Stay connected. Join our list
Rotolo Glass on Glass Painting, 2017, 42 x 32 x 5" Inquire
Layers of color, light, and glass
Glass on Glass articulates Chihuly’s mastery of the transmission of light through transparent media. Comprising glass panels that are painted with vitreous-glass enamel, then layered atop one another to create a single unified vision, Glass on Glass invites interaction, revealing the surface of each distinct layer and the composition’s depth as the viewer changes position.
Glass on Glass is an expression of Chihuly’s current art-making practice and the culmination of more than fifty years of experiments in light, space, and form. The illuminated enamel paintings on glass mark an evolution for the artist, yet the series conveys a dynamic akin to Chihuly’s blown glass works and imparts a multidimensional experience like others for which his work has become known.
SEE THE PROCESS
Play video
Chihuly’s newest series
Glass on Glass premiered in early 2017: privately at the Chihuly Sanctuary, part of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center in Omaha, Nebraska; and publicly at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Ikebana Glass on Glass Paintings, 2017, Chihuly Sanctuary, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Omaha, Nebraska
Ikebana Quad Drawing, 2015 and Ikebana Glass on Glass Paintings, 2017, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas
Chihuly working in his drawing studio, Seattle, with Parks Anderson, 2016
Reinterpreting an ancient art form
Painting with vitreous enamels is an age-old art form going back a thousand years. Some of the first examples of painting on glass can be seen in objects from the Roman Empire. Chihuly is excited to explore modern themes using this traditional technique.
“I call the series Glass on Glass. When lit these pieces come to life as multi-dimensional paintings in color, light, and glass.”
–Chihuly
View our Glass on Glass Lookbook
Inquire about Artwork
Inquire more info
Back to Work: Drawings
Explore more info