficulty of their creation.These works have positioned him as a cultural icon not only in the glass world but also as a seminal figure in contemporary art and have earned him the reputation as “the greatest living glassblower” by many of his peers.

At age 77, when most glassblowers have long since retired from a lifetime of strenuous physical work, Tagliapietra continues to expand his artistic achievement, earning numerous artistic and scholastic awards and being featured in solo and group exhibitions. “I hope that people see the love, the love for the material, the love for the fire. For the art I try to be honest with myself. That’s all.”

Maestro presents an overview of Tagliapieta’s most recent series. The works displayed demonstrate his evolution to larger works and use of bolder colours and patterns over his nearly fifty years as an artist. Six large-scale installations, featuring colourful butterflies (Borboleta), boats (Endeavor), seagulls (Gabbiani) and two separate collections of shields (Masai), are central to the exhibition. The final installation, a 79 x 40-inch curio case containing nearly one hundred opaque glass vessels, is titled Avventura which is Italian for ‘adventure’ and references Tagliapietra’s view of the unpredictable nature of molten glass. Some of the objects in the exhibition were created at Museum of Glass during one of Tagliapietra’s several Visiting Artist residencies in the Hot Shop.

“It is a privilege to host this exhibition – yet another salute to Lino’s lifetime of artistic achievement – at Museum of Glass,” comments executive director Susan Warner. “This body of work was created during the same timeframe that the Museum has been in existence. To celebrate this magnificent artist – who has influenced and inspired so many of the artists and visitors who have come through our doors – while we celebrate our first decade of service is very fitting.”

Press release from Museum of Glass website

Lino Tagliapietra (Italian, b. 1934)
Saturno
2011
Blown glass
27 x 34 x 7 inches
Photo by Francesco Allegretto

Lino Tagliapietra (Italian, b. 1934)
Tatoosh
2009
Blown glass
26 1/2 x 12 3/4 x 8 inches
Photo by Russell Johnson

Lino Tagliapietra (Italian, b. 1934)
Maui
2010
Blown glass
28 3/4 x 15 1/4 x 7 inches
Photo by Russell Johnson

Lino Tagliapietra (Italian, b. 1934)
Dinosaur
2011
Blown glass
55 3/4 x 26 x 10 1/4 inches
Photo by Russell Johnson

Museum of Glass
1801 Dock Street
Tacoma, WA 98402

Opening hours:
Wednesday – Sunday 10am – 5pm
Monday and Tuesday closed

Museum of Glass website

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Exhibition: ‘Chihuly Garden and Glass’, Seattle Center

June 2012

Long-term exhibition

Chihuly Garden and Glass
Glasshouse, Pacific Sun and Space Needle
2012

Chihuly Garden and Glass
Glasshouse and Garden
2012

Chihuly Garden and Glass
Glasshouse

Chihuly Garden and Glass
Glasshouse (day)
2012

After just nine months of construction, Chihuly Garden and Glass, an exhibition looking at the career of Northwest artist Dale Chihuly, will open to the public in Seattle at 11am on Monday, May 21. To mark the occasion, Dale Chihuly will dedicate the exhibition’s centrepiece Glasshouse in a brief ceremony, culminating with the artist signing and dating one of the building’s structural beams. The centrepiece of Chihuly Garden and Glass is the Glasshouse. It is the result of Chihuly’s lifelong appreciation for conservatories with a design that draws inspiration from two of his favourite buildings: Sainte-Chapelle in Paris and the Crystal Palace in London. The Glasshouse sculpture is an expansive installation in a colour palette of reds, oranges, yellows and amber. Made of many individual elements, it is one of Chihuly’s largest suspended sculptures.

Dale Chihuly said, “It is every artist’s dream to be able to showcase their work in one place and I am pleased to have this opportunity in my home community. The best works of my career are brought together in this exhibition and I hope everyone likes it.”

Located at the foot of the iconic Space Needle at Seattle Center, the city’s cultural hub, Chihuly Garden and Glass has transformed 1.5 acres of asphalt into a spectacular outdoor garden, a 40-foot-tall Glasshouse and 8 galleries of Chihuly’s art. The exhibition brings together all the elements of Chihuly’s work, including Drawings, signature glass series, large architectural installations and personal collections in a long-term exhibition. The exhibition’s centrepiece Glasshouse features one of the artist’s largest, suspended sculptures created specifically for Chihuly Garden and Glass. In addition to the artworks, the exhibition also features a first look at Chihuly’s extensive personal collections in the Collections Café.

The Exhibition Hall contains eight galleries and two Drawing Walls, offering visitors a comprehensive look at Chihuly’s significant series of work, including:

~ Glass Forest
~ Northwest Room
~ Sealife Room
~ Persian Ceiling
~ Mille Fiori
~ Ikebana and Float Boats
~ Chandeliers
~ Macchia Forest
~ Drawing Walls

Dale Chihuly calls the Pacific Northwest home and supports many arts and civic communities in the region including Hilltop Artists and Pilchuck Glass School, both of which he co-founded. Pilchuck Glass School joins Pratt Fine Arts Center, ArtsFund and Seattle Public Schools as community partners for Chihuly Garden and Glass. Through these organisations Chihuly Garden and Glass supports opportunities for involvement and engagement in the arts, including the creation of a science curriculum based on glass blowing for middle school students in the Public Schools.

It is estimated that over 400,000 people a year will come to Seattle from all corners of the world to view this exhibition.

About Chihuly Garden and Glass

Chihuly Garden and Glass provides a look at the career of artist Dale Chihuly. Located at Seattle Center, the exhibition features an Exhibition Hall offering visitors a comprehensive look at Chihuly’s significant series of work. Visitors will also enjoy the centerpiece Glasshouse – a dramatic structure housing a suspended 1,340-piece, 100-foot-long glass sculpture – and the Garden, which is a backdrop for a number of monumental sculptures and other installations.”
Press release from the Chihuly Garden and Glass website