Objects Not Paintings

Fashion Inspired: Marc Jacobs and Gustav Klimt

2012-02-18T15:47:00.001-05:00

Marc Jacobs sent his models down the runway this past week during Fashion Week in New York (see the show in its entirety here) in large coats and even larger fur hats bringing to mind the elegant ladies painted by Gustav Klimt in turn-of-the century Vienna. Klimt's female subjects, all part of high-society, were incredibly fashionable. More often than not they were dressed by Klimt's lover and confidant Emilie Floge, who with her sister, Helene, operated a fashion boutique in Vienna called Schwestern Floge, or Floge Sisters.

Jacobs claimed that his latest collection was inspired by fashion eccentrics Anna Piaggi and Lynn Yaeger but I think that Jacobs, who has a first class art collection, had Klimt on his mind.

Klimt and Jacobs have one more thing in common: both men are being celebrated in a major way this year. The city of Vienna is dedicating the entire year to Klimt with virtually every museum organizing an exhibition to celebrate his 150th birthday while the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris will explore Jacobs' career next month in an exhibition called Louis Vuitton Marc Jacobs.

Gustav Klimt, "The Black Feather Hat (Lady with Feather Hat)", 1910. Oil on canvas. Private Collection.

Gustav Klimt, Lady with Hat and Feather Boa, 1909, Oil on canvas. Private Collection.

Look from Marc Jacobs Autumn/Winter 2012 Ready-to-wear collection. Image taken from Style.com

Lillian Bassman (1917-2012)

2012-02-18T14:47:00.005-05:00

Last Monday, February 13th, the great fashion photographer Lillian Bassman passed away at the age of 94.

In the sea of great fashion photographers (a group that included Cecil Beaton, Richard Avedon, whose work she promoted, Horst P. Horst and Irving Penn) of the mid-twentieth-century or "the golden age of haute-couture" Bassman's work was strong enough to hold its own. And while there were other female photographers, Louise Dahle-Wolfe comes to mind here, Bassman was an original.

Looking back at Bassman's work I am struck by how romantic and sensual it is. Her photographs, mostly black and white, more closely resemble paintings then they do photographs. Even when photographing a model in a speeding car, the image is still soft.

Lillian Bassman, Touch of Dew, New York, 1961

Of her work, Bassman told B&W magazine in 1994, “I was interested in developing a method of printing on my own, even before I took photographs. I wanted everything soft edges and cropped.” She was interested, she said, in “creating a new kind of vision aside from what the camera saw.” This vision was achieved by bleaching and blurring the image. The focus no longer was just the famous model, the gorgeous dress, or the romantic setting but all of this elements together made the composition.

Lillian Bassman, Across the Restaurant,
Barbara Mullen, Harper's Bazaar, 1949 (Plate 20). Image taken from Staley-Wise Gallery. The model Barbara Mullen was Bassman's muse.

According to Bassman's obituary in the New York Times, she was born to Jewish émigrés from Russia in Brooklyn in 1917 but grew up in the Bronx. While attending the Textile High School, she began modeling and worked as an artist's assistant, later taking night classes at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. She became acquainted with Alexey Brodovitch who took her on as his apprentice at Harper's Bazaar, where he was the art director, and later gave her the title of art director at Junior Bazaar. Working with photographers pushed Bassman to explore her own passions and propelled her to step behind the camera lens.

Through out the 1950s, Bassman's work was in high demand commercially and she also continued to land plum assignments for Harper's Baazar. Bassman also began to make a name for herself photographing lingerie. Her lingerie work is seductive and bold. As a woman she understood how her subjects wanted to look.

Lillian Bassman, It's a Cinch.
Carmen, New York, Harper's Bazaar,1951 (Plate 2). Image taken from Staley-Wise Gallery.

Bassman became disillusioned with the changing tides in fashion during the 1960s and abandoned fashion photography. She destroyed the negatives of her commercial projects and put her editorial negatives into trash bags which she hid in her home. It wasn't until the early 1990s when a fashion historian, Martin Harrison, found them in her home and encouraged her to revisit her work. This led to further experimentation with the bleaching process on Bassman's behalf and a re-awaking of her career. Several exhibitions followed.

The Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute featured Bassman's photo of Dovima in their 2009 exhibition, Model As Muse: Embodying Fashion (see my original review here).

Lillian Bassman. In This Year of Lace Dovima, Dress by Jane Derby, Harper's Bazaar The Plaza Hotel, New York, October 1951 . 16"x20", Gelatin Silver Print, Edition of 25. Signed. Image taken from Staley-Wise Gallery.

A new book, “Lillian Bassman: Lingerie,” is to be published by Abrams, where Bassman's son, Eric Himmel is editor in chief, on April 1. Staley-Wise Gallery at 560 Broadway in Soho will have an exhibition of Bassman's Lingerie photos beginning April 13th. For information visit the gallery website.

As a side note, the exhibition "Cecil Beaton: The New York Years" at the Museum of the City of New York has been extended through April 22nd.

Grossman's "Cobra" Lamp

2012-02-09T22:46:00.000-05:00

Greta Magnusson Grossman, USA, circa 1950

Table lamp in enameled aluminum on a chrome-plated steel base with one cone shade and one "Cobra" shade. Designed for Ralph O. Smith, California. Image courtesy of R20th Century.

Just the other day I realized that I do not feature enough objects on this blog. I mean, I do write about objects but I do not really zero- in on a particular object that I love. Therefore when an image of this beautiful lamp by Greta Magnusson Grossman (1906-1999) found its way into my in-box, I knew that it was fate.

Grossman began her career in Sweden in the 1920's, focusing on the design of furniture and lighting. In 1940 she moved to Los Angeles with her husband, a jazz bandleader named Billy Grossman.

Grossman is a designer with serious accolades. She was the first woman to graduate from the Stockholm School of Industrial Design, the first women to be awarded by the Swedish Craft Association for furniture design, the first women to own and operate a furniture studio. Her contribution to the 20th century modern design movement is on par with Charlotte Perriand and Lily Reich (who collaborated with Mies van der Rohe). In fact, Grossman was even more prolific than both of these designers because she worked in the United States and in Sweden. Grossman not only created successful products for such companies like Glenn of California, Sherman Bertram, Martin/Brattrud and Modern Line but also had private clients like Greta Garbo, Joan Fontaine and Gracie Allen, who like her were strong and independent women.

Grossman's aesthetic is clean and simple, perfect for the Frank Lloyd Wright designed interiors which inspired every American housewife during this period. Grossman's business cards stated that she sold "Swedish modern furniture, rugs, lamps and other home furnishings."

This lamp is a variant of the "Cobra" lamp which won the Good Design award in 1950 and was exhibited at the Good Design Show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. These lamps were originally designed for Barker Brothers but were later produced by Ralph O. Smith. The lamps proved iconic due to their bullet-shaped shades and flexible arms.

Grossman's work has been receiving a lot of attention recently, partly thanks to New York gallery R20th Century (which I wrote about just last month in my post on the work of Jeff Zimmerman) whose principles, Zesty Myers and Evan Snyderman, have worked tirelessly to promote Grossman's work since purchasing a portion of her estate in 1998. Myers and Snyderman have curated an exhibition of Grossman's work, "Greta Magnusson Grossman: A Car and Some Shorts" which is currently on view (through May 6,2012) at The Price Tower Arts Center, a Frank Lloyd Wright designed National Historic Landmark in Oklahoma and which will travel to Pasadena Museum of California Art in October 2012.

The above lamp is available for sale through R20th Century.
For more information visit The Price Tower website and R20th Century website.

A selection of Greta Magnusson Grossman's furniture and lighting that is available at R20th in New York.

Decorative Arts Calendar: February 2012

2012-02-01T20:56:00.002-05:00

There are several interesting contemporary design exhibitions opening this month. It is nice to see exhibitions dedicated to a particular medium and not general surveys, especially when it comes to glass and jewelry as these fields are a bit unrepresented in contemporary galleries.

See

Glasstress: New Art from the Venice Biennale, February 6- June 3, 2012, The Museum of Arts and Design. The cutting-edge exhibition project organized by glass impresario Adriano Berengo for the past two Venice Biennales—each time making waves in the lagoon city—is to have its American debut at the Museum of Arts and Design. Berengo calls the project "a new visionary manifesto for glass and art." His commission of leading contemporary artists and designers from around the globe, unpracticed in glass, to create works in this medium, has proved an aesthetic game changer. Lacking preconceptions, these creators working with artisans on Murano have produced pieces that are as inventive as they are provocative.

Kiff Slemmons’ "HUESOS”, February 7- March 6, 2012, Gallery Loupe, Montclair, N.J. Slemmons spent ten years collaborating with the artisans of Arte Papel in Oaxaca, Mexico. The result is a collection of paper jewelry which is highly sculptural and utilizes indigenous plants, fibers, natural and synthetic dyes. Slemmons, a self-taught metalsmith, has exhibited nationally and internationally for over thirty years. In 2000, she had a midcareer exhibition, The Thought of Things: Jewelry by Kiff Slemmons at the Palo Alto Art Center, California. Slemmons is best known for found object assemblages and working with non-precious materials, often exhibiting her unique sense of humor. Slemmons will be giving a lecture on her work at the 92nd Street Y in NYC on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 7 pm. For more information: www.galleryloupe.com

IMPACT: 50 Years of the CFDA, February 10 - April 17, 2012, Museum at F.I.T. Conceived by CFDA President Diane von Furstenberg and curated by Patricia Mears, IMPACT: 50 Years of the CFDA will be an ode to the illustrious designs of the CFDA’s many members and will mark the organization’s fiftieth anniversary in 2012. The exhibition will include approximately 100 objects, both garments and accessories, by the CFDA’s most impactful creators of the last 50 years. Also included will be visual images and acknowledgement of the nearly 600 designers who have been members over the past five decades. Each living designer selected to participate in the exhibition is choosing a single object or ensemble that best represents his or her impact on the fashion world. There will also be a lecture series in March with some of the CFDA’s leading designers. For more information: http://www.fitnyc.edu/335.asp#Lectures.

Bright Future: New Designs in Glass, February 10 through May 5, 2012, Pratt Manhattan Gallery (144 West 14th Street, Second Floor). An exhibition of sculpture, tableware, and lighting designs by American and international artists and firms that explore issues of sustainability, the manipulation of light, and the contrast of ancient and modern influences in contemporary glass. The signature qualities of glass--its flexibility, clarity, complex cultural history and ability to magnify and direct light--are all at play in the works exhibited. The exhibition, which is guest-curated by Sarah Archer, chief curator at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, will be celebrated with an opening reception on Thursday, February 9 from 6 to 8 PM. The exhibition and opening reception are free and open to the public.

Hear

Both of the events listed below are taking place at the New York School of Interior Design, 170 East 70th Street, NYC. Admission is free; RSVP to rsvp@nysid.edu or call 212-492-1500 x405.

Wednesday, February 15, 6pm

LECTURE : Mitchell Owens: Center Stage: The Sets and Costumes of Cecil Beaton

Cecil Beaton was perhaps best known as a fashion and portrait photographer, but he also had a successful career as a stage and costume designer for Broadway, ballet and opera. Mitchell Owens, special projects editor of Architectural Digest, will speak about Beaton’s relentless energy and creativity and some of his most memorable scenic and costume designs.

Wednesday, February 29, 6pm

PANEL DISCUSSION: 20th Century Post-War Ceramics: The Next Big Thing

A group of esteemed gallery owners, ceramic specialists, and designers will gather to discuss the rise of 20th century European and American Post-war ceramics. Panelists include design writer and curator Larry Weinberg; James Zemaitis, SVP and Director of 20th Century Design at Sotheby's; Kim Hostler of Hostler-Burrows, a gallery specializing in Scandianvian artists and architects; Lee Mindel, architect and ceramics specialist; and Ben Williams, ceramics specialist at Philips de Pury. Moderated by Judith Gura, professor of design history at NYSID.

Jeff Zimmerman's Illuminated Wonderland

2012-01-17T12:34:00.001-05:00

I recently had the pleasure of visiting R20th Century, a leading design gallery in New York's Tribeca neighborhood and fell in love with the work of Jeff Zimmerman. A master glass artist, Zimmerman took his first glass blowing class in 1988, an experience that changed his life and the course of his career. Zimmerman pursued the study of glass quite seriously joining several glass collaboratives and working in studios in this country and abroad, yet never forgetting his interest in anthropology (which he was attending school for).
Zimmerman's first solo show took place in 1999 at the Robert Lehman Gallery in Brooklyn. Today Zimmerman's work is in several important private and public collections, including the Corning Museum of Glass and he just completed a commission for the Hyundai Capital Headquarters in Seoul, Korea, and Irvine, California.
While Zimmerman makes table lamps, sconces, sculptures and vases, it is his illuminated sculptures, or chandeliers, that I love the most. Seeing the pieces in person and navigating your way around them, really does feel like you are walking through a magical forest.

Jeff Zimmerman, USA, 2011

Unique bubble cluster hanging illuminated sculpture with dented baking soda hand-blown glass on wire frame.
40" H x 50" D

Jeff Zimmerman, USA, 2011

Unique bubble cluster hanging illuminated sculpture with opaque white hand-blown glass coins on wire frame. 96" H x 36" D

Jeff Zimmerman, USA, 2011

Unique "Vine" illuminated sculpture with 21 hand-blown round pearl globes. Designed and made by Jeff Zimmerman, USA, 2011.80" L x 32" W x 48" H

Jeff Zimmerman, USA, 2011

Unique "Vine" illuminated sculpture with 21 hand-blown round pearl globes. Designed and made by Jeff Zimmerman, USA, 2011. L x 32" W x 48" H

All Photos by Sherry Griffin for R 20th Century
Visit R20th Century for more information.

Art Jewelry Unleashed!

