




Dale Chihuly is world renowned for incorporating his glass sculpture art into a variety of indoor and outdoor environments. He’s hung his unique chandelier sculptures over piazzas in Venice and floated colorful glass orbs in the garden fountains outside the Biltmore Estate. And his work can be found in more than 200 museums around the world. But do you know these amazing facts about Dale Chihuly?
Rising from the parched desert landscape, woven into the trees along a wooded path, or floating on a still pond, the glass sculpture art of Dale Chihuly evokes the sense of peering into a kaleidoscope. Born and raised in the state of Washington, Chihuly established the glass program at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and is known as the world’s most prominent glass sculpture artist.
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You may have walked under Dale Chilhuly’s elaborate display in the elegant lobby of the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Or perhaps you’ve seen his blown glass art incorporated into a museum or botanical garden halfway around the world. But did you know these things about the acclaimed American artist?

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To help offset the costs of running SilverSightseer.com, you’ll find affiliate links lightly sprinkled throughout the site. If you choose to make a purchase via one of these links, there’s no additional cost to you, but I’ll earn a teeny tiny commission. You can read all of the legal blah blah blah (as my little niece says) on the full disclosure page.
1. The Glass Artist is a Virgo
Dale Chihuly was born September 20, 1941, in Tacoma, Washington, about 40 miles south of Seattle. His birthday makes him a Virgo, an astrological sign associated with being creative and hardworking. His glass sculptures combine colorful glass bubbles, long curled twists, and jellyfish-like blown glass components into one-of-a-kind masterpieces that have made him second to none in glass sculpture art.
2. He Started His Career in A Different Area of Art
After a year at the College of Puget Sound, Dale Chihuly transferred to the University of Washington in Seattle and enrolled in their interior design program. After taking a gap year during his studies, Chihuly graduated from UW in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in interior design.
Chihuly’s earliest experience with glass was quite different from what he’s known for today. Instead of blowing glass into elaborate chandeliers and soaring creations, he began by weaving small pieces of it into tapestries.

3. The Glass Sculpture Artist Loves to Travel
During his gap year, Dale Chihuly studied art in Florence, Italy, and architecture in the Middle East. He returned to Europe in 1968 as a Fulbright Fellow at Venini Fabrica, the famous glass-blowing factory on the island of Murano about a mile from Venice.
With good reason, Venice remains one of Dale Chihuly’s favorite cities. So it’s no surprise that one of his first architectural installments was Chihuly Over Venice. In 1996, drawn to the water surrounding the famed Italian city, the glass artist and his team incorporated 14 massive glass sculptures into its buildings, bridges, and gardens.
Related Article: 5 Important Things to Know Before Visiting a Chihuly Exhibit
4. Dale Chihuly Worked as a Commercial Fisherman to Save Money for Graduate School
After graduating from the University of Washington, Chihuly landed a job at a large architectural firm in Seattle, but what he really wanted to do was become a glassblower. So he spent six months working as a commercial fisherman in Alaska to fund his graduate school studies.

5. Dale Chihuly is an American Pioneer
In 1966, Chihuly received a full scholarship to study at America’s first glass program at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. After receiving his Master of Science degree in sculpture, he moved to the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) where he added a Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture to his credentials and landed a Fulbright Fellowship to study in Italy. Chihuly was the first American glassblower to apprentice with the glass masters who had long guarded their centuries-old secrets on the tiny island of Murano. The techniques learned at Venini Fabrica have remained part of Chihuly’s approach.
Back in the United States, Chihuly shared his love of glass art by establishing the RISD glassblowing program and founding the Pilchuck Glass School on a former tree farm in Stanwood, Washington.
6. Why the Glass Sculptor Wears an Eye Patch
In case you’re wondering why Dale Chihuly wears an eye patch, it’s due to a car accident in London back in 1976. The impact sent him through the car’s windshield. Chihuly received more than 250 stitches in his face and lost the sight in his left eye.
And if that accident weren’t traumatic enough, Dale Chihuly severely injured his shoulder in a body surfing accident a few years later. Between the two impairments, his limited depth perception and bum shoulder, Chihuly was forced to pass his glass blowing pipe to a team of artists in 1979.
For the past four decades, Chihuly has served as “more choreographer than dancer, more supervisor than participant, more director than actor” when it comes to creating his iconic works of glass sculpture art.

