RAM ISLAND LEDGE LIGHTHOUSE TO BE SOLD BY THE COAST GUARD

THE PROPERTY HAS A MILLION DOLLAR VIEW, BUT THE QUARTERS ARE CRAMPED, THE GROUNDS ARE NOTHING TO BRAG ABOUT AND A LOUD FOG HORN BLARES EVERY TEN SECONDS. FOR THE RIGHT PRICE, THE PICTURESQUE RAM ISLAND LEDGE LIGHTHOUSE CAN BE YOURS. THE 72 FOOT CONICAL LIGHT TOWER IN WATERS A MILE OFF THE SOUTHERN MAINE COAST IS BEING AUCTIONED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. THE PROPERTY ISN'T FOR EVERYBODY. IT'S HARD TO GET TO, LOCATED ON A WAVE-SWEPT ROCKY LEDGE WHERE LANDING A BOAT CAN BE TREACHEROUS. ONCE THERE, A PERSON HAS TO CLIMB A 30 FOOT LADDER TO GET INTO THE TOWER. INSIDE, THE CIRCULAR ROOMS ARE SMALL AND BARE. THE YARD, IF YOU CAN CALL IT THAT, IS A LEDGE THAT IS UNDERWATER HALF THE TIME WHENEVER THE TIDE IS UP. BUT THE VIEWS OF THE RUGGED COAST, THE NEARBY ISLANDS AND THE OPEN OCEAN ARE TO DIE FOR, AND THE LIGHTHOUSE OOZES HISTORY, A REMINDER OF AN ERA GONE BY, WHEN LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS LIVED IN ISOLATION MANNING KEROSENE AND FOGHORNS TO KEEP MARINERS OUT OF HARM'S WAY. THE COAST GUARD HAS BEEN UNLOADING LIGHTHOUSE FOR DECADES AND NOW HAS AT LEAST EIGHT OF THE FOR SALE IN MAINE, MASSACHUSETTS, NEW YORK, DELAWARE AND WISCONSIN THROUGH AN ONLINE AUCTION RUN BY THE GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION. IN MAINE, THE GRANITE RAM ISLAND LEDGE LIGHTHOUSE WAS BUILT IN 1905 NEAR THE ENTRANCE TO PORTLAND HARBOR. FOR THE FIRST 54 YEARS, BEFORE BECOMING AUTOMATED IN 1959, THE BUILDING WAS MANED BY LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS WHO LIVED IN THE OUTPOST FOR WEEKS AT A TIME. WHOEVER BUYS THE RAM ISLAND LEDGE LIGHTHOUSE WILL HAVE TO PRESERVE THE HISTORICAL INTEGRITY OF THE STRUCTURE WHILE IT CONTINUES BEING USED AS A COAST GUARD NAVIGATIONAL AID, COMPLETE WITH A LIGHT THAT FLASHES EVERY SIX SECONDS AND A HORN THAT BLARES EVERY TEN SECONDS. SO FAR ONLY ONE BID, $10,000 HAS BEEN MADE. A TOUR FOR PROSPECTIVE BIDDERS IS SCHEDULED FOR LATER THIS MONTH.

WINDSOR CASTLE TO HAVE VICTORIAN THEME FOR CHRISTMAS

SPECIAL DISPLAYS AND ACTIVITIES AT WINDSOR CASTLE TAKE ON A VICTORIAN THEME FROM 10.DECEMBER UNTIL 5.JANUARY.2011. TO CELEBRATE THE CHRISTMAS PERIOD, THE TABLE IN THE CASTLE'S MAGNIFICENT STATE DINING ROOM WILL BE DRESSED WITH PIECES FROM THE MINTON 'VICTORIA' DESERT SERVICE. THE SERVICE WAS PURCHASED BY QUEEN VICTORIA AT THE GREAT EXHIBITION OF 1851, THEREAFTER TAKING THE MONARCH'S NAME. IT ATTRACTED MUCH ATTENTION AT THE TIME AND WAS DESCRIBED BY THE INFLUENTIAL ART JOURNAL AS BEING OF 'EXCEEDING BEAUTY'. PORCELAIN CUSTARD CUPS, BONBON DISHES AND A CENTERPIECE DECORATED WITH SEASONAL IMAGES WILL BE DISPLAYED ALONGSIDE GLITTERING SILVER-GILT CANDLESTICKS AND FESTIVE FRUIT AND FLOWERS. THE STATE DINING ROOM IS AT THE HEART OF THE CASTLE'S SEMI-STATE APARTMENTS, CREATED FOR GEORGE IV IN THE 1820s AS THE KING'S SUITE OF PRIVATE ROOMS. TODAY IT IS USED BY THE QUEEN FOR ENTERTAINING, IN PARTICULAR DURING ROYAL ASCOT WEEK AND AT 'DINE AND SLEEP' PARTIES DURING EASTER COURT AT WINDSOR. CHRISTMAS TREES FROM THE WINDSOR GREAT PARK WILL BE DISPLAYED IN THE CASTLE FROM 6.DECEMBER. WINDSOR IS CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE TRADITION OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE, AND PRINCE ALBERT, CONSORT OF QUEEN VICTORIA, IS CREDITED WITH POPULARIZING TREE DECORATION. FESTIVE DECORATIONS, INCLUDING BAUBLES IN THE SHAPE OF A CROWN, CAN BE PURCHASED FROM THE CASTLE'S SHOPS ALONG WITH A HOST OF OTHER UNIQUE ROYAL COLLECTION GIFTS.