2012-01-16T17:58:00.003-05:00

I just found out about this exhibition taking place at the Museum voor Moderne Kunst Arnhem:

Te the MMKA presents the exhibition Unleashed!, an overview of rule-breaking jewellery. In this state-of-the-art overview, pieces of jewellery will break out of the museum cases and be scattered over the walls and floors and decorate streets and squares. From small imaginative brooches to portraits of pop-stars woven from strings of pearls and meters-high pieces interwoven with street furniture: in Unleashed! an international community of jewellery designers shows that the possibilities and applications of jewellery are almost boundless. Art Jewellery Unleashed! is an exhibition featuring jewellery with connections to the visual arts, fashion and design: art jewellery. This type of jewellery has developed worldwide over the past forty to fifty years. Since the end of the 1960s, the Netherlands has played an important role in this development -— a reason for the MMKA to collect and present these pieces of jewellery from the beginning. Thirty designers The exhibition brings together existing work, as well as pieces made especially for the exhibition, from over thirty designers from all over the world. There are pieces on display from artists like: Natalya Pinchuk (United States), Lisa Walker (New Zealand), Pia Aleborg (Sweden), Mia Maljojoki (Finland / Munich), Mari Keto (Finland / Copenhagen), Suska Mackert (Germany / Hamburg), Christian Hoedl (Austria / Munich), Celio Braga (Brazil/ Amsterdam), Frédéric Braham (France), Jiro Kamata (Japan /Germany), and Lucy Sarneel, Liesbeth Bussche, and Erik Kuiper from the Netherlands. This is the first time in many years that work by international jewellery designers has been displayed in the Netherlands on such a scale. (The last large international exhibition was Facet at the Kunsthal Rotterdam in 1993). The exhibition features brooches in cases, jewellery on the walls and floors, as well as pieces set in street scenes -— so-called Urban Jewellery. Tags In addition to pieces of jewellery, the exhibition features other media that today’s jewellery designers use, like photography, video, books and documents, installations and interactive projects. Atelier Ted Noten, for instance, is featuring ‘Tags’ Smartphone Jewellery, a virtual exhibition in the city of posters with ‘tags’ that provide extra information, like a sort of Wikileaks, varying from political commentary (for example: blood diamonds), and facts (the price of gold), to narrative information (life in a gold mine). If you scan all the tags with a smart phone, you get a code you can use to redeem a specially printed piece of jewellery in the museum. Reference work The recently published book On Jewellery by Liesbeth den Besten, guest curator of the exhibition, serves as a new reference work where you can read about the many aspects of art jewellery and the current state of affairs in this field. More activities…. • photo exhibition at the Dudok café brasserie in the centre of Arnhem. • international symposium • weekend of events with evening opening, music, workshops, lectures, performances • extensive educational programme • pop-up store where jewellery can be bought for reasonable prices

The exhibition closes on February 6, 2012
There will also be an "Unleashed!" Symposium on February 3rd. For more information click here.

Museum voor Moderne Kunst Arnhem
Utrechtseweg 87 6812 AA Arnhem,
Netherlands
t +31(0)26 377 53 00
e info@mmkarnhem.nl

Speaking of Jewelry...

2012-01-16T17:04:00.000-05:00

Hot on the heels of the Elizabeth Taylor auction at Christie's, ARTINFO posted a very interesting interview with François Curiel, the auction house's international jewelry specialist, on the importance of provenance when purchasing jewelry. Let's be realistic, provenance is an important factor to consider when purchasing any work of art but when it comes from the estate of Elizabeth Taylor, all bets are off!

Read the article here.

Picasso to Koons

2012-01-12T18:13:00.000-05:00

Jeff Koons, Rabbit Necklace (2005-2009), Image courtesy MAD, NYC

A little while ago I was asked by the Art Jewelry Forum (AJF) to write a review of "Picasso to Koons: The Artist As Jeweler" an exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York.

The show was a great lesson on artist designed jewelry and since the show has now closed, I highly recommend purchasing the catalogue. I think the importance of a show like this is not to go expecting to love everything you see but to go expecting to have a conversation, even with yourself, about what you are looking at and acknowledge that while it may not all be in your taste, it is nonetheless an important body of work.

You can read my full review here.

The AJF's newly redesigned website is a wonderful tool for anyone interested in contemporary jewelry, not only does it present new artists but it also takes one on a behind-the-scenes tour of great public and private jewelry collections from around the world.

Not To Be Missed: Daphne Guinness at the Museum at FIT

2012-01-04T23:32:00.003-05:00

It is not everyday day that we get a peek into the closet of someone described by Tom Ford as “one of the—if not the—most stylish women living.” As Valerie Steele, curator of the exhibition points out, there have been numerous exhibitions dedicated to fashion designers, but only a few devoted to style icons (we can really count the number on our fingers: Jackie Kennedy, Nan Kempner, Iris Apfel, Mona Bismark, Grace Kelly and Tina Chow). Why should we care about Guinness? Who is she? Does not every wealthy woman have a closet full of couture? The answer, as the exhibition proves, is that Guinness is more than just a style icon but a muse and an artist. Guinness does not simply get dressed because she cannot leave the house naked but someone who takes pride in her clothes, who respects the craft and as Hamish Bowles writes, finds poetry in them.

Born in 1967 the Honorable Daphne Suzanne Diana Joan Guinness is heiress to the Guinness brewery fortune. Her paternal grandmother was Diana Mitford who, along with her sisters, was quite notorious during the last century. In 1987 Guinness married Spyros Niarchos, the second son of the shipping tycoon Stavros Niarchos. They had three children and divorced in 1999. Daphne, leaving behind their gilded life, decided to start fresh and resumed her maiden name. Since then she has started to build a reputation for herself outside the confines of her two last names. This reputation has been cemented on her love of fashion and her support of young designers.

Walking through the exhibition, which is very dark and sexy, clothes on mannequins made to resemble Guinness are placed behind scrims surrounded by mirrors, and was inspired by Guinness’ New York apartment, one is immediately struck by how distinct Guinness’ look is. The exhibition is spilt into six sections (Dandyism, Armor, Chic, Evening Chic, Exoticism, and Sparkle) yet all of these are blurred. Guinness’ attire can be summed up in this way: over-the-top Goth. Of her own style, Guinness says that her go to outfit is a black jacket, leather leggings worn with white blouse, accented with sparkles and lots, and lots, of diamond jewelry. And shoes. Wild, ski-high platforms. Some are missing the back heels, other with heels so sharp that they can be used as a weapon.

Even as a young girl, Guinness had her own sense of style. She loved uniforms, wishing that she could wear suits like the boys, but when Guinness was not in uniform, she shopped at London’s Kensington Market worshipping the punk rockers and hoping to dye her hair black and red. “I was in leather from head to toe whenever possible”she recalls. As a teenager she preferred black taffeta dresses (angering her headmistress when she chose to wear one to her confirmation) and Azzedine Alaïa’s skimpy leather creations. For a short period of time she studied sewing in school but got bored and dropped it. A promised internship with Madame Grès, Guinness’ grandmother was her good friend, never materialized. Her first couture dress was one of Christian Lacroix’s famous bubble skirts, in pony skin, from 1987.

Guinness famously had a close relationship with Alexander McQueen. The late designer’s clothes, including never before seen ensembles, account for a large portion of this exhibition. Isabella Blow, the style editor and a fashion icon in her own right, first told Guinness about McQueen. As the now famous story goes, Blow is credited with discovering the designer having purchased McQueen’s entire graduation collection from Central Saint Martins for £ 5,000. However Guinness and McQueen met accidentally and became fast friends. Their circle included Blow, fashion photographer David LaChapelle, jeweler Shaun Leane, and milliner Philip Treacy. Both Leane and Treacy frequently collaborated with McQueen and their work is also part of Guinness’ collection. A fabulous dress/coat with a black dragon on the back, made by McQueen while he was at Givenchy, sparked their friendship and was one of the first pieces that she purchased of his.

Other designer’s whose work the style maven admires are Gareth Pugh, Karl Lagerfeld (especially his clothes for Chanel), and Valentino. She also, has from time to time, designed her own clothes. Her own creations have masculine tailoring but are still sexy and feminine. Guinness’ take on fashion is that one must have fun with it. This is entirely evident in a cut-up lycra dress and hooded coat that Pugh designed for her. Another show stopper is a McQueen cat suit made of gold and bronze beads woven onto a nude silk net with a black feather cape. One thing is for sure, Guinness knows how to make an entrance. What drives Guinness’ fashion tastes is individuality. Guinness feels that “Fashion today is becoming more beige. By that I mean that everyone and everything is starting to look the same – almost like a Mao uniform. We should be flying the flag for individuality.”Not surprisingly she admires women who also were individuals like the Duchess of Windsor, Jean Seberg, and Jean Tierney, as well as flamboyant rockers David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix.

Women often say that they don’t dress for men but for other women. With Guinness that is only partly true, she dresses for herself, and other women. While her look can be described as sexy, it is not conventionally sexy. Valentino likes her to a “extravagant, sexy, luscious, marvelous flower…”

No matter the ensemble, sequence and lace are mandatory. It is hard to distinguish between day wear and evening wear, although Guinness claims that such distinctions do not exist in her world. One should wear what one likes. A Chanel jacket with white sequence and white feathers on the shoulders or a Valentino coat with a fur collar are both elegant and refined. Yet paired with leather pants they will be truly a Guinness original.

To call Guinness a clothes horse would simple be unfair. She is a collector of haute couture (she acquired Blow’s couture collection before it was to be auctioned off by Christie’s in 2010) comparing herself to car or stamp collectors. Her goal is to share her collection with students interested in the craft as much as she is. “What draws me to fashion is art…and certainly not fashion as a status symbol.” This love and passion she says is the reason that she agreed to this exhibition, “This exhibition is done for the benefit of those out there, students or otherwise, who share this love.”

The exhibition is set to close on January 7th. All of the installation shots are courtesy of the Museum at F.I.T

Decorative Arts Calendar: January 2012

2012-01-03T14:47:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! Let's start the year of right by allowing ourselves to be inspired by all of the beauty in this world.

See

American Design Now, January 12 -April 12, 2012, Museum of Arts and Design. Part of “The Home Front” series, MAD brings together respected voices in the field of object design to explore the theme of American design. This year's programming explores the ideas, developments, and talent moving native design forward. The series aspires to lay the groundwork for American designers to gather, respond, and construct new possibilities for the success of native design on a global stage.

Staging Fashion, 1880–1920: Jane Hading, Lily Elsie, Billie Burke, January 18 - April 8, 2012, the Bard Graduate Center. Through printed ephemera, clothing, and accessories, the exhibition and the accompanying catalogue explore the roles played by actresses as internationally known and influential fashion leaders at the turn of the twentieth century. The exhibition is curated by Michele Majer, BGC assistant professor and research associate at Cora Ginsburg LLC, in collaboration with several BGC graduate students.

Hanging Around: Neckpieces from the MAD Collection, January 24- May 12, 2012, Museum of Arts and Design. Featuring 75 works by over 70 creators from across the globe, some anonymous tribal artisans and many others celebrated art jewelers like Art Smith, Earl Pardon, Gijs Bakker and Ted Noten.

Hear

Blurring The Lines: Between Art, Architecture, and Design, January 12, 2012, 7 pm, Part of MAD’S Home Front Series. As the public becomes more aware of contemporary art, so too does it become more interested in architecture and design. As a result more and more young American designers' careers are being launched not in showrooms, but in galleries, with collectors commissioning interiors and furnishings that finally match the adventurous spirit of their art collections. This blurring of hierarchies has created a sophisticated new breed of practitioner who effortlessly navigates the worlds of art, architecture, and furniture design. The Minneapolis-based designer Matt Olson of RO/LU and the New York architect Rafael de Cárdenas will be discussing this trend together with the Rauschenberg Foundation's Executive Director Christy MacLear, and collector Adam Lindemann. The panel will be moderated by Felix Burrichter, founder and editor of PIN-UP Magazine.

Fashion Icons with Fern Mallis: Donna Karen, January 12, 8pm, 92nd Street Y. Join fashion industry leader and award-winning creator of NY Fashion Week Fern Mallis for a look at the inner workings and culture of fashion with the most prestigious and iconic fashion designers working today. This season Mallis will be interviewing Donna Karen, Tommy Hilfiger, Tom Ford, and Michael Kors.

2012 Preview

2011-12-27T16:50:00.000-05:00

This year is not yet over and I am already looking forward to the 2012 exhibition schedule. Here are the top 3 shows that I am giddy with excitement over.

"Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada: On Fashion" at the Costume Institute, NYC, Opens May 7th.

The Costume Institute has recently announced that Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada will be the focus of their Spring spectacular. According to the museum, the exhibition is "inspired by Miguel Covarrubias's "Impossible Interviews" for Vanity Fair in the 1930s. The curators Harold Koda and Andrew Bolton will originate fictive conversations between these iconic women to suggest new readings of their most innovative work." Schiaparelli was the darling of the Surrealist circle (who can forget that lobster dress or the shoe hat) and Prada is, ofcourse a fervent supporter of the arts not to mention, the favorite fashion designer of just about every art dealer in the world. Taking its cue from Umberto Eco's books On Beauty and On Ugliness, the exhibition galleries will have videos of "conversations" between Schiaparelli and Prada will follow the book's paradigm, and will be organized by topics such as On Art, On Politics, On Women, and On Creativity. The show will consist of 80 of Schiap's designs from the 1920's through the 1950's and Prada's creations from the 1980's to the present. I still can not get the "Shocking! The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli" exhibition out of my head that that Philadelphia Museum of Art staged in 2003. I imagine that this will be just as fabulous, if not even more so. Baz Luhrmann, the film director who is currently shooting The Great Gatsby, will serve as the creative consultant.

"British Design 1948-2012: Innovation in the Modern Age" at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Opens March 31st

With London hosting the 2012 Summer Olympics, the V+ A Museum has decided to take this opportunity to celebrate the best of British design. The all-encompassing show will feature 300 objects including product design, fashion and textiles, furniture, ceramics and glass, graphics, photography, architecture, fine art and sculpture, from post-WWII to contemporary times. Audience favorites should be the galleries devoted to 1960's Swinging London and 1970's Punk culture.

Louis Vuitton Marc Jacobs at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, Opens March 9th.

I am a sucker for anything that Marc Jacobs does and while I think that it would be interesting to see an exhibition solely devoted to Jacobs career and not just is Vuitton years, I will take what I can get. The museum promises that this will not be a retrospective but instead an analysis of the careers of these two men. I am not sure if there has ever been a Vuitton exhibition and so it will be interesting to get to know the man behind the famus monogram.

Susanne Klemm's Sweethearts

2011-12-22T16:49:00.000-05:00

I was recently introduced to the work of Susanne Klemm, a talented Dutch jeweler whose work is currently for sale at Moss in Soho.

For this mini selling- exhibition, Moss is presenting a series of Klemm’s Sweetheart rings from the Red Light Collection. The rings, made of agate cameo and epoxy, come in a wide range of colors and combine the romanticism of cameo jewelry with the boldness of pop art. The cameo work, created through the use of a mold and layered and engraved by an ultrasonic machine and then transferred onto epoxy, was done in a small workshop in East Germany. The rings are conversation pieces, voluptuous like a woman’s curves and bright like their personalities.

