« November 2007 | Main | January 2008 »
I've discussed the amazing 2004 Christian Dior haute couture collection before. Now see various pieces from the collection in the 2008 Pirelli calendar, as worn by Gemma Ward, Catherine McNeil et al. The calendar was shot in Shanghai and rather than the standard western-style t&a, the latest edition explores Asian perspectives of beauty.
More information
Pirelli Calendar site
I spied these works through the windows of the Ray Hughes Gallery last night. A few of them are large scale (2m+) patchwork blankets, in for a show called Wild Colonial Boys. It's interesting to see a medium that's normally so quaint and nana used to represent a bit of sex and violence.
Blow
applique blanket
228 x 254 cm
Buzz Cut
applique blanket
251 x 268 cm
Friday's Bath
220 x 250 cm
Tunnel Vision
applique blanket
232 x 265 cm
Game Hunting
accompanying object
Nightriders
cotton thread on felt
51 x 61 cm
Night Riders
applique blanket
230 x 356 cm
Debt Collector
Cotton thread, felt on blanket
112 x 122 cm
Sightseeing
applique blanket
221 x 250 cm
More information
Ray Hughes Gallery
Apologies for being a very bad blogger...
The Steven Meisel cover and editorial shoot in the latest issue of Italian Vogue is sooooooo beautiful I was almost tempted to buy it, in spite of the $34 price tag for an Air Freight copy. Thank you to the internet for providing it to me in a more cost-effective, albeit, less precious digital format.
If you visit the Vogue Italia website and click on the cover image, you get taken to a loverlee flash presentation of the spread.
Ok, so this shoot was freaking loooong. See all the pics here.
More information
Vogue Italia
Steven Meisel
So, it's kind of hard to find much interesting about Rita Ackermann aside from what you read in those yawn-worthy art profiles (born in Hungary, moved to NY in 1991, followed by reams of boring art speak or an overwhelming list of galleries and shows that mean something to hardly anyone). I have discovered she runs with an ubercool NY crowd including Chloe Sevigny. Anyway, to the art... I don't love all of her work, but I've picked a few little (or rather very large format) pieces I do like. In some of her work there's a tiny sense of Del Kathryn Barton ... not the style, more the feminine mood or the subject matter... maybe...
Monster! Do you realise I'm in love?
The Shames of Loosing
Dynasty, 2003
Shaman, 2003
Erected Nun, 2007
Not a Hood Ornament, 2003
More information
Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York
Rebecca Cahmi Gallery, Athens
Coney Island Mural, NY Times article 2005
General Hotel Gallery, London
Village Voice review, 1998
A few years ago I came across a spread in an interiors mag of Lenny Kravitz's newly renovated New Orleans home. It was a total rock n' rock glamour pad, all "designed to look good at night" with shag pile carpet everywhere. It was totally fabulous and I assumed he had paid an interior designer to pimp his pad, but I have since found out that it was the handiwork of Mr Kravitz himself. Apparently Lenny's in-between-tour/album hobby is designing houses or apartments. In fact, he's so passionate about this pastime he started his own interiors company, Kravitz Design.
Here's some of his work, including pics from his NY apartment which is on sale for $19 million+.
The Kravitz-designed bar, the Florida Room in the super hip Delano Hotel in Florida opened recently during Art Basel in Miami. Frustratingly, there is a dearth of images of said bar. Anyhoodie...
More information
Kravitz Design
Buy Lenny's Soho apartment
"But what I really to do is design" , NY times article, July 21 2005
Delano Hotel, Miami, Florida
Designs by Lenny, Calgary Sun article, December 2005
Being a fan of Kate Rohde's work I was obviously delighted to find out about Mr Potter's Museum of Curiosities.
Created by Mr Potter, a self-taught 19th century taxidermist, the museum featured over 6,000 stuffed animals placed in dioramas, engaging in all manner of activities, such a gang of cats at a wedding, mice drinking tea and squirrels playing cards.
There is now a major legal hooha between, former owner John Watts and Bohnams, the auction company he charged with the task of selling the collection in 2003. Watts claims he asked Bonhams to try keep the Museum together, however the auctioneers failed to inform Watts of a one million pound offer from Damien Hirst and the collection was auctioned off in separate lots. Read more about it here.
