NORFOLK, VA — The Chrysler Museum of Art has acquired Silken, a blown glass sculpture made by Dan Dailey in 2007. Standing 22 inches high, the life-size bust will join Dailey’s glass vases Repair (1983) and Liquid Visions (1980) as part of the museum's permanent collection. Silken is one of 128 unique blown glass figures from Dailey's ongoing Individuals series that he began in 2004.
“As in much of Dailey’s work, there is no attempt at realism. The essential qualities of the figure are conveyed through facial expressions, and each Individual is ripe with suggestive body language despite the absence of a full body.”
An exhibition of Dailey’s figurative work titled "Dan Dailey: Character Sketch" opened at the museum in February, 2020. The show featured 33 works that span four decades of the artist’s career, including Silken.