TATE BRITAIN REOPENS ROMANTICS AFTER RE-HANG

THIS WEEK TATE BRITAIN'S CLORE GALLERIES HAVE REOPENED TO THE PUBLIC FOLLOWING A MAJOR RE-HANG. ROMANTICS, PART OF THE BP BRITISH ART DISPLAYS, FEATURES OVER 170 KEY PAINTINGS, PRINTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS SPREAD OVER NINE THEMATIC ROOMS EXPLORING THE ORIGINS, INSPIRATIONS AND LEGACIES OF BRITISH ROMANTIC ART. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NEW DISPLAY ARE EIGHT SPECTACULAR HAND-COLOURED ETCHINGS BY WILLIAM BLAKE WHICH WERE ACQUIRED FOR THE NATION LAST YEAR. FOUND HIDDEN IN A RAILWAY TIMETABLE AMONGST A BOX OF SECONDHAND BOOKS IN THE 1970s, THE RARE WORKS ARE IMAGES FROM BLAKE'S NOW FAMOUS SERIES OF ILLUMINATED BOOKS. ORIGINALLY LEFT TO BLAKE'S WIDOW, THE PRINTS WERE GIFTED TO A FRIEND, AND THEIR LOCATION WAS UNKNOWN UNTIL THEIR REMARKABLE REDISCOVERY. THE CLORE DISPLAYS ALSO FEATURE A NEW ROOM OF LATE WORKS BY J M W TURNER. CHARACTERIZED BY THE EXPERIMENTAL USE OF COLOUR AND THE DEPICTION OF LIGHT FOR WHICH TURNER IS NOW SO RENOWNED, THE PAINTINGS FROM THE SECOND HALF OF THE ARTIST'S CAREER WERE HEAVILY CRITICIZED AT THE TIME. UNDETERRED BY PUBLIC OPINION, HOWEVER, TURNER HEROICALLY FOLLOWED HIS OWN IMPULSES LIKE A TRUE ROMANTIC, CONTINUING TO EXHIBIT THE UNIQUE AND CHALLENGING WORK WHICH WE CELEBRATE TODAY. THE DISPLAY FEATURES MASTERPIECES FROM THE TATE COLLECTION INCLUDING 'NORHAM CASTLE, SUNRISE' AND 'SUN SETTING OVER A LAKE'. TWO ROOMS IN THE DISPLAY EXPLORE THE LEGACY OF THE ROMANTICS. THE FIRST OF THESE PRESENTS THE NEO-ROMANTICS OF THE MID 20th CENTURY, INCLUDING ARTISTS SUCH AS GRAHAM SUTHERLAND AND PAUL NASH, WHO LOOKED BACK TO ROMANTIC BRITISH VISIONARIES SUCH AS WILLIAM BLAKE AND SAMUEL PALMER. THE SECOND WILL EXPLORE LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE LAST FORTY YEARS WHICH PARODIES OR PLAYS OFF THE ROMANTIC TRADITION.