The Red Light Collection was born in 2009 when Klemm was given a temporary workspace in a former brothel in Amsterdam’s Red Light District (the bed was still in place when Klemm moved in). While this may sound a bit unusual, this was the concept behind the REDLIGHT Design Amsterdam Project and Klemm was one of the six jewelers selected by Droog Design and Gallery Ra to participate in the project. The goal was to bring a more diverse public to this notorious part of town. Each month Klemm would exhibit the work in her shop’s window in hopes of promoting contemporary jewelry. She got to know the working gals around her and also their suitors- many who were confused by Klemm’s presence

in the District.

The result is a collection of jewelry inspired by Klemm’s surroundings. Some of it is quite sexual in nature, (the aptly titled Wood rings are, you guessed it, wooden rings resembling erect penises and the Teaser rings are embellished with leather whips) but not all. The Sweetheart rings (brought on by an assignment that Klemm received to design a cameo ring) are not at all perverse but instead celebrate femininity and friendship. Klemm likes to think of the group as chatting ladies, loyal to one another and part of the same sisterhood. Undoubtedly the artist’s neighbors in the District left a positive impression on her. However, unfortunately for Klemm, the working gals preferred diamonds to plastics so she probably will not be seeing them anytime soon.

Around this time last year pieces from Klemm’s Frozen collection (inspired by frozen objects in nature) were exhibited at Gallery Loupe in Montclair, N.J., where interested parties can also purchase her work.

For more information on Klemm’s work:

http://www.susanneklemm.com/
http://galleryloupe.com/

2012: The Year of Gustav Klimt

2011-12-21T15:49:00.000-05:00

The city of Vienna has proclaimed 2012 as the year of Gustav Klimt. To honor the artist's 150th birthday every cultural institution in Vienna will be staging an exhibition of his works. Take your pick below.

Austrian Gallery in Belvedere Palace
Exhibition: “Gustav Klimt / Josef Hoffmann – Pioneers of Modernism”
25th October 2011 to 4th March 2012
This exhibition focuses on the collaboration between Gustav Klimt and Josef Hoffmann, the architect and co-founder of the Wiener Werkstätte. This partnership resulted in the Beethoven Exhibition at the Vienna Secession in 1902 and the Stoclet House in Brussels (1905-1909), works that set new standards in Europe in terms of the concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk. The exhibition also explores Hoffmann’s influence on Klimt’s paintings.
www.belvedere.at

Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts)
Exhibition: “Gustav Klimt at the Kunsthistorisches Museum”
14th February to 6th May 2012
The thirteen paintings and their preliminary sketches for Klimt’s 1890 decoration of the grand staircase of the Kunsthistorisches Museum will be on display, providing visitors with insights into the creation of these works.
www.khm.at

Wien Museum
Exhibition: “KLIMT – The Collection of the Wien Museum”
16th May to 16th September 2012
The Historical Museum of the City of Vienna will present a wealth of Klimt-related objects from its own holdings, including the painter’s Portrait of Emilie Flöge (1902), posters, publications, the artist’s painting smock, his death mask, and Egon Schiele’s drawing of the dead Gustav Klimt. The centrepiece of the exhibition, however, will be the 400 Klimt drawings, the largest collection of its kind in the world, which will be shown here for the first time in its entirety.
www.wienmuseum.at

Albertina
Exhibition: "Klimt - Drawings"
13th March to 17th June 2012For this exhibition the Albertina will display the majority of the 170 Klimt drawings from its own collection, as well as numerous items on loan. A wonderful comprehensive overview of the unique drawing talent of Gustav Klimt.
www.albertina.at

Leopold Museum
Exhibition: “Gustav Klimt – Journeys”
24th February to 11th June 2012
This exhibition will present, among other things, items from Emilie Flöge’s estate, including her correspondence with Gustav Klimt. The museum’s holdings contain major paintings by Klimt, as well as works by other Secession artists, including one of the world’s most important Egon Schiele collections.
www.leopoldmuseum.org

Austrian Theatre Museum
Exhibition: “Against Klimt – The Nuda Veritas and its Defender Hermann Bahr”
10th May to 29th October 2012
Before it came into the possession of the Austrian Theatre Museum, Gustav Klimt’s 1898 painting Nuda Veritas was owned by the writer Hermann Bahr who in his book “Against Klimt” defended the artist against hostile critics. The exhibition also examines the creative output of Bahr.
www.theatermuseum.at

Künstlerhaus
Exhibition: “Klimt and the Künstlerhaus”
6th July to 2nd September 2012
This show documents the works Gustav Klimt created in association with the Künstlerhaus, of which he was a member from 1891 to 1897.
www.k-haus.at

Volkskundemuseum - Austrian Museum of Folk Life and Folk Art
Exhibition: “Object in Focus – The Textile-Design Collection of Emilie Flöge”
24th May to 14th October 2012
For the first time the extant textile designs of Emilie Flöge, Gustav Klimt's lifelong partner, will be on display here. In turn-of-the-century Vienna she operated a fashion salon, for which she designed models’ clothing.
www.volkskundemuseum.at

Klimt Villa
Gustav Klimt’s last and only surviving studio, located in Vienna’s Hietzing neighbourhood, offers insights into the artist’s work and life environment. It will be reopening in the late summer of 2012 after extensive renovation.
www.klimt.at

Austrian Museum for Applied Arts/Contemporary Art - MAK
The museum shows the nine work drawings Gustav Klimt created between 1905 and 1909 for the Stoclet House in Brussels. The MAK also possesses the estate of the Wiener Werkstätte, with works by Josef Hoffmann, Kolo Moser, and other designers of this legendary workshop.
www.mak.at

Jewelry Dreams Courtesy of Adrian Mesko

2011-12-12T21:37:00.000-05:00

Temps de Reve by Adrian Mesko, "Bond Street Jewels" silk scarf, $275.

My mid-afternoon strolls through Soho have proven to be quite inspirational. Several weeks ago I spotted a beautiful scarf in the windows of MiN, an apothecary and boutique on Crosby Street. At first glance I thought that this was a vintage scarf, my eyes immediately focusing on the Art Nouveau dragonfly in the center, but after talking to the shopkeeper I learned that the scarf was the creation of Adrian Mesko, a young fashion photographer. Mesko has traveled the world on assignments for Vogue and Harper's Bazaar Australia (his childhood home) but, as of December 2010, he also became a designer when he launched his own line of silk scarves.

Mesko's label is called Temps de Reve, which means dream time in French. The scarves are an extension of Mesko's photography work: by superimposing his own stills onto the silk scarves he is giving his work a new life, and according to Mesko a "new sense of functionality."

The scarf that I fell in love with is called "Bond Street Jewels" and is a shot of a window display on London's New Bond Street, which is known for its upscale boutiques and jewelry stores.

It really felt like a dream to stumble on a shop window in modern-day Soho and feel transported to London circa 1900. As Adrian tells me, "it could have been a snapshot of some one's view a couple of hundred years ago, a timeless image from my dream time." Or mine.

A Hollywood Legend's Items Come to Auction (and no, its not Elizabeth Taylor).

2011-12-05T17:50:00.001-05:00

While the auction of Elizabeth Taylor's belongings at Christie's have received a lot of press over the last several months, the auction of another Hollywood legend has gone mostly unnoticed.

On Wednesday, December 7th, Doyle New York will auction-off property from the Estate of Joan Crawford (1908-1977).

The sale will feature film memorabilia, MGM Studios contracts and correspondence, publicity stills, fine art, furniture, jewelry, clothes, including fur coats and wraps, and Judith Lieber clutches amongst numerous other things. The items on sale have all come from Crawford's relatives and this is the first time that they are being offered.

The estimates for the items are very reasonable, for example, a gold, diamond, emerald and ruby brooch in the form of a miniature Pepsi bottle (in 1955 the actress married Alfred N. Steele, president of Pepsi-Cola and later its Chairman and CEO) estimated at $600-900 and her elegant 1940s gold wristwatch, which is inscribed with Crawford's name on the reverse, is estimated at $1,000-1,500. An ebony mink coat is estimated at $750-1,000 and a fabulous Deco-inspired ivory beaded top is estimated at $100-150. While this top is from the 1960's and not the 1930's, it does remind us that F. Scot Fitzgerald once wrote that, “Joan Crawford is doubtless the best example of the flapper, the girl you see in smart night clubs, gowned to the apex of sophistication, toying iced glasses with a remote, faintly bitter expression, dancing deliciously, laughing a great deal, with wide, hurt eyes. Young things with a talent for living.” In 1928, Crawford was cast as Diana Medford, a quintessential flapper, in Our Dancing Daughters which made her a star.

Reading about Crawford's career in the auction catalogue, I was surprised to learn that she got her start in silent film. The actress's first talking picture was 1929's "Untamed". Unlike many other Hollywood actors and actresses she was able to make a successful transition to the "talkies" because she took elocution lessons. This made me think of the wonderful film "The Arist", about the tragic fall of a silent film star.

A lot which will certainly bring in more than its $3,000-5,000 estimate is the Cecil B. De Mille Award that was presented to the actress, by none other than John Wayne, for outstanding contributions to the entertainment industry at the Golden Globe Awards ceremony in 1970.

Of course for a sale of this nature, estimates are irrelevant. Without a doubt Crawford's fans will pay whatever is necessary to get a piece of Hollywood's beloved stars.

LOCATION
Doyle New York
175 East 87th Street
New York, NY 10128

AUCTION
Wednesday, December 7 at 10am

EXHIBITION
Friday, December 2, 10am - 5pm
Saturday, December 3, 10am-5pm
Sunday, December 4, Noon-5pm
Monday, December 5, 10am-6pm
Tuesday, December 6, 10am-2pm

Decorative Arts Calendar: December

2011-12-04T22:52:00.001-05:00

It is hard to believe that the year is already coming to and. It has been an exciting year for the decorative arts and design with groundbreaking exhibitions (Alexander McQueen), auctions (Chateau Gourdon), and new art fairs (Pavilion of Art and Design New York). I am looking forward to see what 2012. But in the meantime we still have some exciting events happening this month…

See

"The Great Designers, Part One", The Museum at FIT, November 29, 2011 – May 8, 2012. The Museum at FIT presents “The Great Designers, Part One”, the first of two consecutive exhibitions featuring masterpieces from the museum’s permanent collection of more than 50,000 garments and accessories. From Alaïa, Balenciaga, Chanel, and Dior to Westwood, Yeohlee, and Zoran, the exhibition will feature approximately 50 garments from many of the most important designers of the 20th and 21st centuries.

“Joaquín Sorolla and the Glory of Spanish Dress”, Queen Sofía Spanish Institute, December 8, 2011–March 10, 2012. A seminal exhibition analyzing the rich history of Spain’s regional clothing styles through the monumental paintings of Valencian artist Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida(1863–1923). The exhibition will feature more than ten paintings and over thirty rare examples of men’s and women’s clothing and accessories. The exhibition was conceived by Oscar de la Renta and curated by André Leon Talley, editor of Vogue’s monthly column “Life with André.”

“American Christmas Cards, 1900–1960”, the Bard Graduate Center: Decorative Arts, Design History, Material Culture (BGC), through December 31, 2011. This is the first exhibition to study the images on American Christmas cards of the twentieth century, and it serves as an introduction to a large artifactual and aesthetic field that until now has been largely unexplored. The exhibition and accompanying book argue the central premise that examining the images on Christmas cards used in the United States from the late nineteenth century to the end of the 1950s enriches our understanding of not only the American Christmas but also significant aspects of American culture

Bid

Christie's Important 20th Century Decorative Art + Design and the Magnificent Tiffany Including Property from the Estate of Jeanne Laverne Dailey . Preview Dec 10-16, Auction: December 17, 10am (Magnificent Tiffany) & 2pm (Important 20th Century Decorative Art & Design)

Sotheby's Important 20th Century Design and Important Tiffany. Preview: Dec 10-14 Auction: Dec 15.

Phillips de Pury Design and Design Masters Viewing Dec 7-13 Auction: Dec 13 + Dec 14.

Harper's China Shop Textile: On View At MAD And For Sale Through Maharam

2011-11-18T14:43:00.001-05:00

To follow-up on last week's blog on George Nelson, I have found something else that Nelson lovers all over the world can own: the iconic China Shop textile is available for purchase through Maharam.

Although we associate China Shop with Nelson it was actually designed by Irving Harper who was working for the George Nelson Design Studio. It is one of the two prints that Harper designed in 1950 for Schiffer Prints, Pavement being the other. Ironically a lot of the furniture and objects that we identify as being Nelson's were actually done by Harper. While working for Nelson's studio, Harper designed some of the most beloved examples of mid-century design, including the Marshmallow Sofa which was manufactured by Herman Miller in 1956. Harper also designed the Sunburst Clock which was produced by Howard Miller and can now be found in every design shop known to man.

The 94-year old Harper, who is still working in his upstate New York home, told the New York Times T Magazine last year that “The bosses took all the credit after the fact... George Nelson’s approach was to give individual designers credit only in trade publications.” (Guy Trebay, Undercover Icon, The New York Times T Magazine, April 30, 2010)

When Maharam reissued China Shop as part of their Textiles of the 20th Century Series, they called upon Harper for color proofing.

Harper's China Shop as re-issued by Maharam, 2001

The original textile is also featured in the Museum of Arts and Design's current exhibition "Crafting Modernism: Mid-century Art and Design." In the exhibition catalogue, Jennifer Scanlan, co-curator of the exhibition with Jeannine Falino, writes that during the post-war period mass-produced goods referenced the hand-made, the China Shop fabric is a great example as it "featured the irregular ceramic forms popular in the period."

Harper's original China Patter, ca. 1950 from the Museum of Arts and Design exhibition, "Crafting Modernism: Midcentury American Art and Design"

Love at First Sight: George Nelson’s “Pretzel” Chair

2011-11-08T22:17:00.000-05:00

While at the opening of the New York School of Interior Design's new show, “Modern in the Past Tense: Revisiting the Landmark Exhibition “Design 1935-1965: What Modern Was”, I fell in love with a chair that I had never seen before.

I was surprised to find out that there was a chair out there that I was unfamiliar with as the running joke in my family is that, after my graduate school exams, I am the chair lady.

George Nelson's "Pretzel" chair, ca. 1952

However I had never laid eyes upon on this beauty before. So imagine my surprise when walking past the shop Artifacts 20th Century on Crosby Street, I saw a similar chair in their window! My crush happens to be the "Pretzel" chair by George Nelson (1908-1986) from 1952.

