Suspect Arrested for $240,000 Damage to Chihuly Glass Artworks
A man allegedly broke into an exhibition space in Seattle, shattered a Dale Chihuly installation, and tried to stab a guard with a glass shard.
Seattle police have arrested a man for allegedly shattering highly valuable glass sculptures at Chihuly Garden and Glass, an art installation featuring works from the studio of acclaimed glassblower Dale Chihuly.
The 40-year-old suspect, identified as Alexander Taylor Weis, allegedly caused $240,000 worth of damage to multiple plant-shaped glass artworks on Monday night, March 16. He was later arrested on suspicion of burglary and assault after police arrived at the venue, which is directly adjacent to the city's Space Needle observation tower.
The Seattle Police Department said the suspect threw broken glass at the exhibition's security staff and attempted to stab one guard with shards multiple times. A representative for the space told Hyperallergic that no one was injured during the incident.
Police noted that the motive remained unclear, but that the incident was “a burglary” and that the suspect was not “a guest.”
Photos released to the public show hundreds of pieces of shattered glass.
Chihuly is regarded as a leading figure of the Studio Glass Movement, credited with entrenching the glass medium into the fine art canon.
The exhibition space spokesperson did not clarify which works were destroyed, noting only that the suspect had broken into an outside garden area and damaged an "installation," which was removed. The space reopened according to its regular hours on Tuesday at 10 am.
The center rotates its garden display seasonally, according to the venue's website, and houses galleries surveying 40 years of the Washington-born artist's work.
"We expect to replace the damaged art in the coming weeks," the spokesperson told Hyperallergic.
