Friday I went to St. Petersburg's Morean Arts Center to see the Dale Chihuly Collection. This is a stunning, permanent (the only permanent exhibition in the world) collection housed in a magnificent 10,000 square foot setting designed by award-winning architect Albert Alfonso. Alfonso's creative renovation of the space was carefully realized to best showcase the Chihuly artwork. An iconic 20 foot sculpture called Ruby Red Icicle Chandelier was created especially for the site.
On display were many Chihuly drawings, glass baskets, Persians (forms with spiraling body wraps and herringbone effects on the surfaces), chandeliers (ranging from three to thirty feet in length), nijima floats (large glass spheres), and tumbleweeds (twisted masses of neon tubing).
