The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx recently presented an exhibit of glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly. Running from April 22 through October 29, 2017, the exhibit, titled simply “Chihuly,” featured more than twenty works by the artist. This is the second time that the Botanical Garden has showcased the Seattle-based sculptor, whose work was first exhibited there in 2006. The use of a garden for the display of this kind of art is unusual, yet the contrast between living greenery and inanimate glass is part of its intended appeal.

In addition to regular park hours, the exhibit also had some evening hours, entitled “Chihuly Nights,” during which some of the artwork is lit up. However, I viewed the exhibit during the day and was not able to experience that effect. It happened to be a cloudy day which may also have negatively impacted viewing some of the pieces, particularly the ones installed on the water, which relied on reflections to create their desired effects.

The installations were located across the park, both outside on the grounds and inside the greenhouses. In the library, there were two short videos playing: one was a video of the Chihuly Studio team creating the pieces, and the other was one that showed many of the pieces where they originally debuted. This introduction makes the library a good place to begin the tour.

On the grounds and in the greenhouses, some of the pieces were meant to starkly contrast with their environment, using abstract shapes and bold colors, while others made use of organic shapes and natural colors to blend in with their environment. Some of the pieces were installed on the water, using reflections to create an interesting effect. And others were hung from rafters like chandeliers.

A few of the pieces were fairly simple in design, for example “Red Reeds on Logs”, an asymmetrical arrangement of bright red spokes. Others were very complex designs with intricate shapes and subtle colors, allowing one to truly appreciate the craftsmanship and talent behind these pieces. One such work, “Sol Del Citron”, resembling a large mass of yellow tentacles, was a truly impressive piece of sculptural engineering. A trio of back-lit, hanging pieces entitled “Chandeliers” included similar writhing shapes; their placement near an exit, however, made them easy to miss.

The pieces in the greenhouses that mimicked their environments were appealing in their subtlety, however I did not find them as intriguing as the bolder, more complex installations on the grounds. One piece that really stood out as different from the rest of the show was “Neon 206” a large jumble of brightly-colored tubes of neon lights. However, this is a piece that was probably more effective seen at night.

Overall, I found this exhibit to be interesting and mostly enjoyable. I found some pieces significantly more compelling than others, and a few could have benefited from different placement or lighting. I would recommend this exhibit to people who like glass sculpture.