Chihuly’s glass runneth over

Few substances possess the metaphorical quality of glass. Its transparency suggests clarity and purity, and it may even remind us of the adage that since we cannot hide our faults, we should not criticize others. For four decades, Seattle-based glass sculptor Dale Chihuly has sought to infuse his work with an energy matching that of his material.

Since helping to establish the American studio glass movement in the late ‘60s, Chihuly has been prolific in his artistic output, as well as in promoting his colorful, fanciful works. It’s little surprise, then, the recently opened “Chihuly: Los Angeles” exhibition is spread out over three Southern California art venues: the L.A. Louver Gallery in Venice, the Frank Lloyd Gallery in Santa Monica and the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum on the Pepperdine University campus in Malibu.

Chihuly, 63, is known for orchestrating his team of glass blowers as they render and install his work.

But for this exhibition, he delegated the task of ringleader to Peter Gould, director of the L.A. Louver Gallery. Gould, whose gallery represents Chihuly in Los Angeles, conceived of the three-part show.

“People attending all three shows will see an articulation of the full range of Chihuly’s language and ambitions,” Gould said.

Indeed, Chihuly seems pleased with the way the exhibition divvies up his work.

“It’s always a challenge to create artworks that complement a particular space, and with ‘Chihuly: Los Angeles’ we had to create three spaces that were different but worked well together as a whole,” Chihuly said from his Seattle studio.

“L.A. Louver has a wonderful open area that worked well for the installation of my new series Mille Fiori,” a collection of sculptures inspired by exotic plants, he said. “The Weisman has great vertical space, so we incorporated a 20-foot tower and a floor-to-ceiling drawing wall, while the Frank Lloyd Gallery is a more intimate space, which allowed me to showcase some of my smaller individual works.”

Frank Lloyd adds that, “I think we did a good job both in making sure that each venue maintained its own identity, and in creating exhibitions that are not redundant.”

So how does one mount an exhibition of pieces made in such a seemingly delicate medium -- in earthquake territory, no less?

It would be an understatement to say all involved work very carefully. Michael Zakian, director of the Weisman Museum, said the packing list was more than 20 pages long.

For his part, Chihuly wastes little creative energy worrying about the safety of his glass.

“We ship the glass all over the world,” he said, “and we have had less than 1% breakage. My team is expertly trained and methodical in the way they package and ship the glass.”

He recalled a March 2001 earthquake in Seattle that measured 6.8 . “I have more than 30 installations in the area, and none of them were damaged,” he said. “We had one chandelier that swung and chipped some drywall, but the tip of the piece didn’t even break. It did exactly what we engineered it do.”

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‘Chihuly: Los Angeles’

Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art

Pepperdine University, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu

When: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Ends March 20.

Cost: Free

Info: (310) 506-4851

Frank Lloyd Gallery

2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica

When: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Ends Jan. 8.

Cost: Free

Info: (310) 264-3866

L.A. Louver

45 N. Venice Blvd., Venice

When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Ends Jan. 15.

Cost: Free

Info: (310) 822-4955