BOSTON'S WORLD'S FAIR OF MONEY

IN AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN, IT MIGHT BE TOUGH TO GET YOUR HEAD AROUND THIS: RARE SHEETS OF $100,000 BILLS, FABULOUS GOLD TREASURES DATING BACK TO THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH ERA, RARE COINS INCLUDING THOSE TIED TO THE FIRST STIRRINGS FOR AMERICA'S INDEPENDENCE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SECURITIES WORTH MORE THAN A BILLION DOLLARS. THAT'S THE BACKDROP OF THE COUNTRY'S PREMIER MONEY SHOW, THE WORLD'S FAIR OF MONEY, WHICH HAS BROUGHT ABOUT 1,000 COIN DEALERS AND HUNDREDS OF COLLECTORS TO BOSTON, SEEKING TO TAP INTO THE SURPRISING RESILIENCE OF THE COIN INDUSTRY. HELD IN A SPRAWLING HALL MONITORED BY ARMED UNIFORMED AND UNDERCOVER POLICE OFFICERS, FEDERAL AGENTS, PRIVATE SECURITY CONTRACTORS, ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE EQUIPMENT AND VIGILANT PARTICIPANTS, THE FAIR FEATURES SELDOM-SEN GOLD TREASURES BROUGHT FROM THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION'S VAULTS INCLUDING AMERICA'S FIRST $20 GOLD COIN, VALUED BY INDEPENDENT EXPERTS AT $15 MILLION TODAY, AND ITS LAST $20 COIN. IT ALSO INCLUDES SHEETS OF AMERICA'S LARGEST DENOMINATION CURRENCY, THE $100,000 BILL, WHICH IS SAID TO BE WORTH $1.6 MILLION TODAY. THE GOLD CERTIFICATE NOTE, WHICH BEARS PRESIDENT WOODROW WILSON'S PORTRAIT, WAS USED ONLY FOR OFFICIAL TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN FEDERAL RESERVE BANKS. IT WAS NOT CIRCULATED AMONG THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND CANNOT BE LEGALLY HELD BY CURRENCY NOTE COLLECTORS. THE SHOW, WHICH ENDS, SATURDAY, INCLUDES A COMPREHENSIVE COLLECTION OF US PAPER MONEY THAT HAS NEVER BEFORE BEEN EXHIBITED. IT HAS COINS FROM THE MEXICAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE AND MEXICAN REVOLUTION THAT ARE BEING SEEN OUTSIDE OF MEXICO FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1970. THERE ARE ALSO RARE COINS WORTH SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS. THE SS CENTRAL AMERICAN, WHICH SANK IN A 1857 HURRICANE OFF THE COAST OF NORTH CAROLINA WITH MORE THE 400 PASSENGERS AND 30,000 POUNDS OF GOLD FROM THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH, MADE ITS INAUGURAL APPEARANCE IN BOSTON. THE EXHIBIT FEATURES MORE THAN $10 MILLION IN GOLD TREASURES RECOVERED FROM THE SHIP, ALSO KNOWN AS THE SHIP OF GOLD. OTHER HISTORIC ITEMS INCLUDE ONE OF A FEW KNOWN SURVIVING COPIES OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE PRINTED IN BOSTON CIRCA 17.JULY.1776, AND SILVER SPOONS CRAFTED BY PAUL REVERE.

MUMBAI'S TAJ MAHAL HOTEL TO REOPEN

HOLDING COLOURFUL BALLOONS AND FLOWERS, EMPLOYEES PLEDGED ON THURSDAY TO RE-DEDICATE THEMSELVES TO MUMBAI'S TAJ MAHAL HOTEL WHEN IT REOPENS AFTER THE 2008 MILITANT ATTACKS IN WHICH GUESTS AND STAFF MEMBERS DIED. THE HOTEL, WHICH SUFFERED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE FROM A SIEGE LAID BY FOUR HEAVILY ARMED GUNMEN, WAS ONE OF SEVERAL MUMBAI LANDMARKS ATTACKED BY PAKISTAN-BASED MILITANTS. THE NOVEMBER STRIKES, WHICH LASTED OVER 60 HOURS, KILLED 166 PEOPLE. STANDING ON THE GRAND CANTILEVER STAIRWAY, STAFF MEMBERS CHEERED AND TOSSED ROSE PETALS IN THE AIR AFTER CHAIRMAN RATAN TATA GARLANDED A BUST OF THE FOUNDER OF THE TATA GROUP, INDIA'S OLDEST CONGLOMERATE, WHICH ALSO OWNS THE LUXURY TAJ HOTELS. 'THIS FLAGSHIP PROPERTY, THIS VENERABLE OLD LADY, IS GOING TO REOPEN IN THE SAME GLORY, THE SAME SPLENDOR OF MORE THAN 100 YEARS', TATA SAID, HIS VOICE CRACKING, AHEAD OF THE HOTEL'S SCHEDULED REOPENING ON SUNDAY. TATA HAD VOWED TO 'REBUILD EVERY INCH' OF THE ICONIC HOTEL, FOUNDED IN 1903, AND WHICH HAS PLAYED HOST TO MAHARAJAHS, HEADS OF STATE, CHIEF EXECUTIVES, MOVIE STARS AND ENTERTAINERS ALIKE. ARCHITECTS, DESIGNERS AND RESTORATION EXPERTS FROM INDIA AND AROUND THE WORLD SPENT MORE THAN 21 MONTHS ASSESSING THE DAMAGE, THEN RESTORING THE HOTEL, SAID RAYMOND BICKSON, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF TAJ HOTELS. THE HOTEL, WHICH COMBINES ORIENTAL, FLORENTINE AND MOORISH ARCHITECTURAL STYLES IN ITS VAULTED ALABASTER CEILINGS, GRACEFUL ARCHWAYS AND MARBLE FLOORS, HOUSES FINE EXAMPLES OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY INDIAN ART, AND NOW, MODERN SECURITY SYSTEMS, TOO. THE PALACE WING, BUILT ON RECLAIMED LAND OVERLOOKING THE ARABIAN SEA, IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF INDO-SARCENIC ARCHITECTURE, WITH CUPOLAS AND A DOMINANT DOME, WHICH DURING THE 60 HOUR SIEGE WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES AND THICK SMOKE FROM GRENADES. THE COMPANY SPENT SOME $38 MILLION ON REPAIRS AND RESTORATION, BICKSON SAID. WHILE THE TAJ HAS RETAINED ITS PRICELESS BELGIAN CHANDELIERS, ANTIQUE CHESTS AND SACRED ICONS, IT HAS COMPLETELY REFURBISHED ITS LUXURIOUS SUITES, INCLUDING THE RAVI SHANKAR SUITE, WHERE SHANKAR TAUGHT BEATLE GEORGE HARRISON TO PLAY THE SITAR.

