When I first started traveling in Europe around 1962, the V&A was one of my favorite museums. So it was a tremendous honor to be asked to create a sculpture for the main entrance. The important issues were scale and color, but I also wanted very much to make a new and unique statement with the piece [chandelier]. We did that by creating new forms, and also by combining color in the composition in a special way. It was especially fortunate that Queen Elizabeth was booked to open a new exhibition, giving us the opportunity to celebrate the chandelier’s installation with a Royal Event.   — Chihuly