Niijima Floats: Snow White and Gold Leaf

Dale Chihuly, Niijima Floats: Snow White and Gold Leaf, 1991, blown glass, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dale and Doug Anderson, 1993.46.2
Dale Chihuly, Niijima Floats: Snow White and Gold Leaf, 1991, blown glass, 21 582524 in. (54.963.561.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dale and Doug Anderson, 1993.46.2

Artwork Details

Title
Niijima Floats: Snow White and Gold Leaf
Artist
Date
1991
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
21 582524 in. (54.963.561.0 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Dale and Doug Anderson
Mediums
Mediums Description
blown glass
Classifications
Object Number
1993.46.2

Artwork Description

Dale Chihuly is an incandescent figure in the American studio glass movement. He began to work with glass in the 1960s, fascinated by its potential to shape light and space. In the 1990s, he began a series of Niijima Floats inspired by glass orbs used by Japanese fishermen to hold their nets in place. The Floats were among the largest glass orbs ever made by inflating molten glass with an artist’s breath. The spellbinding surfaces recall swirling currents of water and gas—wonders of earth and beyond.


This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, 2022

Works by this artist (162 items)

Mingering Mike, Joseph War & Friend: "AS HIGH AS THE SKY", 1972, mixed media on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mike Wilkins and Sheila Duignan and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2013.8.48, © Mingering Mike
Joseph War & Friend: AS HIGH AS THE SKY”
Date1972
mixed media on paperboard
Not on view
Mingering Mike, ATLANTIC: SIMPLY DYNAMIC THE BIG DYNAMIC "D" (A), 1970, ink and marker on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mike Wilkins and Sheila Duignan and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2013.8.70.1, © Mingering Mike
ATLANTIC: SIMPLY DYNAMIC THE BIG DYNAMIC D” (A)
Date1970
ink and marker on paperboard
Not on view
Mingering Mike, HOME COMING / "BUT WHEN YOU DRINK,", 1972, mixed media on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mike Wilkins and Sheila Duignan and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2013.8.44, © Mingering Mike
HOME COMING / BUT WHEN YOU DRINK,”
Date1972
mixed media on paperboard
Not on view
Mingering Mike, A MINGER PRODUCTION: DON'T TRY AND TA TAKE IT ALL IN / SHE LOOKED INTO MY EYES, 1970, mixed media on paper and found 45 rpm acetate record, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mike Wilkins and Sheila Duignan and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2013.8.6R-V, © Mingering Mike
A MINGER PRODUCTION: DON’T TRY AND TA TAKE IT ALL IN / SHE…
Date1970
mixed media on paper and found 45 rpm acetate record
Not on view

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Date1831
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A. Patrick, Mrs. Benajah Johnson, 1830, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Frank Cummings Cook, 1966.71.2
Mrs. Benajah Johnson
Date1830
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