LOUIS VUITTON OPENS IN SANTA MONICA

LAST FRIDAY, LOUIS VUITTON OPENED ITS FIRST LOCATION ON THE WEST SIDE OF LOS ANGELES. LOCATED AT THE NEWLY RENOVATED SANTA MONICA PLACE, BETWEEN 3rd STREET PROMENADE AND THE WORLD FAMOUS SANTA MONICA PIER, THIS MARKS THE 137th LOUIS VUITTON IN NORTH AMERICA. WITH A SURFACE AREA OF 4,139 SQUARE FEET, LOUIS VUITTON SANTA MONICA WILL CARRY AN ARRAY OF WOMEN'S AND MEN'S LEATHER GOODS FROM THE HOUSE'S TRADITIONAL AND INNOVATIVE COLLECTIONS OF LUGGAGE AND CITY BAGS, AS WELL AS THE VERY LATEST IN SHOES, BELTS, SUNGLASSES, SCARVES AND OTHER ACCESSORIES. PROMINENTLY LOCATED ON THE CENTRAL PLAZA OF THE GROUND FLOOR, LOUIS VUITTON SANTA MONICA BOASTS A SWEEPING CURVED GLASS FACADE AND BEAUTIFUL ALL WOOD FLOORING. FILTERING IN NATURAL LIGHT THROUGH SHEET FABRIC PANELS, AND UTILIZING A MIXTURE OF CUMARU, ZEBRONO AND ANIGRE WOODS, LOUIS VUITTON'S NEWEST NORTH AMERICAN LOCATION CAPTURES ALL THE NATURAL WARMTH AND BEAUTY OF ITS LOCAL ENVIRONS. THE INTERIOR DESIGN ALLOWS FOR THREE DISTINCT SPATIAL EXPERIENCES, GIVING UNIQUE CHARACTER TO EACH OF THE DIFFERENT PRODUCT UNIVERSES. THE WOMEN'S AREA HAS A LOUIS VUITTON 'BAG BAR', A VERTICAL DISPLAY OF SMALL LEATHER GOODS, AND A DEDICATED ACCESSORIES SPACE. THIS LEADS INTO AN ELEGANT LOUNGE AREA SHOWCASING WOMEN'S SHOES AS WELL AS RARE AND EXCEPTIONAL PRODUCTS, WHILE THE MEN'S AREA HOUSES LEATHER GOODS, SHOES, ACCESSORIES AND BOTH NEW AND ICONIC LUGGAGE.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY RECEIVES RED HAT DONATION

