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OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – A new exhibition at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art is sure to be a visitor favorite.

“Chihuly Then and Now: The Collection at Twenty” will open on June 18 at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

“I have developed new work in the last 20 years that has not yet been shown in Oklahoma City,” said artist Dale Chihuly. “I look forward to sharing selections from this work, specifically ‘Chihuly Merletto,’ ‘Rotolo,’ and ‘Glass on Glass,’ in the company of the collection held by Oklahoma City Museum of Art.” 

Organizers say it will feature new works on loan from Chihuly Studio in Seattle and from the Seattle Art Museum, as well as visitor favorites from the museum’s permanent collection.

“Hundreds of thousands of visitors have experienced OKCMOA’s breathtaking and immersive installations of Dale Chihuly’s work over the past two decades,” said Michael Anderson, Ph.D., OKCMOA President and CEO. “I am thrilled to introduce this dynamic take on our collection to the community and to continue our focus on studio glass. ‘Chihuly Then and Now’ will showcase Chihuly’s extensive career and illustrate his impactful role as a key player in the national studio glass movement. We thank Chihuly Studio and and all of our exhibition sponsors for their generous support for this exhibition.”

“Chihuly Then and Now” features works not currently in OKCMOA’s collection, such as:

  • “Navajo Blanket Cylinders” – In his first major glass series, Chihuly was inspired by the colors and patterns of blankets woven by members of the Diné (Navajo) tribe.
  • “Soft Cylinders” – This series combines the aesthetics of “Navajo Blanket Cylinders” with the more relaxed forms and gentle curves of the “Baskets.” “Venetians” – The “Venetians” have a traditional vase-like central form with exuberant decorative attachments, such as coils and twisted ribbons. 
  • “Rotolo” – Started in 2013, the heavy and complex “Rotolo” (Italian for “coil”) sculptures evolved from the spiraling forms found in Chihuly’s “Venetians.”  “Glass on Glass” – Comprised of glass panels that are painted with vitreous enamel, Chihuly’s “Glass on Glass” works demonstrate his ongoing exploration of the transmission of light through transparent media.
  • “Chihuly Merletto” – Chihuly’s latest body of work was inspired by the ancient Venetian technique called “merletto” (Italian for lace) in which white cane is used to create lace-like patterns.