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Museum launches public appeal to buy Dale Chihuly piece

26 July 2011

Dale Chihuly, Lime Green Icicle Tower, installed in the Shapiro Family Courtyard at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

(ARTFIXdaily)

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Screenshot of the painting Les Trois Grâces by Lucas Cranach the Elder which the Louvre appealed to the public to buy.

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Hawthorn Tree Snowball, 2001, two C prints, 33 x 33 in. each © Andy Goldsworthy.

(Courtesy of the Artist and Galerie Lelong, New York)

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has begun a campaign to raise more than $1 million to acquire the 42-foot-tall “Lime Green Icicle Tower,’’ a signature work by glass artist Dale Chihuly that’s been soaring in the museum’s new Shapiro Family Courtyard since “Chihuly: Through the Looking Glass’’ opened in April. The public contributions will be matched by a group of MFA donors.

The MFA’s public appeal includes, for the first time, a chance for museum visitors to give online and by texting on their phones - people can text the word TOWER to 50555, then reply to the follow-up message “To confirm your $10 donation to MFA Boston, reply with the word YES.’’

While museums often seek to acquire works following exhibitions, the source of funds traditionally comes from high-level donors. The trend to appeal to the general public, often through online and phone texting campaigns, was seen on a large scale last year when the Louvre sought 4 million euros to buy Lucas Cranach the Elder's "The Three Graces."

Also in the Boston area, the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Mass., is currently looking to raise $1 million, specifically to commission a work by British sculptor Andy Goldsworthy.

The exhibition Andy Goldsworthy: Snow is on view in order to raise awareness and the funding necessary to bring the proposed work, "Snow House," to fruition.

Read more at Boston Globe

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