THE SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY HAS RECENTLY RECEIVED A DONATION FROM THE RED HAT SOCIETY, A WOMEN'S SOCIAL ORGANIZATION THAT FOSTERS A SENSE OF JOY AND SISTERHOOD. THE GIFT INCLUDES A BRIGHT RED FEDORA, THE HAT THAT INITIATED THE FOUNDING OF THE RED HAT SOCIETY, AND A PURPLE FEATHER BOA. BOTH ACCESSORIES WERE OWNED BY SUE ELLEN COOPER, THE FOUNDER AND 'EXALTED QUEEN MOTHER' OF THE SOCIETY; SHE DONATED THEM TO THE ORGANIZATION IN 2002. IN THE FALL OF 1997, COOPER PURCHASED THE OLD RED FEDORA FROM A THRIFT SHOP IN TUSCON, ARIZONA, DRAWN BY ITS LOW PRICE AND ELEGANCE. A YEAR LATER, SHE PRESENTED THE HAT, ALONG WITH A POEM BY JENNY JOSEPH TITLED 'WARNING', TO A FRIEND CELEBRATING HER 55th BIRTHDAY. THE POEM, WHICH READS 'WHEN I AM AN OLD WOMAN, I SHALL WEAR PURPLE, WITH A RED HAT WHICH DOESN'T GO AND DOESN'T SUIT ME', VERBALIZED THE MESSAGE COOPER INTENDED FOR HER FRIEND, THAT GROWING OLDER SHOULD BE DONE PLAYFULLY AND ON HER OWN TERMS. THAT MESSAGE AFFECTED THE LIVES OF THE WOMEN COOPER ENCOUNTERED: THE RED HAT BECAME HER SIGNATURE GIFT, AND ITS SYMBOLISM INSPIRED THEM TO DON THEIR OWN RED HATS. IN 1998, AT A TEA PARTY IN FULLERTON, CALIF, THE RED HAT SOCIETY WAS BORN. NEWS ABOUT THE WOMEN IN PURPLE AND RED SPREAD RAPIDLY, AND IN JUST FIVE YEARS THERE WERE MORE THAN 40,000 CHAPTERS WORLDWIDE. THE RED HAT AND FATHER BOA ARE SYMBOLS OF AN INTERDENOMINATIONAL, INTERRACIAL, INTERGENERATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S SOCIAL ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDES A SENSE OF COHESION AND STABILITY IN WOMEN'S LIVES. THE MUSEUM RECORDS THE DEVELOPMENT AND RISE OF FRATERNAL SOCIETIES AND ORGANIZATION SUCH AS THE YMCA/YWCA, THE MASONS, BOY AND GIRL SCOUTS AND FIRE-FIGHTING SOCIETIES THROUGH A COLLECTION OF OBJECTS THAT SYMBOLIZE THESE ORGANIZATIONS' MISSIONS.

WINSLOW HOMER'S "BOYS IN A PASTURE" ISSUED ON NEW POSTAGE STAMP

TWO FARMS BOYS REST IN A FIELD, A QUIET MOMENT EMBLEMATIC OF 19th CENTURY RURAL AMERICA, BRINGS NOSTALGIA VIA A NEW 44 CENT POSTAGE STAMP BEING RELEASED THURSDAY. THE STAMP, THE LATEST IN THE POSTAL SERVICE'S AMERICAN TREASURES SERIES, FEATURES WINSLOW HOMER'S 1874 PAINTING, ON DISPLAY AT BOSTON'S MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS. HOMER'S WORK LARGELY FOCUSES ON LANDSCAPES AND SCENES OF AMERICAN LIFE. FIRST DAY OF ISSUE CEREMONIES FOR THE STAMP ARE BEING HELD AT THE AMERICAN PHILATELIC SOCIETY STAMPSHOW 2010 IN RICHMOND, VA. IT'S HOMER'S THIRD TIME ON A US POSTAGE STAMP. THE FIRST WAS IN 1962, FEATURING 'BREEZING UP (A FAIR WIND)', A PAINTING OF A MAN AND THREE BOYS SAILING. IN 1998 A STAMP CARRIED HIS PAINTING 'THE FOG WARNING'. WINSLOW HOMER IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE GREATEST AMERICAN PAINTERS OF THE 19th CENTURY. BORN IN BOSTON, HE BEGAN A TWO-YEAR APPRENTICESHIP IN A LITHOGRAPHY SHOP AT THE AGE OF 19 AND AFTERWARDS BECAME A FREELANCE ILLUSTRATOR. IN 1859, HE MOVED TO NEW YORK CITY, WHERE HE STUDIED AT THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF DESIGN AND WORKED AS A FREELANCE ARTIST FOR HARPER'S WEEKLY MAGAZINE. IN 1861, AT THE START OF THE CIVIL WAR, THE MAGAZINE SENT HIM TO THE FRONT LINES AS AN ARTIST-CORRESPONDENT. INAUGURATED IN 2001 WITH THE AMISH QUILTS STAMP PANE, THE AMERICAN TREASURES SERIES CONSISTS OF ANNUAL ISSUANCES INTENDED TO SHOWCASE BEAUTIFUL WORKS OF AMERICAN FINE ART AND CRAFTS.