Nelson is one of the preeminent design figures of the twentieth- century. There is nothing that he could not do. Nelson was a terrific graphic designer and a supremely talented furniture designer. His (almost) forty-year relationship with Herman Miller, Inc. began in 1947 when he joined the company as its design director, is a testament to this. While at Herman Miller, Nelson was responsible for bringing on board Charles and Rae Eames, Harry Bertoia, and Isamu Noguchi. In 1955 Nelson opened his own practice, George Nelson and Associates, and hired many talented people there as well, including Irving Harper, who understood design in the same way that Nelson did, as "an internal, necessary, and ineradicable logic inherent in the fabricated, synthetic world" (Judith Nasatir, AIGA, http://www.aiga.org/medalist-georgenelson/)

Photos of George Nelson in his office with the "Pretzel" Chair courtesy of Vitra.

Nelson was incredibly eloquent and wrote about his work better than anyone else could. He was the co-managing editor of Architectural Forum (from 1935) and founded Industrial Design magazine (1953). Reading his interviews with giants of twentieth- century design like Walter Gropius, Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, Gio Ponti, and the Luckner brothers, which he conducted while living in Europe during the 1930's, and later published in Pencil Points (a magazine which eventually became known as Progressive Architecture), gives us insight into modern design and architecture that is essential to our understanding of the period.

The Pretzel Chair is made out of bent wood and was initially referred to as the Laminated Chair. I fell in love with its curved back, which gives it its name, and reminds me of great Art Nouveau furniture with sinuous lines. Bent laminated wood is used not only for the backrest and its twin supports, but also for the four legs that cross underneath the seat. Just a another bit of information, the same year that Nelson designed the “Pretzel” Chair he also published a book dedicated to chairs, simply called “Chairs”!!

My ignorance can be blamed on the fact that this chair was only available for a short time because it was not an easy chair to produce. However, in 2008, on the 100th anniversary of Nelson’s birth, Vitra placed the chair back into production in a limited Anniversary Edition of 1000 pieces. Nelson’s entire archive is now part of the Vitra Design Museum.

Photo courtesy of Vitra

The exhibition at the NYSID, “Modern in the Past Tense: Revisiting the Landmark Exhibition 'Design 1935-1965: What Modern Was'", presents some key pieces of furniture, borrowed from private collectors, to give us a sense of what was on view in the original exhibition. The show is on view through January 12, 2012. Visit their website for more information. http://www.nysid.edu/page.aspx?pid=717

The installation at NYSID

Nelson's "Pretzel" chair at NYSID

The chair that I mentioned that is similar to Nelson's was designed by Norman Cherner and is available through Artifacts 20th Century for $1,200. http://artifacts20thcentury.com/

Cherner's "Pretzel" Chair at Artifacts 20th Century

Decorative Arts Calendar: November

2011-11-01T11:59:00.000-04:00

November will give us an opportunity to catch our breath after all the show openings in October and prepare us for the mad rush of the auction season in December.

See

“International Art Jewelry, 1895-1925”, The Forbes Galleries, 62 Fifth Avenue, October 29, 2011 - March 17, 2012. The goal of this exhibition is to show both the enormous range of pieces made during this period as well as the relationship between the various art jewelry/design reform movements in many countries in the early 20th century. I had a glimpse at some of the objects that will be on display and all I can say is that it will be breathtaking. Curated by Elyse Zorn Karlin, who also curated the "Jewelers of the Hudson Valley" show at Forbes Galleries last spring.

Hear

Fashion Icons Symposium, Fashion Institute of Technology, Morris W. and Fannie B. Haft Auditorium, Marvin Feldman Center, 27th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. General public: $100 for both days. Thursday, November 3 and Friday, November 4, 2011, 9:30 am-5:00 pm. Registration is required for this event. A symposium on fashion icons and insiders – fantastic, real, past, and present – from vampire dandies to Marie Antoinette to Daphne Guinness. Held in conjunction with the exhibition Daphne Guinness, on view at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (MFIT) through January 7, 2012.

Simon Doonan ~ Being An Icon, Fashion Institute of Technology, Katie Murphy Amphitheatre, Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center, first floor, Tuesday, November 8, 6pm. Everyone loves Doonan! This not-to-be missed talk by the Creative Ambassador-at-Large for Barneys New York and CFDA Award-winning window designer is both a Fashion Culture event and an extension of the Fashion Icons and Insiders Symposium.

DEPESHA: Breaking the Stereotypes ~ Stephan Rabimov, Fashion Institute of Technology, Katie Murphy Amphitheatre, Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center, first floor, Thursday, November 10, 6pm. Meet Stephan R. Rabimov, publisher and editor in chief of DEPESHA, a contemporary Russian expatriate culture magazine at the intersection of fashion, art, literature, and modernity. Rabimov will discuss the challenges and rewards of the magazine publishing industry, from print to online and iPad to Android. This event is part of Diversity Expo Week and has received a Stamp of Support from the Diversity Council at the Fashion Institute of Technology. For more information, go to fitnyc.edu/diversity.

Theyskens/Identity ~ Olivier Theyskens, Fashion Institute of Technology, Katie Murphy Amphitheatre, Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center, first floor, Tuesday, November 15, 6pm - SOLD OUT but there may be space day of the event. Meet Belgian designer Olivier Theyskens, whose daring vision has made him one of the most acclaimed designers of his generation. He will draw from personal experience to examine the various themes that define image and creative identity. Formerly at Rochas and Nina Ricci, Theyskens is now artistic director at Theory, and in 2006 was named Best International Designer by the CFDA.

Shop

Pavilion of Art and Design NY, Park Avenue Armory at 68th Street, November 11- 14, 11-8 daily, Building on the heritage of PAD Paris and PAD London, this inaugural fair coincides with New York’s fall cultural season of Impressionist, Modern, Contemporary Art and Design auctions to bring together a selection of 49 international galleries to the Park Avenue Armory. PAD New York will bring together exceptional works of Modern Art, Design, Decorative Arts, Photography, Jewelry and Tribal Art from the 1890s to today. The fair will provide a unique opportunity to see and buy works by blue-chip artists and historic and established designers vetted by a panel of experts allowing you to buy in confidence.

Treasures Worthy of a Park Avenue Address

2011-10-23T23:42:00.000-04:00

The Park Avenue Armory is the perfect venue for the renowned International Fine Art and Antiques Dealer Show, going on now through Thursday,October 27, 2011. After walking down tony Park Avenue, a street that some ofthe city’s wealthiest residents call home, one wants to be surrounded by beautifuland expensive art and antiques, the type that are probably hanging in theapartments along the Avenue. Thereforeit is a treat to spend a few hours roaming the Armory where the world’s bestdealers have gathered to exhibit museum quality paintings, works on paper, jewelry,and decorative objects. Even if you are not in the market for anything new, itis fun to just pretend.

The first item that caught my attention was an Art NouveauRene Lalique pendant (1900) at Hancocks. The subject is a medieval-style femalefigure carved in high-relief out of ivory, peeking through a gold framesurrounded by glass grapes and enameled leaves and branches. The workmanship isso precise that it can have only been done by this French master glass artistand jeweler. Even the back of the pendant is a work of art: the gold isdelicately engraved to resemble the backs of leaves. A nice touch is the dustypurple tones of the grapes- just the way you would find them on a vine.

Primavera Gallery, which specializes in 20^thcentury decorative arts, outdid itself this year by bringing to the show notone, not two, but three fabulous works on paper by Jean Dupas. While all threeare divine, my absolute favorite is the “Etude pour Les Pigeons Blanc” (Studyfor the White Pigeons), 1920. This study depicts the central subjects of thepainting who have been clearly inspired by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres’s masterpiece“The Turkish Bath” (1862). According to Audrey Friedman, co-owner of PrimaveraGallery, the octagonal shape of the study references the “tondo” of theRenaissance. Measuring 11.75” in height and 11.25” inwidth, this is a real gem. One may recall that to last year’s Armory show the gallery broughtanother study, “La Danse” (1920), for the same painting. These studies arevital because “Les Pigeons Blanc” has been lost and these studies are the only remnantsof that seminal work which was awarded a gold medal at the Salon des Artistes Francais in 1922.

An exceptional cubist desk (1930) by French furnituredesigner Léon Jallot at Gallery Lefebvre is an example of a piece of furniture thatwas clearly inspired by Art Deco yet already beginning to embrace Modernism. The desk is Chinese lacquered solid oak with ashagreen mosaic desk top, which opens on either side for additional storagespace, and ivory drawer pulls. The feet of the desk are clad in silver-tonedbronze. This unique desk was exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Decorateur in 1930 and also appeared in Mobilier et Decoration in June of thesame year.

The three sets of Accordion Doors at Bernd Goeckler Antiquesremind one of the works of the great Art Deco lacquer artist Jean Dunand. Thisis an astute observation as the doors were actually done by his son, Pierre.Commissioned in the 1950’s by Jules Leleu, the French furniture designer anddecorator, for a project in Rio de Janeiro, these doors standing at 9’ tall aregrand enough for any Park Avenue apartment. The young Dunand served as anapprentice in his father’s workshop and took over the family business whenDunand passed away in 1942. The exotic motifs on the front and the back of thedoors were clearly inspired by Dunand Sr., especially the door titled “Seabed”with gold fish against a dark brown background.

Eames on Film

2011-10-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

This Friday, as part of the Architecture and Design Film Festival, Jason Cohn and Bill Jersey presented their new film, "Eames: The Architect and the Painter" about the legendary husband and wife design team. I am really curious to see what this new film will reveal about the Eames duo but not too long ago I discovered that the Eames made films themselves.

The films of Charles and Ray Eames have been described as the “Eames essays” in that they were an integral part of their career, just like their designs for furniture and their industrial design and architecture projects. Charles and Ray used film as another medium through which to express their ideas. Over the course of thirty-two years, from 1950-1983, they shot approximately 100 short films.

These films deal with a wide range of topics, from toy trains to the solar system, to computers, and of course, their own design and architecture projects. They reveal to us not only what their design process was like but also what inspired them, which will be of interest to anyone who is an enthusiast of mid-century American design. Some of their most iconic works are featured in the films including the fiberglass chairs, the famous lounge chair and their own Case Study House. One of the films, “Design Q+A”, is an interview with the designers.

These films were not only a vital part of the oeuvre of these two iconic designers but they are also works of art in and of themselves (the music for many of the films was composed by Academy-Award winning composer Elmer Bernstein) and should be appreciated as such. In 1960 the couple even won an Emmy award for their film “The Fabulous Fifties”. Another little known fact is that Charles Eames interest in film went beyond his own documentaries and shorts, he worked on Billy Wider’s film “The Spirit of Saint Louis” in 1957.

A selection of these films have been released on DVD over the past several years.

Eames: The Architect and the Painter

October 21, 8pm, Tribeca Cinemas, a Q+A with the Directors will follow film.
Directors: Jason Cohn and Bill Jersey. For more info: http://adfilmfest.com/viewbytitle.html

Prior to the film there will be a panel discussion.
Friday, Oct 21, 6:00 -7:00
"Architects & Filmmakers as Storytellers"
Panelists: Eames Demetrios (the couple's grandson), Marc Kushner, and Oren Safdie

"The Architect and the Painter is the first film about Charles and Ray Eames since their deaths and the only film to peer inside their collaboration, their marriage and the "Renaissance studio" they created in a gritty warehouse in Venice, CA. Narrated by James Franco, the film draws from a trove of archival material, primarily the stunning films and photographs produced in mind-boggling volume by Charles, Ray, and their staff during the hyper-creative forty years of the Eames Office. Family members and design historians help guide the story, but it is in interviews with the junior designers swept into the "24-7" world of "The Eamery", that a fascinatingly complex picture of this husband and wife creative team really emerges."

Five Questions for Elizabeth Kirrane, curator of "Flora and Fauna: MAD About Nature" on view at the Museum of Arts and Design.

2011-10-18T23:43:00.003-04:00

Beginning of the Flora and Fauna exhibition with a Pedro Friedeberg "Butterfly" chair and Tim Harding's "Garden: Field of Flowers" kimono.

I finally had the opportunity to see Flora and Fauna: MAD About Nature at the Museum of Arts and Design (on view through November 7th) and left the show mesmerized by everything that I saw. The work on display is beautiful, poetic and incredibly diverse. In my opinion the exhibition features several incredible pieces ( in particular Beth Katleman's "Folly" and Jennifer Trasks' "Intrinsecus") which have made me appreciate contemporary design more than I ever had in the past. Both Katleman's and Trask's work is stunning, complex, and testament to the highest level of craftsmanship. Elizabeth Kirrane, the show's curator tells us what a difficult process it was selecting objects for the exhibition.

Five Questions for ElizabethKirrane, curator of Flora and Fauna: MADAbout Nature.

1. MotherNature has been inspiring artists for centuries and what is wonderful aboutyour show is that you were able to show how artists working in all differentmedia were able to express their fascination with nature in such different andfresh ways. Looking at the 126 items on view, was there any one piece that youwere really struck by?

I could never narrow it down to onework! I love Beth Katleman’s “Folly,”it is such a show-stopper as you round the corner. I am also moved by Shen Shaomin’s “Experimental Field No. 3-Poppy Flower”; Jennifer Trask’s “Intrinsecus”; Christopher Wade Adams’ “WallConstruction”; and finally, Frank Fleming’s “Screamer Goat”. I am terrified of snakes and his pieceis a favorite but at the same time the most difficult piece for me to look atin the show!


Christopher Wade Adams, "Wall Construction", 2008, Glazed earthenware

2. Iwas expecting Flora and Fauna to be acontemporary design show and therefore I was surprised to see that some of theobjects were actually from the late 19^th century (ie. RockwoodPitcher). One thing that I noticed was that some of the contemporary pieces,like Beth Katleman’s “Folly” and Donna Sharett’s “There are times when I neededone good loving friend: the 35^th Memento”, were inspired by 18^thcentury art. Katleman’s references French 18^th century toile de jouy while Shanett’s prefers 18^thcentury momento mori jewelry. Why doyou think so many contemporary designers today still look to the past forinspiration?

I think it is easy to be inspired by 18^thcentury art since it is all around us. Thankfully, through trusts and other organizations our past is still onview today and is teaching us about the way our ancestors lived, what theythought and believed in. I havealso believed that to be a good artist, designer, decorator, etc. you need toknow the past, your history. Agood education in material culture relating to the past can do wonders for anartist’s inspiration.

