I arrived in Santa Fe last Tuesday, and that night I walked around downtown, just taking in the sights of various establishments and store windows. As I passed the Coyote Cafe (which I mentioned the other day), I looked in and saw this glowing red glass chandelier, in the style of Dale Chihuly. My first assumption was that it was a Dale Chihuly, because it certainly looks like others I’ve seen. But a quick search online suggests that it’s a knockoff, although I’d say a pretty good one.
So, let’s see – they have a Matisse-inspired tile mosaic outside, and a copy of a Dale Chihuly inside, I’d say the owner must have an appreciation of modern art. I’m not knocking them for having knockoffs, as a real Chihuly original glass chandlier could be as much as $60,000 (according to this), but it is interesting to see how many “Chihuly style” chandeliers are available for purchase via an online search. I’d guess this is probably pretty frustrating for Chihuly, as his distinct and creative style is being flat-out copied.
But it’s still beautiful, don’t you think?