SOTHEBY'S TO HOLD SPECIAL CHATEAU LAFITE-ROTHSCHILD AUCTION

NO OTHER WINE HAS CAPTURED THE IMAGINATION OF THE CHINESE WINE CONNOISSEUR LIKE CHATEAU LAFITE-ROTHSCHILD. FROM THE HIGH-END RESTAURANTS THAT LINE BEIJING'S DONGCHENG DISTRICT TO SHANGHAI'S THREE ON THE BUND COMPLEX, LAFITE IS A NAME THAT INSPIRES A HUSHED REVERENCE. SO IT IS FITTING THAT ON 29.OCTOBER, SOTHEBY'S HONG KONG IS DEDICATING AN ENTIRE EVENING TO WINES PROCURED DIRECTLY FROM LAFITE. NEARLY 2,000 BOTTLES, DATING FROM 1869 TO 2008, AND WHICH HAVE NEVER LEFT THE CHATEAU UNTIL NOW, WILL BE OFFERED FOR SALE. IT IS ALMOST UNHEARD OF FOR LAFITE TO RELEASE LIBRARY VINTAGES FROM THEIR PRIVATE CELLAR, BUT THE ESTATE WANTED TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HONOR SOME OF THEIR BIGGEST FANS. LAFITE'S NOW LEGENDARY STATUS IN ASIA IS UNDERSTANDABLE. ONE OF ONLY FIVE FIRST GROWTH PRODUCERS IN BORDEAUX, LAFITE CAN TRACE ITS HERITAGE TO THE MID 1500s, AND THE UNIQUE QUALITY OF ITS LAND TO A TIME BEFORE DINOSAURS INHABITED PREHISTORIC FRANCE. THE NEAR MYTHICAL SOIL OF LAFITE IS LINKED TO THE PALEOZOIC ERA, WHICH ACCOUNTS FOR THE WHITE, GRAY AND RUST COLOURED STONES THAT GIVE LAFITE'S WINES THEIR UNPARALLELED POWER AND FINESSE. THE CHANCE TO BUY A BOTTLE OF LAFITE AT AUCTION IS ALREADY A THING OF BEAUTY, BUT TO HAVE ACCESS TO SO MANY VINTAGES, CELLARED AT THE ESTATE, IS SURE TO DRAW ITS MOST DEVOTED FOLLOWERS. THE SALE IS EXPECTED TO FETCH BETWEEN $1.5 AND $2.5 MILLION. (ALL BOTTLES WILL HAVE A LABEL WITH THE SOTHEBY'S DESIGNATION AND ALL BOTTLES ARE LASER ENGRAVED AT THE BOTTOM "HONG KONG 2010")

COLLECTION OF COMMUNION SILVER BOUGHT FOR BIRMINGHAM

A RARE COLLECTION OF COMMUNION SILVER, WITH SOME PIECES DATING BACK OVER 500 YEARS, HAS JUST BEEN BOUGHT FOR BIRMINGHAM WITH THE HELP OF A £27,000 GRANT FROM THE ART FUND. THE COLLECTION CONSISTS OF A RARE PRE-REFORMATION SILVER PARCEL-GILT PATEN ENGRAVED WITH THE MANUS DEI (HAND OF GOD) c.1450; A SILVER COMMUNION CUP (1634) AND A PAIR OF SILVER FLAGONS AND STANDING PATEN BY LONDON SILVERSMITH ANTHONY NELME. THE FLAGONS ARE ENGRAVED WITH THE INSCRIPTION: 'A GIFT TO CASTLE BROMWICH CHAPPLE IN THE YEAR 1723'. THE SILVER WILL INITIALLY GO ON DISPLAY AT ASTON HALL, UNTIL THE END OF OCTOBER, AND WILL THEN MOVE TO ITS PERMANENT HOME AT BIRMINGHAM MUSEUMS & ART GALLERY. STEPHEN DEUCHAR, DIRECTOR OF THE ART FUND, SAID: 'THIS HISTORIC ANGLICAN COMMUNION HIGHLIGHTS THE HISTORY OF THE LOCAL CHURCH AND ALSO SHOWS OFF THE WORK OF A LEADING SILVERSMITH. WE'RE REALLY PLEASED THAT BIRMINGHAM MUSEUMS & ART GALLERY WILL NOW BE ITS PERMANENT HOME, SO PEOPLE CAN ADMIRE IT FOR YEARS TO COME.' THE OTHER PARTNERS WHO HELPED REACH THE FULL £54,000 ASKING PRICE WERE THE MLA/V&A PURCHASE GRANT (£17,000), CITY OF BIRMINGHAM MUSEUMS & ART GALLERIES DEVELOPMENT TRUST (£10,000) AND FRIENDS OF BIRMINGHAM MUSEUMS & ART GALLERY (£2,000).