Beth Katleman, "Folly", 2010, porcelain and wire.


A second shot so that you can see how three-dimensional the piece is.

3. Howdid you go about selecting pieces to be featured in the show? I imagine it wasa difficult selection process as I am sure every designer/artist has beeninspired by nature at some point in their careers.

Yes, it was a difficult selection process. Sincethis exhibition was taken mainly from MAD’s collection, I looked through ourdatabase a few dozen times (we have over 2500 objects in our collection) andalways stumbled on something new. Even today, I have come upon objects I wished I had included. Some of my choices were very literal-in that nature screamed from the work and others took a little research to seetheir inspiration. That was thepart I loved! While I couldn’tresearch every artist in the show- I think we have nearly 125 artistsrepresented- I learned so much. In addition to my research, this summer MAD’shigh school summer internship program called Artslife, where each student selectedan object from the show and researched the artist and object and then presentedthem as an audio guide you can access via your cell phone or Ipod. It was fantastic!


An installation shot featuring a range of objects from the show, including the Rockwood pitcher at left.

4. Thereare many bold pieces in this exhibition, especially the ones that incorporatefounds objects, like Jennifer Trask’s “Intrinsecus” and David Freda’s “VegabondButterfly Fish”, were you surprised by the materials that the artists used?

Not at all! In 2010, I worked on a show called Dead or Alive (where Trask made “Intrinsecus” for theexhibition and later MAD purchased for the collection). In that exhibition, I saw a mixture ofmaterials used by artists, including mouse skeletons, horse hair, bone,insects, kelp, eggshells, and bird feathers to name a few. It was a wild show! So, when I see thematerials used by Trask or Freda or even Fran Reed’s “Pike Pod” I am excited tosee how they are able to make an object so beautiful from something so ordinaryor gross!

On the right is Jennifer Trask's "Intrinsecus", 2010, Wood, bone, antler, silver and gold leaf

5. I noticed that some of the objects,although inspired by nature, were also inspired by the artist’s cultures,especially Pedro Friedeberg’s “Butterfly Chair” and Sanae Hattori’s “RomanesqueCherry Blossoms”, did you find that the Mexican and Japanese cultures, embracethese themes more than other cultures?

I found this especially true in the Japaneseand other Asian cultures. So muchof their work incorporates the themes of their culture. Chinese artist, Shen Shaomin’s worklooks at the poppy flower; Japanese artist, Hiroki Takada made lamps in theshape of orchid; and Japanese artist Kyohei Fujita works with plumblossoms.

Sanae Hattori, "Romanesque Cherry Blossoms", 1992, Silk, velvet and hand-appliqued embroidery

The show is on view through November 7th. Visit the museum's website for more information.

Unconventional LOOT

2011-10-12T17:49:00.001-04:00

Eleanor Bolton makes her wild necklaces by coiling and hand stitching cotton rope.

Last night I attended the opening of "Loot: MAD About Jewelry", the exhibition and sale of contemporary jewelry at the Museum of Arts and Design in NYC. While I did not actually purchase anything, I was certainly impressed by what I saw. I think that the importance of a show like this stems from collectors being able to form a bond with the artist whose jewelery they purchase. Jewelry is not an accessory like a scarf or a hat, it so much more personal than that and so it is wonderful when you can discuss the piece with its designer/maker and learn about all of its intricacies. Knowing these things makes you love the brooch, ring, necklace, etc. so much more. Here are some of the pieces that caught my eye. Interested buyers can visit the show through October 14th from 11 am to 9 pm.

Felt Collar Necklace by Danielle Gori-Montanelli. The artist prefers to work with felt because she likes the material's vivid colors.

A "jewel" inspired by vinatge miniature objects by
Iris Nieuwenberg

A brooch by Jina Lee, a recent Pratt Institute graduate. This piece was part of her "Sea Creatures" jewelry thesis which was influenced by beautiful and mysetrious aquatic forms.

A necklace made from colored pencils by Margherita Marchoni. The artist made her first necklace at age seven out of electric wire.

Necklace by Rebecca Myers. Myers wants her work to inspire the sense of awe that she feels when her garden starts to come alive, a sentiment that can only come from someone who is an avid gardener.

Crafting Modernism at MAD

2011-10-10T14:44:00.000-04:00

The highly anticipated exhibition "Crafting Modernism: Mid-century American Art and Design" finally opens this week (October 12th) at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. The show will examine the development of crafts in America following War World II all the way through its heydays in the 1960's. This is not a biased show by any means, objects made from all media will be presented to give the viewer an absolute overview of what was being created out of wood, clay, glass, metal, fiber and other materials.

Based on what I have seen in the show's catalogue and website, one can expect to see the best from furniture makers like Paul Evans and Wendell Castle, jewelery by Merry Renk and Margaret de Patta, ceramics by Gertrud Natzler, metal objects by John Prip, and textiles by Jack Lenor Larsen and Sheila Hicks, just to throw a few of the big names out at you.

Full disclosure: I am a big fan of the show's curator Jeannine Falino. Hailing from New England, Falino is a leading specialist on American decorative arts and contemporary crafts. I met her several years ago when she visited a gallery that I worked for to look at our fabulous Paul Evans Sculpted Steel Console. While the console did not make it into the show, Jeannine and I have been friends ever since.

This exhibition is a major contribution to the study of crafts in America and the catalogue is a must-have for anyone interested in the subject. It is now available for sale through the museum's website. I feel very privileged that Jeannine asked me to contribute to the catalogue.

For anyone who is unable to make the trip to New York to see the show, I highly recommend checking out the show's blog for a behind the scenes look at the exhibition. You can visit the blog here.

Finally, the museum is organizing several interesting events in conjunction with the show.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Conceptualizing Crafting Modernism

Crafting Modernism: Gallery Tour
6:30 pm
Explore the newly opened exhibition with Curator Jeannine Falino, Associate Curator Jennifer Scanlan, and artists as your guides providing insight into the creative and studio processes that utilized the rich interplay of art and design in craft media and its development within a changing American culture.

Directly after the Gallery Tour join the curator and artists in the MAD Theater for:

LECTURE: Legendary Artists in Crafting Modernism
7:30 pm
Join us for an informal conversation with artists whose works are included in Crafting Modernism. Hear about the odyssey each took to become a master of their medium during the heady, early days of the studio craft movement.

Saturday, November 12, 2011 - 3:00 pm

The Return of Modernism

Free with Museum Admission; The Theater at MAD

During the mid-twentieth century, American Modernism, as practiced by such fabled designers as Russel Wright, Eero Saarinen, and Charles and Ray Eames, became emblematic of a hopeful new humanistic, but industrial society. By the end of the century, however, its glow—and that idealistic vision of the future--had faded. Some 60 years later, midcentury Modernism is enjoying a second life. Which raises the question, Why now? Five experts, including participants in the original design revolution and others who are involved in its revival, will take a look back–and forward–to offer answers to this provocative question. Panelists include Vladimir Kagan, Jack Lenor Larsen, Evan Snyderman of R Gallery, a gallery specializing in mid-century design, and Anna Hoffman, design history columnist for Apartment Therapy.

Moderated by Judith Gura, Professor of Design History at the New York School of Interior Design.

Thursday, December 1, 2011 - 7:00 pm
This Modern Life: Craft in the Midcentury Interior

Free with pay-what-you-wish admission, 6th floor - public programs room, MAD

The handmade object became an important element in the midcentury interior, from pottery that served as accent pieces, to natural wood furniture of designers like George Nakashima, to completely artist-crafted interiors. Crafting Modernism Curators Jeannine Falino and Jennifer Scanlan will lead a tour of the exhibition, followed by a short presentation of the ways in which craft entered the home in the postwar period, adding a human touch to rooms filled with industrially produced furniture.

Decorative Arts Calendar: October

2011-10-08T14:40:00.005-04:00

I am really looking forward to all of the museum/gallery/ fair openings within the next few weeks. There is lots to see for design lovers this month with great exhibitions focusing on decorative arts and design opening not just on both coasts but also abroad. I also really like that museum’s are no longer just focusing on the exhibition but carefully plan extracurricular events surrounding the show. Sometimes it is better than the main event.

See

Crafting Modernism: Midcentury American Art and Design, Museum of Arts and Design, October 12-January 15, 2012. The show explores the rich interplay of art and design in all craft media that exploded across the United States during the postwar era. The exhibition and catalogue focus on the protagonists of this period, its rapid growth and development within a changing American culture, and its international context. Crafting Modernism covers a 25-year period that begins with the craftsman-designers of the 1940s and 1950s, and concludes in 1969 with innovative works that upended traditional concepts of craft, and included humor, psychological content, and social commentary in provocative and unique works of art. Visit www.madmuseum.org

Cecil Beaton: The New York Years, Museum of the City of New York, Oct 25- Feb 20, 2012. From the 1920s through the ‘60s, Manhattan’s artistic and social circles embraced British-born photographer and designer Cecil Beaton (1904-80). Cecil Beaton: The New York Years brings together extraordinary photographs, drawings, and costumes by Beaton to chronicle his impact on the city’s cultural life. Beaton’s relentless energy and curiosity spurred him to pursue new fields, from fashion and portrait photography to costume and scenic design for Broadway, ballet, and opera, and to put his own aesthetic stamp on each of these endeavors. Visit www.mcny.org

Pacific Standard Time, Various Locations, Opening October 2011. Pacific Standard Time is an unprecedented collaboration of cultural institutions across Southern California coming together to celebrate the birth of the L.A. art scene. Over 60 cultural institutions will make their contributions to this region-wide initiative encompassing every major L.A. art movement from 1945 to 1980. Celebrate the era that continues to inspire the world. 12 exhibitions will be dealing with design. I will post separately a run-down of these shows. For more information visit: http://www.pacificstandardtime.org/

Modern in the Past Tense: Revisiting the Landmark Exhibition “Design 1935-1965:
What Modern Was” at Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts, NYSID, 170 East 70th Street, NYC, October 26- January 12, 2012. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the landmark exhibition and publication, Design 1935-1965: What Modern Was, NYSID will pay homage to an event that became a touchstone of modern design, and a catalog that is widely regarded as the bible for understanding mid-century design. It was the first scholarly assessment of an area of design that has subsequently become a popular market and collecting favorite. What Modern Was, formed entirely from works in the Stewart Collection in Montreal, was the result of four years of research by a team of sixteen scholars under the direction of Martin Eidelberg, currently Professor Emeritus of Art History at Rutgers University. The startling revelation of the exhibition and book was that the so-called Modern period was over. As Eidelberg’s catalogue essay described it, one could speak of “Modern in the past tense.” Furthermore, the Modern period was seen as being composed of multiple Modern styles—International Style Modernism, Biomorphic and Streamlined Modernism, Postwar Modernism, and Postmodernism, and these subdivisions provided the themes of the exhibition. In the NYSID exhibition, giant screens will show continuous projections of images from the What Modern Was exhibition as well as photographs of interiors and iconic architectural landmarks of the period. The exhibition will also feature a selection of furniture borrowed from private collectors to echo what was shown in the original exhibition and a timeline that will put the mid-century objects in context of the history, culture, entertainment, and fashion of the period.

WRAPPED: Featuring works by Adnet, Quinet, Leleu & Royere. Maison Gerard Gallery, 43 East 10th Street, NYC, Open now. Since it opened in 1974, Maison Gerard, named after its owner the dashing Gerardus Widdershoven, has been a premier source for the best French Art Deco furniture and decorative objects this side of the Atlantic. Widdershoven and his partner Benoist Drut have published extensively on Jules Leleu but now comes a new show on French master’s of the 1930’s Jacques Adnet, Jacques Quinet, Jean Royere, and of course their favorite, Jules Leleu.

Design with the Other 90%: CITIES, United Nations Visitors Lobby, Main Gallery , First Avenue between 45th and 46th Streets, October 15, 2011–January 9, 2012, Admission is free. Learn more at cooperhewitt.org/exhibitions. Cooper-Hewitt’s groundbreaking 2007 exhibition Design for the Other 90% explored design that focused on solutions that address the 90% of the world’s population not traditionally served by the professional design community. Design with the Other 90%: CITIES, the second exhibition in the ongoing series, examines the complex issues arising from unprecedented urban growth in informal settlements and slums and presents a range of design solutions in emerging and developing economies of the Global South.

That’s So Ebendorf: Pieces Past and Present. Gallery Loupe for Contemporary Art Jewelry, 50 Church Street, Montclair, NJ. October 11- November 6, 2011. Robert Ebendorf began recycling the ordinary things that society discards long before “re-purposing” became a fashionable buzzword. His jewelry charms and delights the eye and the mind without the need for the use of precious materials. For more information visit: http://www.galleryloupe.com

Shop

LOOT 2011: MAD about Jewelry, Museum of Arts and Design, October 11- 14, 2011. A juried selling exhibition of contemporary studio art jewelry now, in its 11th edition, LOOT has earned the reputation of being the ultimate pop-up shop for this one-of-a-kind jewelry among artists and collectors alike, mostly because it affords the public the rare opportunity to acquire pieces directly from the artists. This year there will be an international array of 45 on hand, both emerging and acclaimed. Prices for their works range from $200 to $18,000, with $1000 the average. Proceeds benefit the Museum's exhibition and education programs. For information on the participating artists visit http://madforjewelry.tumblr.com/

The International Fine Art + Antique Dealers Show, The Park Avenue Armory, Park Avenue at 67th Street, NYC, October 21 – 27, 2011. Established in 1989 The International Fine Art & Antique Dealers Show is recognized the world over as a premier showcase for exceptional quality works of art from antiquity to the present day. Featuring some of the world's top dealers, The International Fine Art & Antique Dealers Show consistently attracts large crowds to enjoy and buy from a superb variety of items, including sculpture, bronzes, furniture, carpets and textiles, jewellery, pictures, ceramics and glass. All works are for sale under the strictest vetting conditions. For more information visit their site: The International Fine Art & Antique Dealers Show

Pavilion Art + Design London, 12-16 October 2011, Berkeley Square, London. PAD London, as it is known, boasts 57 prestigious exhibitors, coming together from Europe, Asia and North America, to convert Berkeley Square into an elegant and diverse emporium of the most covetable works of art within the genres of Modern Art, Design, Decorative Arts, Photography and Tribal Art from 1860 to today. For more information visit http://www.padlondon.net/

Hear

Avedon Behind the Scenes 1964-1980 ~ Gideon Lewin, F.I.T., Katie Murphy Amphitheatre, Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center, first floor, Wednesday, October 19, 6pm,
Meet Gideon Lewin, Richard Avedon’s assistant and “right hand man” from 1964 to 1980. Lewin will unveil his new book, Avedon Behind the Scenes 1964-1980, featuring previously unpublished photographs and surprising, exotic details about the fashion and art worlds of the 1960s and 70s. He will also discuss solarization, the process he used on Avedon’s iconic portraits of the Beatles that were published in Look magazine in 1966.