More information
Bohnam's press release
The Athanasius Kircher Society
Timesonline story - The strange case of Damien Hirst and the stuffed squirrel sale
So would expect the owner of an art gallery owner to a tastefully decorated and art-filled house. The Hampton's playground of gallery owner, Rachel Lehmann, takes it to a whole other level with gigantic Jeff Koons sculptures by the pool and Marukami cuteness in the living. It all just looks like so much fun!
Behold...
Jeff Koons' Elephant by the pool
Organic sculpture by Anish Kapoor next to the lily pond
Takashi Murakami's mushroom bench in the living room
Beautiful Jorge Pardo pendant lights in the dining room
Vintage Jean Royère armchairs in the entry
Hand-sculpted white lacquer bed by Bonetti with metallic leather spots.
More information
House and Garden feature
Lehmann Maupin Gallery
Firstly, I’m spectacularly excited to present this post.
One of the great things about writing this blog is that it forces me to seek out the visually inspiring every day. And today’s discovery is one that I’m particularly excited about because I’ve seen and admired this twosome’s work for quite a while but never known that the disparate bijous of design were the handiwork of the same people. Michael Amzalag and Mathias Augustyniak make up the graphic design company M/M (Paris) and their CV reads like a who’s who of my favourite artists and at the top of the list none other than Bjork...
and Balenciaga!
Other notables include Stella McCartney, Yohji Yamamoto, Martine Sitbon and Calvin Klein. Plus the high priestess of fashion herself, Carine Rotfield installed the pair to oversee the visuals on the pages of Vogue Paris. Can you believe it? No wonder I’m always in love with the art direction of that mag.
While I am mighty impressed, I have to say I don’t love everything they do, but I am a big fan of their line illustrations (especially effective over photographs)...
Invitation to Balenciaga Fall-Winter 2001-2 show, with a photo by regular collaborators, Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin.
their beautiful fonts
The Ten Commandments, Visionaire magazine, 2000
and use of typography...
Invitation to Givenchy Fall-Winter 2007-8 ready-to-wear show
and the amazing way they cut and paste images...
an A to Z of beauty designed by m/m (paris) photographed by inez van lamswwerde and vinoodh matadin
(He he, note, I took it upon myself to write eyesing...)
These are the images that inspired me to find out more about M/M Paris. The “Greek industrialist” (what on earth is an "industrialist"?) and art collector, Dakis Joannou wanted to incorporate fashion in his contemporary art collection so set Amzalag and Augustyniak the challenge and W magazine published the results.
M/M (Paris)’s Michael Amzalag (left) and Mathias Augustyniak flank Dakis Joannou and the Scivolando chair by Alessandro Mendini, in front of Richard Prince’s I’m in a Limousine (following a hearse).
Inspired by Balenciaga
Inspired by Yves Saint Laurent
Inspired by Givenchy
Inspired by Comme des Garçons
More information
M/M (Paris) website
Order one of their posters from their 2008 catalogue. I know I want to… can’t decide which one…
Interview for 25/25 - Celebrating 25 Years of Design exhibition at the Design Museum, London
W Magazine story
NY Times interview, June 3, 2007
M/M (Paris): Inventory/Inventaire, this first ever inventory of M/M (Paris) work created for the art world includes their collaborative designs for furniture, posters, typography, text and lighting. Available for 10 pounds.
I've mentioned my appreciation of chopping something up to make something new before, plus, I had a recent flirtation with collage so I was excited when I came across Martin Maloney's work.
Boy with Pink Hair (Hackett), 2007
His work reminds me partly of the children's book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar...
...and also of Matisse's Portrait of Madame Matisse (The green line), 1905.
Having never heard of him before I was surprised to found out that Maloney has quite a profile in the UK and, according to eyestorm.com "has been crucial to the rise over the past few years of a new generation in British art. His highly-colored, expressive paintings have reintroduced a sense of the romantic into contemporary art." His talent for self-promotions also rubbed a few people in the British art world up the wrong way.
Anyway, I'm not that interested in flapping and press beat ups, I love the colour, vitality and naivety in his work... see below
Tabby in Paul Smith, 2007
Beret (DKNY), 2007
Beachcombers, 2007
Cat Painting, 1999
Cul de Sac, 2004
Stroller, 2004
Public Sculpture, 2004
More information
Timothy Taylor Gallery, London
Martin Maloney on the Saatchi Gallery website. Recommend this reference for easy-to-digest info about Maloney.
Anthony D'Offay Gallery, London
Don't talk Maloney article in the Guardian, February 1 2000
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
Recent Comments