GONE WITH THE WIND DRESSES IN NEED OF RESTORATION

IT'S TIME TO FIND OUT IF FANS OF 'GONE WITH THE WIND' FRANKLY GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE FABULOUS DRESSES WORN BY VIVIAN LEIGH IN THE MULTIPLE OSCAR-WINNING CIVIL WAR DRAMA. TEH HARRY RANSOM CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS IN AUSTIN IS TRYING TO RAISE $30,000 TO RESTORE FIVE OF SCARLETT O'HARA'S NOW TATTERED GOWNS FROM THE 1939 FILM. THE RANSOM CENTER IS PLANNING AN EXHIBIT TO MARK THE MOVIE'S 75th ANNIVERSARY IN 2014, BUT AT THE MOMENT MOST OF THEM ARE TOO FRAGILE TO GO ON DISPLAY, ACCORDING TO JILL MORENA, THE CENTER'S COLLECTION ASSISTANT FOR COSTUMES AND PERSONAL EFFECTS. 'THERE ARE AREAS WHERE THE FABRIC HAS BEEN WORN THROUGH, FRAGILE SEAMS AND OTHER PROBLEMS', MORENA SAID. 'THESE DRESSES HAVE BEEN UNDER A LOT OF STRESS.' THE RANSOM CENTER ACQUIRED THE COSTUMES, INCLUDING O'HARA'S GREEN CURTAIN DRESS, GREEN VELVET GOWN, BURGUNDY BALL GOWN, BLUE VELVET NIGHT GOWN AND HER WEDDING DRESS, IN THE MID 1980s AS PART OF THE COLLECTION OF 'GONE WITH THE WIND' PRODUCER DAVID O SELZNICK. BY THEN, THEY HAD ALREADY BEEN THROUGH DECADES OF TRAVELING DISPLAYS IN THEATERS AND HAD BEEN ON LOAN TO THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART IN NEW YORK. 'FILM COSTUMES WEREN'T MEANT TO LAST', MORENA SAID. 'THEY ARE ONLY MEANT TO LAST THROUGH THE DURATION OF FILMING. YOU WON'T FIND THEM TO BE AS FINISHED AS IF YOU BOUGHT SOMETHING OFF THE RACK.' THE COSTUMES ARE AMONG THE MOST FAMOUS IN HOLLYWOOD HISTORY AND THEY PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR FILMS EVER. 'GONE WITH THE WIND' WON EIGHT ACADEMY AWARDS. YET THE GREEN CURTAIN DRESS, SYMBOLIC OF O'HARA'S DETERMINATION TO SURVIVE, HAS LOOSE SEAMS AND NEEDS STRUCTURAL REINFORCEMENT. OTHERS HAVE SUFFERED ABRASION AND AREAS WHERE THE FABRIC IS NEARLY WORN THROUGH. LEIGH WORE THE CURTAIN DRESS IN THREE SCENES: THE JAIL SCENE IN WHICH SCARLETT ASKS RHETT BUTLER FOR FINANCIAL HELP; AS SHE WALKS THROUGH THE STREETS OF ATLANTA WITH MAMMY; AND WHEN SHE MEETS FRANK KENNEDY.

VISIONAIRE PAYS TRIBUTE TO ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

HIS STUNNING UNORTHODOX CREATIONS OF FANTASY EARNED FASHION DESIGNER ALEXANDER MCQUEEN A WORLDWIDE FOLLOWING. AND NOW IT'S THE TURN OF VISIONAIRE TO PAY TRIBUTE TO THE ICONIC FIGURE THAT CHANGED THE FACE OF FASHION IN THE 90s AND 2000s. VISIONAIRE HAS PUT TOGETHER A SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION ISSUE WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE LIKES OF STEVEN KLEIN, MARIO SORRENTO, STEVE MEISEL, MARIO TESTINO AND LADY GAGA TO NAME A FEW. LIMITED TO JUST 50 EDITIONS THE VISIONARY SPIRIT 58 HAS BEEN CREATED IN VERY CLOSE ASSOCIATION WITH THE FASHION HOUSE OF ALEXANDER MCQUEEN. THE ISSUE IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER AT COLLETE FOR $1,980.

