Chihuly Blanket

With his sculptural works that fuse naturalistic forms with vibrant colors, Dale Chihuly has established himself as one of the world’s preeminent contemporary makers of art glass. The Tacoma, Washington, native’s experimental techniques — manifest in large-scale glass sculptures, installations and environmental artworks alongside smaller table-top pieces — combine fine art, design, architecture and craft.

Chihuly’s inspired creative energy has brought glass blowing to a place at the forefront of the arts in the United States. His prolific body of work is coupled with a dedication to artistic instruction, education and community. Trained in interior design at the University of Washington, he pursued graduate work with Harvey Littleton, who built the first academic art glass program in the U.S. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After further studies at the Rhode Island School of Design, Chihuly was awarded a 1968 Fulbright Fellowship to study glass blowing at the Venini glass factory on the island of Murano in Venice, where he was first introduced to group collaboration in glass making. Not only has Chihuly been committed to his own improvement as an artist, but he has also devoted much of his career to sharing his knowledge. He returned to RISD as an instructor, and after working there for more than a decade and he cofounded the Pilchuck Glass School in Washington State in 1971. An automobile accident in 1976 left Chihuly blind in one eye; a subsequent injury while bodysurfing weakened one shoulder, leaving him reliant on assistant glassblowers to execute his designs.

Chihuly’s skills and technical innovations have allowed him to make pieces in an astonishing array of patterns, textures and hues — yet his work can be recognized immediately. He has created several notable extended series of artworks. These include his “Seaforms,” which evoke shells, starfish and other marine animals; “Blankets,” which are composed of cylindrical units in patterns suggested by Native American textiles; and, most famously, his grand chandeliers made up of scores of curling, curving, pepper-shaped elements. Whether large or small, as you will see on 1stDibs, the works of Dale Chihuly blend practical flair and bravura artistry. They are a highlight of any contemporary art and design collection.

If you’re thinking about decorating your space with abstract sculpture, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.

You don’t have to look for a piece that demands attention. Find a work of abstract sculpture that speaks to you. As is the case with any abstract art, whether it’s sculpture, an abstract painting or a grouping of prints, you can select a work for your living room or dining room, for example, that will either casually fade into the background or serve as a focal point. When you’re thinking about how to arrange your furniture and decor, consider color, texture and what kind of energy you’d like a specific room or corner to evoke. Abstract sculpture can go a long way in elevating a home, and its history is interesting if you’re shopping for a new piece today.

As a pioneer in naturalistic forms and figures that vividly express emotion, Auguste Rodin is often called the father of modern sculpture. His work in the 19th and early 20th century broke with artistic conventions and inspired modernism, leading to a new period of avant-garde abstraction.

Among the first artists to push abstract sculpture into the mainstream were Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. They helped define the movement of Cubism, which focused on deconstructing the world abstractly.

Later in the 20th century, the artistic movements of Italian Futurism, Dadaism, Neo-Dadaism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism and minimalism all contributed to the advancement of new and more abstract sculpture designs. Italian Futurism, for example, celebrated movement, dynamics and technology in abstract sculpture. These movements passed down ideas that continue to inform abstract sculpture today.

Browse a range of modern abstract sculptures, postmodern abstract sculptures and other kinds of sculpture on 1stDibs.