Alexander McQueen ~ Andrew Bolton, F.I.T., Katie Murphy Amphitheatre, Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center, first floor, Tuesday, October 25, 6pm
Join Andrew Bolton, curator of The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, as he discusses his groundbreaking exhibition, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, which celebrated the late Alexander McQueen’s extraordinary contributions to fashion. McQueen challenged how fashion is understood, and he expanded fashion, taking it beyond utility to a conceptual expression of culture, politics, and identity. A signing of Bolton’s companion book to the exhibition follows the lecture.

The "Lady's Eye": More than Walls and Beyond the Fringe, MCNY, October 11, Tuesday, 6:30 PM. Between the two world wars, at the same time that pioneering female interior designers like Dorothy Draper and Elsie DeWolfe were making a name for themselves using a modernist aesthetic, another group of women active in design and preservation were promoting the Colonial Revival style as a hallmark of profession. Discover the influence of women like Bertha Benkard and Nancy McClelland, in a discussion with Pauline Metcalf, author of "Syrie Maugham" (Acanthus Press, 2010) and Sarah D. Coffin, Curator and Head of the Product Design and Decorative Arts Department at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, as they explore the roles that women played in making the Colonial Revival and that the Colonial Revival played in creating the field of interior design.

Eleanor Roosevelt's Val-Kill, MCNY, Wednesday, October 26 at 6:30 pm. In 1926, then soon-to-be First Lady of New York State—and, eventually, the nation—Eleanor Roosevelt founded Val-Kill Industries, dedicated to crafting replicas of early American furniture, pewter, and weavings, as a way to provide jobs and training to local men and women. Val-Kill's reproductions were carried by leading department stores and specialty shops in various American cities and were the subject of a 1927 exhibition and sale in Mrs. Roosevelt's East Side townhouse. Maurine H. Beasley, professor and author of Eleanor Roosevelt: Transformative First Lady (University Press of Kansas, 2010), takes a closer look at the story of Eleanor Roosevelt's Val-Kill and its cultural relevance then and now. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition The American Style: Colonial Revival and the Modern Metropolis. Co-sponsored by the Roosevelt Institute.

** I will post events surrounding Crafting Modernism separately.

Film

Architecture and Design Film Festival, October 19–23, Tribeca Cinemas, 54 Varick Street, NYC
See a dynamic selection of feature length films, documentaries and shorts—plus lively discussions with filmmakers, architects, and designers. For details and to purchase tickets visit adfilmfest.com.

Celebrate:

NATIONAL DESIGN WEEK October 15–23, Saturday–Sunday
Launched in 2006, National Design Week is held each year in conjunction with the National Design Awards program. Cooper-Hewitt hosts a series of free public programs based on the vision and work of the National Design Awards honorees. National Design Week culminates with the National Design Awards gala ceremony. All events are free and open to the public. For more information and to register visit cooperhewitt.org/calendar or contact the Education Department at 212.849.8353 or cheducation@si.edu.

Target Design Kids: Kid Made Modern Workshops October 15, Saturday | 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 2:00 p.m., Cooper- Hewitt, 2 East 91st Street

Teen Design Fair | October 18, Tuesday | 4:00–6:00 p.m. The Altman Building | 135 West 18th Street

National Design Awards Winners’ Panel | October 18, Tuesday | 7:00–8:30 p.m. The Altman Building | 135 West 18th Street

L’ Age d’Or du Rail

2011-09-26T21:48:00.001-04:00

Iwas really excited when I found out that Christie’s in Paris will be holding alarge sale of items dealing with the Orient-Express. As you know, I have a softspot for the train and have written about my private tour of the train here andits history in the spring 2011 issue of Modern magazine.

Nowit is possible to own a piece of this incredible train which has such afascinating and rich history (not many know that on November 11, 1918 MarshallFoch received Germany’s surrender while sitting in one of the Orient Expresscars and in June 22, 1940, Hitler pulled the same train out of the museum to receiveFrance’s surrender)!

OnSeptember 27^th 269 lot will make up the sale called “L'âge d'ordu rail - Souvenirs de la Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-lits". Agood portion of the sale consists of posters commemorating the various voyagesand cars of the Orient Express by such giants such as Cassandre, GuyGeorget, and Joseph Daviel de la Neziere, whose poster "Simplon-Orient-Express,Alep" (1927) is illustrated in my article and part of this sale. Afavorite of mine is Cassandra's 1929 poster for L'Oiseau Bleu (lot 117 (€2,500– €3,500) is a beauty and a tribute to the Ibis, a kitchen car decoratedwith marquetry medallions of Greek dancing girls. Its blue interior inspired Serge Diaghilev tocommission the ballet Le Train Bleu.

Someof the best craftsmen of the 1920’s worked on the interiors of the train whichcan now be part of any interior. The sale features an important collection of architecturalfittings from the train such as original Morison African mahogany marquetrypanels, sold in singles or a set of seven (lot 166, €8,000 - €12,000), as wellas René Prou’s doors and toilets from his Luxemodel cabins (lot 214 and 215, €1,500-€2,500 and €7,000-€10,000). Most impressiveis an entire Prou single compartment made of African and Cuban mahoganywith a decorative floral inlay (lots 211 €12,000-€18,000). Prou wasresponsible for the design of four-hundred train compartments for the CompagnieWagons-Lits from 1926-1929. The ones being offered by Christie’s are from 1929. Thecompartments included a seating area with a divan with crème colored upholsterydecorated with geometric patterns, considered very chic for the period, and asleeping area with a pull down bed bunk and a mahogany night table. They also had a personal washbasin in thecorner of cabin which was hidden behind bowed lacquered doors. Some sleepingcars had extra large lavatories with a large sink and a marble counter-top.

The otherartists that left a large imprint on the design of the train was René Lalique.The glass artisan’s molded glass panels, Figurines et Raisins, from the Cote d’AzurPullman Express (lot 143, €40,000-€60,000) – are identicalto the ones in the collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Art. These moldedclear-glass panels of “Bacchanalian maidens”, or nude neo-classical figuresholding grapes, with smaller molded glass panels of grapes and vines, were setinto mahogany.

The sale also includes furniture, silver-plated dinner anddessert services, and models of the trains and compartments.

The cover of the lavishly illustrated catalogue features aclose-up shot of the blue train with the affronted lions brass crest- becauseeven if one has never seen the exterior of this famous train, we can allrecognize its famous medallion.

It would be interesting to find out who is selling all of these itemsand who will be buying them. Will the current owners of the VeniceSimplon- Orient-Express purchase cabins and add some additional trains or will museumsaround the world try to capture a piece of history for themselves? Or perhaps itwill be people who want a little piece of Orient-Express’s mystery and romancefor their own homes? Whatever the case may be- these are souvenirs worth buying.

For more information on the sale visit Christies.com

Cecil Beaton Pop-Ups at the NYDC

2011-09-18T20:13:00.001-04:00

At last pop-up phenomenon has been embraced by the museum world. The Museum of the City of New York has partnered up with the New York Design Center for "Cecil Beaton and the 1930's" a pop-up exhibit (on through October 15th) which is leading the way for the highly-anticipated show "Cecil Beaton: The New York Years" which will open at the MCNY on October 25th. The pop-up features fancy couture creations by Chanel, Schiaparelli, and Mainbocher all from the museum's collection as well some wonderful furniture from the NYDC's 1stdibs galleries and, of course, outstanding Beaton photos. For more info on the pop-up see my article in last Thursday's Currents section of The New York Times.

Dress Your Head!

2011-09-18T19:14:00.002-04:00

"Dress Your Head" that was the request made by the Bard Graduate Center Gala Committee who were planning a delightful evening for Stephen Jones, the British-born milliner, who has curated a fabulous exhibition for them. The exhibition, "Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones" (on view September 15, 2011- April 15, 2012) is a collaboration between Jones and the Victoria + Albert Museum in London. This is the show's first stop in the US but when it opened in London, some 100,000 visitors came to see it! "Hats" is a fascinating view at the evolution of hats, one of my favorite accessories,

While I am no Patrick McMullan (who did snap a photo of my friend Deirdre and I at the Gala) nor am I Bill Cunningham (who was there capturing all of the juicy bits of the evening), I did manage to take some shots too. I could not resist! As you will see, New Yorkers are very obedient. Here are some of the most memorable hats of the night.

Deirdre Pontbriand wearing a lampshade-hat of her own design

Michelle Harper

Blu Kokin

Christian Dior Haute Couture Hat by Stephen Jones, "Olga Sherer inspiree par Gruau", Autumn/Winter 2007-2008

Dr. Michelle Clough

Mary Anna Smith, the milliner behind The Tipsy Topper

Stephen Jones

A party-goer wearing one of Jones's famous shoe hats

Another lovely Victorian-inspired hat

Earl Martin

Su Hilty and her New York City hat

Lisa Carey

Anne Koch

Susanne Bartsch

Patrick McDonald

Bella Neyman

Surrealist-inspired shoe hats, including the one that Dali created for Elsa Schiaparelli in 1937

Kirsten Woodward, Sex on the Brain, 1996, courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Decorative Arts Calendar: September

2011-09-07T22:03:00.001-04:00

As much as I love summer andloathe the approaching cold weather, I am excited about the start of fall. Likegoing back to school, when I was a student, it gives me something to lookforward to. I am giddy with excitement about all of the exhibitions openingthis fall. Over the last few months the only exhibition on everyone’s lips was Savage Beauty. While the AlexanderMcQueen show deserves all of the credit it has received, I am ready to focus myattention on something else. You will, however, notice that most of theexhibitions deal with fashion, not surprising as Fashion Week takes over NYCthis month.

See

Daphne Guinness, The Museum at FIT, September 16, 2011- January 7, 2012

Daphne Guinness, one oftoday’s most original fashion icons, is the subject of the upcoming exhibitionwhich will feature approximately 100 garments and accessories from Guinness’spersonal collection, plus films, videos, and images of and by her. Daphne Guinnesswill be co-curated by Daphne Guinness and Valerie Steele. The exhibition’sdesign, by Ken Nintzel, will be inspired by Guinness’s New York apartment.

Picasso toKoons: Artist as Jeweler, Museum of Arts and Design, September 20, 2011-January 8, 2012. A peak into thecreative wellsprings of such artistic giants as Georges Braque, Max Ernst, Lucio Fontana, Louise Nevelson, Anthony Caro, Yoko Ono, and Anish Kapoor. Boasting works by 135 artists, this captivating exhibition isdrawn from the holdings of a host of noted collectors, artists, and artistestates.

Hats: AnAnthology by Stephen Jones—acollaboration between the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and StephenJones, the world’s foremost hat designer—is at the Bard Graduate Center (BGC)in New York City, September 15, 2011 to April 15, 2012. It is the first venuein this country. The exhibition, which had over 100,000 visitors at theV&A, displays more than 250 hats chosen with the expert eye of the mastermilliner. Stephen Jones spearheaded the fashionable revival of Britishmillinery in the early 1980s. Using unusual materials and daring designs, hisexquisitely crafted hats have pushed the boundaries of hat design forward formore than three decades.

Giorgiodi Sant’ Angelo, Phoenix ArtMuseum, September 17, 2011 - February 12, 2012. The first ever retrospective to highlight the extraordinaryingenuity of American designer Giorgio di Sant’ Angelo. Featuring more than 40ensembles and accessories, the exhibition spans the late 1960s through theearly 1990s and provides a stunning overview of Sant’ Angelo’s influence andlegacy.

Harper's Bazaar: A Decade of Style, International Center for Photography, September 9, 2011–January 8, 2012. This exhibition distills that decade into a choice group of nearly thirty images by some of the most important photographers working today, including Peter Lindbergh, Jean-Paul Goude, David Bailey, William Klein, Patrick Demarchelier, Sølve Sundsbø, Tim Walker, Mario Sorrenti, Hiro, Melvin Sokolsky, and Karl Lagerfeld. Among the artists represented are Nan Goldin, Ralph Gibson, and Chuck Close. Along with inventive fashion images in a wide range of styles, from classic to cinematic, there are vivid portraits of designers Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld, and Diane Von Furstenberg, and celebrities like Daphne Guinness, Lady Gaga, and Julianne Moore.

Hear

Slaves toFashion ~ Monica Miller, Thursday, September 22, 6pm, Katie Murphy Amphitheatre, Fred P. Pomerantz Art and DesignCenter, first floor. Museum at F.I.T. Join Miller as she presents her new book, Slavesto Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity,the first cultural history of the black dandy, from Enlightenment England tothe contemporary, cosmopolitan art worlds of London and New York. Slaves toFashion received the 2010 William Sanders Scarborough Prize for the bestbook in African American Literature and Culture. A signing of Miller’s bookfollows the lecture.

Film

“Fashionin Film", Museum of Arts and Design, September 9-11. A festival revolving around a series of innovative cinematic moments thathave expectedly and unexpectedly influenced the worlds of style and fashion.The series is co-curated by Simon Doonan. Films to be featured include “Qui êtes-vous,Polly Maggoo?”, “Umbrellas of Cherbourg”, and “X, Y, and Zee.” And on 9/11there will be a special panel discussion and reception "Spotlight on fashion innovation: Creativeinspiration from Cinema."

Daniella on Design

2011-07-27T18:20:00.000-04:00

Many years ago I had the pleasure of working for a woman who has since become a friend and a mentor. Daniella Ohad, an educator, writer, and art advisor, has just launched a wonderful series of video blogs (also known as vlogs) about the always fascinating world of design.

Daniella not only has a great eye for design but also great knowledge. It is a real privilege to accompany her on a private tour of the Noguchi Museum or receive a mini-lesson on the various uses of felt, a non-woven cloth. The videos are entertaining and informative. In just under five minutes you feel like a specialist yourself. Each episode of "Daniella on Design" promises to be even more captivating than the last.

Episode 1:Felt

Episode 2: At the Noguchi Museum

Visit "Daniella on Design" on Facebook to learn more about the videos.

