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| Charles James with Model, 1948. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph by Cecil Beaton, Beaton/Vogue/Condé Nast Archive. Copyright © Condé Nast |
A few weeks ago we finally went to see Charles James: Beyond Fashion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The gowns are of course gorgeous, and their construction phenomenal, and truly unparalleled. But what I love most are his dresses, suits and coats. Each completely stunning. In fact James himself stated, “You should know my most important contribution was always in tailoring; coats, jackets, wool dresses…so few of which went into the magazines.” And the exhibition catalog is a beauty.
Charles James: Beyond Fashion is on view through August 10.
www.metmuseum.org
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| Earl and Ava Bowe’s wedding, Northern California, early 1930s |
The Bicycle Film Festival is once again in full swing in New York City. Now in its 14th year, this super cool festival not only celebrates the bicycle on film, but also in art and music, and is a powerful voice in promoting the urban cycling movement. One of the most anticipated annual events in the festival is an exhibition called Joyride. Held at the Marlborough Broome Street gallery, it opened last night and features works by emerging artists as well as major contemporary artists such as Kiki Smith, Urs Fischer, Francesco Clemente, Alex Katz and Richard Prince, each with the bicycle in mind. Check it out.
The Bicycle Film Festival runs through June 29 — www.bicyclefilmfestival.com
Joyride runs through August 3 — www.marlboroughchelsea.com/broome-st/exhibitions
I finally watched Mademoiselle C, Fabien Constant’s 2013 documentary about fashion editor Carine Roitfeld. A quite stylish (of course)and intimate film with an amazing soundtrack, it follows Roitfeld as she creates her gorgeous new magazine, CR Fashion Book, soon after her departure from French Vogue. It is also a very personal portrait of Roitfeld — her life, her family and friends, and her creative process. I loved it.
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Virginia Woolf photographed by George Charles Beresford, 1902.
Virginia Woolf: Art, Life and Vision will be on view at the National Portrait Gallery, London
from July 10 through October 26. |
Remembering the Artist. Robert De Niro, Sr., the new documentary that screened at Sundance and premiered this past Monday on HBO, is definitely one to watch. De Niro, Sr. was an important painter in the New York School whose work walked the line between Abstract Expressionism and European Modernism. He studied at Black Mountain College under Josef Albers and in New York and Provincetown under Hans Hofmann. He exhibited his work at Peggy Guggenheim’s Art of This Century gallery and in group shows with Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship and taught at the Cooper Union, the New School and the School of Visual Arts. I very much like his work and I very much liked this film. And if you happen to be in Washington, DC between now and July 31, you can see his work in a solo exhibition at the DC Moore Gallery.
www.rememberingtheartist.com www.robertdenirosr.com
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Marja Helander, Buollánoaivi, 2001, from the series Modern Nomads.
Photograph on aluminum. The Sámi Collections. |
Last week I went to see Sámi Stories: Art and Identity of an Arctic People, a fascinating installation at Scandinavia House. I must admit, prior to this show I really didn’t know anything about this indigenous group that inhabits parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula of Russia, commonly known in the English language as Lapland. Sámi Stories presents a wonderful history of the people and examples of art and handwork by artists of Sámi descent. Highlights of the show for me were definitely the contemporary works. Photographs by Finnish artist Marja Helander and Norwegian artist Arvid Sveen, and a magnificent 78-foot-long embroidery on linen by Swedish artist Britta Marakatt-Labba.
If you’ve not been there, Scandinavia House is one very special place. Fantastic exhibitions, films and programming, a lovely Scandinavian cafe, and one of the best shops in the city.
Sámi Stories: Art and Identity of an Arctic People runs through August 23
www.scandinaviahouse.org
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| Charles Eames (June 17, 1907 – August 21, 1978) |
Charles Eames was certainly one of the most influential American designers of the twentieth century, and a particular favorite of mine. Trained as an architect, Eames and his wife Ray, an artist in her own right, ran the Eames Office in Venice, California for more than 30 years. Perhaps best known for their many iconic chair designs, they were indeed the most brilliant creatives and their vast and wide-ranging body of work is a testament to that. Charles would have been 107 years old today.
Be sure to check out the fantastic documentary Eames: The Architect and The Painter (2011)
www.eamesoffice.com
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Alexander McQueen, Men’s Ready to Wear, Spring 2015. Presented today at the Royal College of Surgeons of England. London Collections: Men runs from June 15 – 17. www.londoncollections.co.uk
Photograph: Women’s Wear Daily. www.wwd.com |
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| The Venice Architecture Biennale, Fundamentals, this year under the direction of the brilliant Dutch architect and theorist Rem Koolhaas, opened on Saturday and is set to run through November 23. www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/exhibition/ |