7. He’s an Artist, Not a Fighter
Dating back to the 1960s, Dale Chihuly has been a pacifist. Organizing marches and coordinating campus protests, he spoke out against the Vietnam War, the invasion of Cambodia, and the Kent State killings.
8. You Can See Chihuly Glass Exhibits Around the World
To call Dale Chihuly the most renowned and prolific glass sculpture artist in the world almost feels like an understatement. His work appears in more than 200 art museums around the world, including the Smithsonian, Louvre, and National Gallery of Australia. You can also find his glass art on display in his native Washington State at the Tacoma Art Museum and Chihuly Garden and Glass in the Seattle Center.
In addition to museum collections, Chihuly’s work is also found:
- The registration desk at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas where it took more than 100 glassblowers, architects, engineers, installers, and other professionals to install the 2,000-piece, 40,000-pound Fiori di Como on the ceiling above guests checking in to the luxury hotel.
- An interactive children’s exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis where guests can create their own masterpiece under the largest permanent Chihuly installation in the world using plastic forms that resemble Chihuly’s blown glass shapes.
- The Olympic Tower in the lobby of Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City, a special piece created by Dale Chihuly to celebrate the 2002 Winter Olympics.
And, of course, there are the garden and architectural installments that incorporate Chihuly’s work into green spaces at botanical gardens, ancient cities like Jereusalem, and historic buildings like the Biltmore Estate.

9. The Famed Glass Sculpture Artist Also Creates Other Types of Art
From the woven tapestries that included small pieces of glass back in college to two-dimensional paintings on flat pieces of glass, Dale Chihuly is more than a glass sculpture artist.
10. Dale Chihuly Owns Several Fascinating Collections
Inspired by art in its many forms, Dale Chihuly isn’t just an art creator — he’s also an art collector. While that revelation may conjure up images of a Venetian-style palace filled with sketches by Degas and sculptures from medieval times (like the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston), replace those visions in your mind with everyday objects.

Chihuly’s collections include everyday items like Christmas tree ornaments, bottle openers, and musical instruments, especially accordions. And, if you visit the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum at the base of the Space Needle in Seattle, you’ll see many of his bottle openers and accordions on display in and around the cafe.
Frequently Asked Questions about Dale Chihuly
Who is Dale Chihuly?
Dale Chihuly is an American artist world renowned for his glass art. While his work is displayed in more than 200 museums around the world, he also incorporates his glass sculptures into a variety of indoor and outdoor exhibits.
Who is Dale Chihuly?
Dale Chihuly is an American artist world renowned for his glass art. While his work is displayed in more than 200 museums around the world, he also incorporates his glass sculptures into a variety of indoor and outdoor exhibits.
How old is Dale Chihuly?
Born on September 20, 1941, Dale Chihuly turned 81 in 2022.
Where is Chihuly from?
Glass artist Dale Chihuly is from the Pacific Northwest, specifically Washington State.
How did Dale Chihuly lose his eye?
The American glass artist was involved in a terrible car accident in London in 1976. After being thrown through the car’s windshield on impact, he received more than 250 stitches in his face and lost the sight in his left eye.
Does Dale Chihuly still blow glass?
Unfortunately, no. After losing the sight in his left eye and injuring is shoulder in a body surfing accident, Dale Chihuly passed his glass blowing pipe to a team of artists in 1979.
While Chihuly no longer creates glass sculptures, he does create beautiful paintings.
Is Dale Chihuly married?
Yes, Dale Chihuly married Leslie Jackson in 2005. The couple have a son, Jackson Viola Chihuly, who was born in 1998.



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Thank you for sharing!
I had never heard of Dale Chihuly even though I am sure that I have seem some of his work. He is a prime example of if you really want to do something you can make it happen. His work is out of this world beautiful and I will now start looking for it when I travel.
We saw some of his work in Seattle. Interesting to learn more about him!!
I had never heard of him but this was fascinating to read! We just moved to northern Italy and I can’t wait to go to Venice and the the glass blowers at work!
Oh I adore the glass work of Dale Chihuly, and also love some of the modern work made in Murano these days. I’ve seen his pieces in various places around the world, but he’s prolific, so there’s so much more to see! I hadn’t known he’d studied at the Venini Fabrica, but it makes perfect sense!
And as cool as his glassworks are, I am also in love with his paintings!
There is a beautiful display of his work in the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN..
That’s right! Thanks for sharing! He’s so incredibly talented!