Bard on a Roll with Knoll

2011-07-19T23:01:00.002-04:00

Knoll Fabric Wheel. Ca. 1965. Vinyl coated metal and textile swatches. Knoll Museum

The Bard Graduate Center (BGC) is known for their superbly curated decorative arts exhibitions but this time it has outdone itself. Last week I finally saw the very comprehensive (it takes up all of the gallery’s four floors) and fascinating show "Knoll Textiles, 1945–2010" (through July 31), at the BGC on NY's Upper West Side.

As you know I have been sending out exhibition related events for this show for over a month now and that is because I feel that as a woman I ought to support a company like Knoll who, since its inception in the 1940's, actively hired female designers. The show focuses on four major themes: the formation, shaping, and dissemination of the brand over time; Knoll designers and the innovations in materials and methods of production associated with textiles from 1945 to 1965; the ways in which the textile division thrived in conjunction with the success of the Knoll Planning Unit from the 1940s through the 1960s; and finally, history of Knoll Textiles after Florence Knoll’s retirement in 1965.

Evelyn Hill Anselevicius. Handwoven sample. Ca. 1952. Wool. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. George Anselevicius.

Today the Knoll name is synonymous with the design of modern textiles and that is a major accomplishment of Florence Knoll’s. Born Florence Schust, she married Hans Knoll, who had come to NYC from Germany to expand the family furniture business, in 1946. Florence was not some ingénue. She had graduated from Cranbrook Academy of Art and had studied architecture both at the Architectural Association in London and with Mies van der Rohe at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. She became the director of the company's Planning Unit, which was committed to planning complete interiors for large corporations. Being a progressive thinker, Knoll hired brilliant young designers, almost all of the women, to help her carry out her vision. Some of these include Marianne Strengell (the Finnish designer studied with Florence at Cranbrook and was instrumental to the early development of textiles at the company, in fact, she designed the company’s first textile!), Shiela Hicks (herself a subject of a Bard exhibition not too long ago, she designed textiles for Knoll in the 1960's), Evelyn Hill (studied with Josef Albers and was responsible for experiments with natural and synthetic textiles, using silk, rayon, mohair, horsehair, and even plastic and fiberglass in her designs), Anni Albers (no introduction needed, she worked with Knoll in the late 1950's and 1960's), and many others.

Marga Hielle Vatter (upholstery) and Max Pearson (chair). Detail, Dynamic upholstery on model 46 chair. Ca. 1973. Steel, aluminum, foam rubber, and wool upholstery. Private collection.

The exhibition is brimming with color full swatches of the hundreds of textiles (175 to be exact) that Knoll produced. Color and texture were both Knoll hallmarks and the textiles are in brilliant colors with bold patterns. My only complaint is that one is unable to touch any of the fabrics. Since texture is so important to Knoll, one wants to experience the show through sight and touch. Aside from the actual textiles, the show also features some great furniture, one example is the Model 71 armchair designed by Eero Saarinen and upholstered in Rugby (in this case a two-tone orange color way). Seeing the fabric used on such iconic furniture, which has come to represent the best of twentieth -century modern design, further establishes the importance of Knoll.

The textiles on view remind me of the some of the great Abstract Expressionist paintings. It is no wonder that clients high on the corporate ladder would have Knoll upholstery on their chairs and Mark Rothko paintings hanging on their office walls.

Although Florence Knoll retired in 1965, she left the company in capable hand. To this day Knoll is considered to be at the forefront not just with their designs but also with their eco-friendly practices.

All images courtesy of the Bard Graduate Center. For more information visit the BGC website.

Not To Be Missed: Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty

2011-07-13T22:22:00.000-04:00

Walking through the Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty exhibition (on view through August 7) at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, one is immediately pulled into the world that Lee Alexander McQueen created for himself. This was a parallel world: simultaneously filled with beauty and the grotesque. This world is overwhelming and mesmerizing: the grotesque can so often be beautiful as well. You begin to understand how troubled McQueen’s imagination was and how perhaps the world that he created for himself was just too much for an individual to bear. As a visitor to this world, you try to absorb what you see but it is too difficult. It is too strange. Then you read this quote, from the master himself, “Beauty can come from the strangest of places even the most disgusting of places.” You begin to understand and appreciate the work of this brilliant and tormented genius, and realize that you have never seen anything so beautiful in your life ever before.

Andrew Bolton, the curator of the exhibition, equates McQueen’s talents and sensibilities to that of a “painter or writer of the Romantic Movement…(who) associated unfettered emotionalism with the appreciation of beauty. “ Bolton chose to present McQueen’s works not chronologically but thematically. He takes the attributes of the Romantic Movement – individualism, historicism, nationalism, exoticism, primitivism, and naturalism – and applies them to the designer’s work. The result is a deeply moving and beautiful ode to one of fashion’s most unconventional geniuses.

It is evident from the work on view that McQueen was not just a showman as each collection delivered a message. McQueen’s influences ran the gamut from history, nationalism, exoticism, art, film, and nature. Each breathtakingly beautiful ensemble was instrumental to the telling of his story.

Like the artists of the Romantic Movement, whom Bolton compares him to, the designer’s most futile influence came from the nature. McQueen often used elements from the natural world, instead of conventional fabrics to get his point across. Claws, feathers, sequins, lace, antlers, embroidery, clamshells are all part of his repertoire.

The clothing in “Savage Beauty” steals the show. But it is also hard not to notice the theatrical exhibition design. This is very fitting for a designer who did not believe in sending models down a simple runway. Bolton says that it was inspired by the nineteenth century Brothers Grimm fairytales. Each room is meant to evoke a new chapter in this deeply Romantic and dark fairytale.

“Savage Beauty” does not just present to us McQueen’s creations but also the creations of his collaborators. For McQueen was interested in a complete look, from head to toe. Hats by Phillip Treacy and jewelry by Shaun Leane are artfully presented in a gallery called the Cabinet of Curiosities. McQueen once said, “I don’t really get inspired [by specific women]. It’s not like you see a beautiful woman and she becomes your muse. It’s more in the minds of the women in the past, like Catherine the Great, or Marie Antoinette. People who were doomed. Joan of Arc or Colette. Iconic women.” It is unfortunate that McQueen was one of those doomed people too. The designer, who committed suicide on February 11, 2010 at the age of 40, will no longer be able to tell us another story nor shock us- and for this he will be greatly missed.

*Since the exhibition has received so much attention and the crowds have been coming in droves, the museum has decided that, from August 4 to August 7, the exhibition will remain open to the public until 9 p.m.

Images: Top- bottom:
Dress, Sarabande , spring/summer 2007; Gallery View – Romantic Nationalism, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty; Ensemble, VOSS , spring/summer 2001; Dress, The Horn of Plenty, autumn/winter 2009–10. All photos by Sølve Sundsbø / Art + Commerce courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Happening Tonight!

2011-07-13T14:57:00.000-04:00

Knoll Textiles, 1945–2010
May 18 through July 31, 2011
Book signing of the exhibition catalogue Knoll Textiles, 1945-2010 with Irma Boom

Wednesday, July 13
6 to 8 pm
BGC Gallery, 18 West 86th Street, New York City

To celebrate the release of Knoll Textiles, 1945-2010 we invite you to join us for a special book signing with Irma Boom on July 13 from 6pm to 8pm at the Bard Graduate Center Gallery.

Irma Boom is a world renowned Amsterdam-based graphic designer specializing in making books. Her commissioners include the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; Paul Fentener van Vlissingen (from 1990-2006); Inside Outside; Prince Claus Fund; Fondazione Prada; Zumtobel; Ferrari; Masserati; Vitra International; NAi Publishers; United Nations; OMA/Rem Koolhaas; Koninklijke Tichelaar Makkum; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; and Aga Khan Foundation, Geneva. She has received numerous awards for her book designs and was the youngest laureate ever to receive the prestigious Gutenberg prize for her complete body of work. Her books are held in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Bibliothéque Kandinsky at the Centre Pompidou, Musée national d'art moderne, Paris; and the Irma Boom Collection at the University of Amsterdam. Ms. Boom first collaborated with the Bard Graduate Center in 2006 when she designed the award-winning exhibition catalogue Sheila Hicks: Weaving as Metaphor. She has returned to design the catalogue for our current exhibition: Knoll Textiles, 1945-2010.

Published by the BGC in collaboration with Yale University Press and edited by Earl Martin, associate curator at the BGC, Knoll Textiles, 1945-2010 provides an in-depth analysis of textiles of one of the world's leading design companies, Knoll. The contributors include Paul Makovsky, editorial director, Metropolis magazine, on the Knoll firm before the founding of Knoll Textiles; Susan Ward, an independent textile historian on the context for modern textiles in America from the late 1930s to the early 1960s and Knoll's key contributions during this period; Bobbye Tigerman, assistant curator of decorative arts and design at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, on Florence Knoll and the Knoll Planning Unit; and Angela Völker, curator emeritus of textiles at the MAK, Vienna, on Knoll Textiles from 1965 to 2010.Knoll Textiles, 1945-2010 makes a major contribution to modern design history by resurrecting the stories of over 80 designers who created textiles for Knoll from 1942 to the present in an extensive biography section, which provides previously unpublished and critical information.

For more information, emailbarnhart@bgc.bard.edu
or call 212.501.3074

Calder Jewelry From the Collection of Aino and Alvar Aalto

2011-07-06T23:14:00.001-04:00

I do not normally look through the Post-War and Contemporary Art auction catalogues but I am certainly glad that I had nothing to do one morning and decided to peruse the May 12th Christie’s catalogue. Inside I came across some marvelous Alexander Calder jewelry.

Lots 103-106, Calder jewelry belonging to Ms. Aalto

The first four lots (lot 103-106) came from the collection of Aino and Alvar Aalto. The Aalto’s company, Artek, organized the first exhibition of Calder’s jewelry in Finland in 1938- the year prior to this the Aaltos visited Calder in Paris home. The collection consists of two necklaces, a ring, a belt buckle, and a brooch.

It is so logical that these modernist Finnish designers would be friendly with the sculptor and have an appreciation for his whimsical creations. The Aaltos and the Calders became friendly and it is no surprise that artist made jewelry for Aino- Calder loved gifting his jewelry to the people in his inner circle. Some of the other illustrious recipients include Peggy Guggenheim, Luis and Jeanne Buñuel, Joan and Pilar Miró, Teeny Matisse Duchamp, and Elisa Breton. Basically all of the members of the Surrealist group with whom Calder frequently exhibited with in Paris. Calder created his first piece of jewelry, an engagement ring, for his wife Louisa, who along with their daughters, was a worthy muse.

Lot 103, Aino Aalto's "Untitled" Necklace, 1939

I loved this heady line from the Christie’s catalogue:”Each of the beautiful pieces…signify a broader inclusion within a neo-primitive society at which creativity is central to existence.” The four pieces, some in brass and some in silver, are as bold and wild as any of Calder’s work. An incredibly large necklace (lot 103) made of brass swirls, with an estimate of $300,000-$500,000 brought in an impressive $602,500, almost $200,000 more than the Calder mobile “American Airlines #2” from 1967, which had the same estimate as the necklace. None of these items have been on the market before and were all passed down to the present owner from Aino Aalto.

Several other pieces of Calder jewelry appeared in the same sale. Including an incredible silver necklace (lot 140) that belonged to art collector, Renate Shapiro. While the pieces belonging to Aino Aalto are unmistakably Calder, Shapiro’s necklace is unusual because it is more geometric, lacking Calder’s wild, and characteristic, swirls.

Lot 140, "Untitled" Necklace belonging to Renate Shapiro, ca. 1940's

Seeing these pieces in the important Post-war and Contemporary Art sale and not in the Jewelry sale tells me that not only has Calder’s jewelry been relegated to the status of art, after all the “Calder Jewelry” exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in December 2008 did much to raise our awareness of Calder’s other art, but that the same people who are interested in acquiring modern and contemporary art are also buying artistic jewelry. For the record, all of the Calder lots brought in prices well above their estimates. While I have not tracked prices for Calder’s jewelry, I would not be surprised if records were set with this sale.

Another Great "Knoll" Lecture

2011-06-29T17:33:00.000-04:00

Knoll Textiles, 1945–2010
May 18 through July 31, 2011

Lecture
Designing Woman:
How Florence Knoll Created the “Knoll Look” and Revolutionized the Modern Interior

Thursday, June 30
6 to 8 pm
(lecture and reception)

In 1965 Florence Knoll retired from Knoll Associates, Inc., where she had served as design director and head of both KnollTextiles and the Knoll Planning Unit. From its founding in the late 1930s, the firm exerted a profound influence on the modern interior through the design and production of furniture and textiles and through its interior design service for private and corporate clients. In this lecture Bobbye Tigerman will trace Florence Knoll's education and training and explore how she combined the resources of the firm's three divisions to create the distinctive "Knoll look" and to shape the nature of modern postwar interior design.

Bobbye Tigerman is assistant curator of decorative arts and design at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.$20 general
$15 seniors and students
BGC, 38 West 86th Street
To register: programs@bgc.bard.edu
or call 212.501.3011

Support for programs organized in conjunction with
Knoll Textiles, 1945-2010 provided in part by the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, Inc.

Not to be Missed: “Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels” at the Cooper-Hewitt through July 4.

2011-06-28T22:43:00.003-04:00

Peony brooch
Designed by Van Cleef & Arpels Paris, France, 1937
Gold, platinum, diamonds, Mystery Set rubies
Van Cleef & Arpels Collection
Photo: Patrick Gries/Van Cleef & Arpels

The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum’s blockbuster exhibition, “Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels” is coming to a close this weekend, and it is not to be missed. Breathtaking is probably the most suitable adjective to use in describing this show. It is impossible to walk out of this exhibition and not be mesmerized by the three-hundred plus pieces on view.

One does not need to be a jewelry lover-although who isn’t? - to be wowed by this show. It is organized in five categories: Innovation, Transformation, Nature, Exoticism, Fashion, and Personalities. These categories place the pieces in the larger context of jewelry history and transform this show from being a commercial for the jewelry house to an expertly curated museum exhibition in a prominent museum. Since this is not just any museum, but a design museum, we are prompted to pay close attention to the way the pieces are made. Each object is surrounded by mirrors so that we don’t miss a single detail.

I was surprised to find out that they while the company’s boutique is famously located on Place Vendôme in Paris (since 1906, ten years after the company was formed), the Van Cleef family and the Arpels family were actually stone dealers from the Netherlands and Belgium.

The exhibition teaches us about famous Serti mystérieux or “Mystery Setting” technique, which is the house’s trademark. The gemstones must be so closely matched in color, and cut so precisely, that when they are set in the metal channels, the setting is made invisible and all one sees is an uninterrupted sea of color. Lots of different examples, from sapphires brooches to ruby earrings, to diamond necklaces, makes us experts in the ways of the Serti mystérieux.

Brooch/pendant of bird and briolette diamond owned by Ganna Walska
Designed by Van Cleef & Arpels New York, NY, 1971
Yellow gold, sapphires, yellow diamonds (briolette 95 carats), white diamonds
Bird brooch and detachable briolette and wings
Courtesy of Private Collection
Photo: Patrick Gries/Van Cleef & Arpels

The exhibition is full of show-stoppers. One of my favorite pieces is the magnificent “Walska” brooch/pendant (ca. 1971), which incorporates a 95-carat yellow diamond previously belonging to the opera star Ganna Walska. This stunning creation can be converted into several pieces of jewelry: the wings can be removed and worn as earrings, the tail becomes a brooch, and the 95-carat diamond, in the bird’s beak, can be removed to be worn as a pendant, just the way Walska originally wore it. The jewelry house was famous for creating pieces which could be worn in multiple ways. Some of these can do absolutely everything but talk.

I also loved looking at all of the fabulous jewels that were worn by some of the most beautiful women in the world. It is unimaginable that some of the actresses wore these pieces only once.

Daisy Fellows’s bold emerald and diamond “Manchettes” (ca. 1926) or Marlene Dietrich’s great ruby and diamond “Jarretière” bracelet (ca. 1937) are just two of the big draws. I cannot tell you how often I heard women near me gasp at the size of some of these pieces too. Big and beautiful is an understatement for most of the objects.

The designers at VC+A were smart enough to listen to their clients ideas when designing some of the jewelry too. After all, many of the women who wore the house’s jewelry were worldly, sophisticated, stylish, and very rich. Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, famously suggested to the head designer that they create a necklace resembling a zipper. Although it took them almost twenty years, the house eventually introduced the “Zip” necklace (ca. 1952), a necklace that can be zipped-up to create a bracelet. I was also impressed by the “Lotus Necklace” (1951), commissioned by the Maharani of Baroda, made of thirteen pear-shaped Colombian emerald drops weighing a total of 150 carats.

The exhibition is very interactive and high-tech: videos demonstrate setting and stone cutting techniques and iPads are used in lieu of wall-text. Even the display cases, thanks to Patrick Jouin, are very cutting-edge.

If you are prone to jealousy-this is not an exhibition for you. Pick up the catalogue instead.

A Delaunay For Your Own Collection

2011-06-23T22:24:00.000-04:00

With "Color Moves: Art & Fashion by Sonia Delaunay", an exhibition currently on view at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (read my review here), I began to wonder whether one can still acquire works by Delaunay today for their own personal collection and make some money later, and the answer is yes! In fact, according to an article in the April 2011 issue of Art + Auction, Susan Brown, the shows co-curator, stated that "particularly in the past 10 years or so, there’s been a lot of focus on her work." In fact, according to the same article, six of Delaunay’s 10 auction records were set in the past year, with the final prices bringing in significantly above the estimates.

So where does one go to purchase a Delaunay work on paper or book? To Leonard Fox LTD at 790 Madison Avenue, NYC. Below is his current offering:

Sonia Delaunay, Tristan Tzara Juste Present

A historic collaboration of two leading figures of the 20th century French Avant-Garde: Delaunay illustrates the original edition of Tzara's collection of eleven poems with eight beautiful original color etchings. Signed in pencil by both illustrator and author on the tirage page. One of 40 on japon nacré with additional suite containing 11 prints, all initialed by Delaunay. Seven of the eight different etchings are signed in pencil; additionally there are two duplicate initialed prints, and one that is colored by hand by Delaunay and signed in pencil.

DELAUNAY, Sonia (Illustrator). "Juste Présent". La Rose des Vents, 1961. [15" x 11"]. 14ff. 56pp. 20 illustrations. (20 hors text.) General Condition: Fine.

Sonia Delaunay Robes Poemes

This beautifully illustrated volume contains 27 pochoir plates featuring women’s fashions by Sonia Delaunay. Delaunay’s eye for color, line and bold silhouette are exemplified by designs ranging from chic opera coats to slim-skirted dresses in the 1920’s style. While some plates appear as straightforward fashion illustrations, other figures are completely abstracted by geometric forms. Accompanying text by Jacques Damase taken from Guillaume Apollinaire. Signed by Delaunay and Damase. Text excerpts of Guillame Apollinaire. Introduction by Jacques Damase.

DELAUNAY, Sonia (Illustrator). "Robes Poemes". Jacques Damase (Author). 1969. [11 1/4" x 7 7/8"]. 39pp. 27 illustrations. (27 hors text.) General Condition: Fine.

Sonia Delaunay Les Illuminations

Sonia Delaunay illustrates Arthur Rimbaud's 1874 “Illuminations” with fourteen original full-page pochoir illustrations, including a photographic portrait of the famous French poet with pochoir decorated borders. Delaunay’s abstract and boldly graphic compositions complement the complex rhythm of Rimbaud’s poems and prose which are printed in varying typeface and size throughout the volume. Nine of the plates are enhanced with hand-drawn graphite which gives depth and texture to the compositions.

DELAUNAY, Sonia, RIMBAUD, Arthur (Poets). "Les Illuminations". Paris: Jacques Damase, 1973. [22 1/4 " x 15 5/8"]. 90pp. 16 illustrations.

Sonia Delaunay Textile Design

Original Art Deco textile design by Sonia Delaunay consisting of a bold abstract geometric design of vibrant color, characteristic of Delaunay’s work.

DELAUNAY, Sonia (Artist). "Original Textile Design". [6" x 4 1/2"]. Contained in Frame.

Sonia Delaunay Plate 10 from 'Avec Moi Meme'

Etching with aquatint. Signed and dated in pencil by artist. Labeled 75/75. Beautifully executed etching colored with aquatint from one of Delaunay’s best books.

DELAUNAY, Sonia (Illustrator). "Plate 10 from “Avec Moi-Même” ". 1970. [19 1/2" x 15 1/2" on 26" x 19 3/4" sheet]. Contained in frame, 30 x 24 1/8. ex no 75/75.


		Sonia Delaunay Plate 4 from 'Avec Moi Meme'

Etching with aquatint. Signed and dated in pencil by artist. Numbered 75/75. Delaunay’s juxtaposition of flat planes of color with shapes composed of frenetic lines exemplifies her characteristic style in her book illustrations as well as her fashion designs. Geometric shapes such as squares and triangles are intersected in the center of the composition by bold curves.

DELAUNAY, Sonia (Illustrator). "Plate 4 Avec Moi-Meme". 1970. [19 1/2" x 15 1/2" on 26 " x 19 3/4" sheet]. General Condition: Pristine. Contained in protective sleeve. ex no 75/75.

Sonia Delaunay Untitled (rectangles in circle)

Etching and aquatint. Delaunay departs from a traditional rectangular composition in favor of a circular form made of geometric planes of color. Signed and numbered in pencil 75/125.

DELAUNAY, Sonia (Illustrator). "Untitled (”rectangles in circle”)". [19.5" x 16.2"] Contained in sleeve.

Makers Market 2011

2011-06-23T12:59:00.000-04:00

Be among the first to shop Makers Market while enjoying cocktails by St-Germain, wine tastings by Robert Do of East Coast Services, and hors d'oeuvres with Breadbox Cafe, on the waterfront as the sun sets over the Manhattan skyline.

Click Here to Buy Preview Tickets Online
A portion of every Preview ticket purchase helps support the Park and is tax deductible.
All tickets are non-refundable and will be held at the door.
A limited number of tickets will also be available at the door, payable by cash or check only.
For group rates or to purchase tickets over the phone, contact Ellen Staller at 718-956-1819 x 12.

Makers Market
Thursday, 23 June, Preview Benefit, 5-8pm / $50
Friday, 24 June, 11am - 7pm / Free
Saturday, 25 June, 11am - 7pm / Free
Sunday, 26 June, 11am - 5pm / Free

Now in its third year, Makers Market is a premier forum to experience the convergence of design and contemporary craft in an open air marketplace presented within Socrates Sculpture Park's spring exhibition. Collectors and enthusiasts will have the opportunity to meet over 50 American makers and shop a curated selection of skillfully crafted, one-of-a-kind objects, including: ceramics, glassware, motorcycles, knives, tableware, jewelry, baskets, furniture, lighting, textiles, surfboards and more.

Socrates Sculpture Park
32-01 Vernon Boulevard (at Broadway)
Long Island City, Queens, NY 11106

Makers Market is presented by Socrates Sculpture Park in partnership with Alan Wanzenberg Architect/Design, The Noguchi Museum and R 20th Century.

Happening Tonight!

2011-06-23T12:56:00.002-04:00

Knoll Textiles, 1945–2010
May 18 through July 31, 2011
Lecture
Modern Furniture Conservation:
Form and Material Challenges
Introduced by Earl Martin
Thursday, June 23
6 to 8 pm
(lecture and reception)

In this lecture, Margo Delidow and Roger Griffith explore the history of materials and techniques associated with mid-century modern furniture, particularly those used in Knoll production from the 1940s to the 1970s. Focusing on five chairs that they treated specifically for the BGC exhibition, they will consider the evolution of modern upholstery techniques and discuss how particular innovations and actual use complicate the conservation and restoration of these works.
Earl Martin is an associate curator at the Bard Graduate Center and curator of the Knoll Textiles exhibition.
Margo Delidow is the Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Conservation Education at the Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University.
Roger Griffith is an associate conservator at the
Museum of Modern Art.$20 general
$15 seniors and students
BGC, 38 West 86th Street
To register: programs@bgc.bard.edu
or call 212.501.3011

Not to be Missed: “Color Moves: Art & Fashion by Sonia Delaunay” at the Cooper-Hewitt through June 19th.

2011-06-15T22:13:00.000-04:00

It is hard to believe that in thirty years no museum in the United States has dedicated an exhibition to Sonia Delaunay’s work. Therefore the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum’s exhibition, “Color Moves: Art & Fashion by Sonia Delaunay” is much welcomed. The exhibition explores two decades in Delaunay’s career that were her most productive: the 1920’s when she was living in Paris and designing for her own fashion atelier and the 1930’s when she was submitting textile designs to Metz+Co. Department Store in Amsterdam.

Delaunay led a charmed life. Born Sarah Stern in a small village outside of Odessa, Ukraine, in 1885, Delaunay was adopted by her wealthy uncle, Henri Terk when she was just five and went to live with him in St. Petersburg. Educated in the best schools in Russia and then Germany, Sonia, as she was known post-adoption, moved to Paris in 1905. In 1907 she met the painter Robert Delaunay, whom she eventually married in 1910, already seven-months pregnant with their son, Charles. Sonia and Robert’s relationship was intellectual as much as it was romantic. The two artists held similar beliefs on art and were especially interested in the principles of light and color. They formulated a theory about color expressed through simultaneity- the sensation of movement created when contrasting colors are placed side by side. Therefore color, rhythm, and simultaneity became the guiding principles of her art.

Delaunay’s first foray into the design of textiles was quite accidental (although she had been studying embroidery for several years prior to this). In 1911, she combined multi-colored patches to create a quilt for her newborn son. She found the abstract pattern on the piece of cloth very modern looking. Delaunay designed her first dress, robe simultantée, or a simultaneous dress, in 1913. In principal this dress was very similar to the blanket. Delaunay sewed patches of cloth onto a dress and wore it out to a party. This dress became her trademark and the catalyst for her future designs.

World events led the Delaunay’s to leave Paris and she opened her first business, Casa Sonia, in Madrid. Once the Delaunays returned to Paris, she opened Maison Delaunay in 1925. The fashion label was part of her Atelier Simultané, which was a workshop through which she produced fashion, textiles and accessories.

The clothing and accessories on view in “Color Moves”, everything from coats to bathing suits, to hats indicate that her real talent lay in design of textiles. Bold and bright geometric prints and wild floral patterns bring to life the traditional, and somewhat boring, silhouettes. She masterfully blended together colors and combined tones, brown became gold and red became orange. In fact when Maison Delaunay closed in 1929, records show that it was the designer’s textiles, and not her fashions, that proved to be financially successful.

The exhibition presents to us a wide range of materials: clothing, textiles, sketchbooks, and photographs. It really allows us to familiarize ourselves with Delaunay’s work, although it does not place her in a larger context of fashion/textile designers working in Paris during this time period, we are still left with the understanding that her contribution to the design of textiles, really more so then fashion, was tremendous. Delaunay continued to design textiles under the name Tissus Delaunay after she closed her fashion atelier. A collaboration with the department store Metz+Co. proved to be very fruitful (it lasted through the 1960’s).

One of the exhibitions’ ingenious moments is to show that Metz +Co. was not just a department store but a serious venue for the latest trends in modern design. One of their earliest design collaborations was with the British department store, Liberty of London in 1902. But the shop also supported its own Dutch designers like Gerrit Rietveld, who designed a space within the shop exclusively for the exhibition of modern design.

Delaunay summed up her own success when she wrote in a letter to the owner of Metz+ Co: “Our position in life and its evolution are important and unique because, parallel to important developments in art, we introduced art into daily life. … This contributed greatly to the comprehension of modern art, which became more accessible and understandable through my fabrics, which for me were exercises in color.”

Images: Set of three fabric samples, Design 198, Designed by Sonia Delaunay (French, born Russia, 1885–1979), France, 1927, Produced by Metz & Co, 1936, Printed silk, Private collection, © L & M SERVICES B.V. The Hague 20100623, Photo: © private collection; Sonia Delaunay in her studio at boulevard Malesherbes, Paris, France, 1925, Photographed by Germaine Krull (German, 1897–1985), Bibliothèque Nationale de France, © L & M SERVICES B.V. The Hague 20100623; Bathing suit
Designed by Sonia Delaunay (French, born Russia, 1885–1979), France, ca. 1928, Knitted wool, Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris, Musée Galliera, GAL 1971.24.7, © L & M SERVICES B.V. The Hague 20100623; Robe poème no. 1328, Designed by Sonia Delaunay (French, born Russia, 1885–1979), France, 1923, Watercolor, gouache, and pencil on paper, Museum of Modern Art, New York 304.1980, © L & M SERVICES B.V. The Hague 20100623, Photo: © The Museum of Modern Art/ Licensed by SCALA/ Art Resource, NY.