OIL-SPILL PHOTO SPREAD FEATURED IN VOGUE ITALIA

THE MODEL IS IN BLACK, PRONE AND DIRTY ON JAGGED ROCKS, NETTING DRAPED AROUND HER LEGS LIKE A DEAD SEA CREATURE. THERE SHE IS AGAIN, LYING ON HER BACK IN A STUNNING FEATHERED GOWN, AND IN CLOSE UP, HER HAIR AND FACE SLEEK WITH OIL. A STIRRING AND DARING PHOTO SPREAD IN THE NEW AUGUST ISSUE OF VOGUE ITALIA WAS INSPIRED BY THE RECENT GULF OIL SPILL, LEAVING READERS WONDERING IF THE MAGAZINE CROSSED FROM EVOCATIVE TO INSENSITIVE. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF FRANC SOZZANI UNDERSTANDS THE DEBATE STRETCHING FROM BLOGOSPHERE TO BEACHES AND SAID THE MOTIVATION IS STRAIGHTFORWARD. 'THE MESSAGE IS TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT NATURE', SHE SAID IN A RECENT INTERVIEW. THE SPREAD, FEATURING KIRISTEN MCMENAMY, IS TITLED 'WATER & OIL' AND WAS SHOT IN LOS ANGELES BY LEADING FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER, STEVEN MEISEL. SOZZANI SAID THE SHOOT REFLECTS THE MAGAZINE'S EFFORT TO 'FIND AN IDEA THAT COMES FROM REAL LIFE. . . . THERE IS NOTHING MORE POLITICAL. THERE IS NOTHING SOCIAL. IT'S ONLY VISUALLY. WE GAVE A MASSAGE BUT IN A VISUAL WAY.' SOME BLOGGERS WEREN'T PLEASED. DODI STEWART, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF JEZEBEL, CALLED THE SPREAD INAPPROPRIATE. 'I DIDN'T FEEL IT MADE A STATEMENT', SHE SAID IN AN INTERVIEW. 'I FELT THAT THEY USED THE OIL SPILL AS A BACKDROP. THERE WAS ONE PICTURE THAT HAD FEATHERS. . . WHAT MAKES A STRONGER STATEMENT ABOUT OIL-SLICKED BIRDS IS AN OIL-SLICKED BIRD.' MIRANDA LASH, CURATOR OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART AT THE NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART, SAID ARTISTS SHOULD BE FREE TO TAKE ON ANY SUBJECT. 'WHEN I LOOK AT IT, I FEEL PAIN. IT EVOKES PAIN AND A FEELING OF LOSS AND SADNESS BECAUSE THIS IS GOING TO HURT MY REGION FOR A VERY LONG TIME.' BETH BATTON, CURATOR OF THE PERMANENT COLLECTION AT THE MISSISSIPPI MUSEUM OF ART IN JACKSON, MISS, SAID IN AN EMAIL THAT THE SPREAD HUMANIZES THE CONDITION OF THE GULF COAST ANIMALS AND ENVIRONMENT. 'LOOKING AT STEVEN MEISEL'S PHOTOGRAPHS, YOU KNOW SOMETHING IS TERRIBLY WRONG BECAUSE, AS SENSUAL AS THE IMAGES ARE, THE HUMAN MIND UNDERSTANDS THE TOXICITY OF THE OIL SPILL THAT HAS COATED MODEL KRISTEN MCMENAMY'S SKIN, HAIR AND FEATHERY GLOVES', SHE SAID.

BRUCE MUSEUM ACQUIRES GASTON LACHAISE SCULPTURE

THE BRUCE MUSEUM, GREENWICH, CT, RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THAT IT HAS ACQUIRED A MAJOR SCULPTURE BY THE FRENCH/AMERICAN ARTIST GASTON LACHAISE (1882-1935), OE OF THE PIONEERS OF MODERN ART IN THE EARLY DECADES OF THE LAST CENTURY. THE WORK DEPICTS LINCOLN KIRSTEIN, ONE OF THE MOST DYNAMIC AND INFLUENTIAL CULTURAL FIGURES OF HIS DAY, AN IMPRESARIO AND AUTHOR, AS WELL AS A GREAT PATRON OF THE ARTS. THE SCULPTURE, TITLED MAN WALKING (PORTRAIT OF LINCOLN KIRSTEIN), IS ONE OF ONLY TWO CASTS IN EXISTENCE (THE OTHER WAS ACQUIRED BY THE WHITNEY MUSEUM OF ART DIRECTLY FROM A SHOW HELD THERE IN 1933-34) AND WAS DELIVERED TO KIRSTEIN IN JULY 1934. LACHAISE EARLIER HAD EXECUTED A BUST-LENGTH PORTRAIT OF HIS FRIEND AND PATRON KIRSTEIN, WHO IS CREDITED WITH HAVING HELPED INSPIRE THE FOUNDATION OF THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART AND PERSONALLY ORGANIZED THE RETROSPECTIVE THERE OF LACHAISE'S WORKS THAT APPEARED IN 1935, THE FIRST MONOGRAPHIC SHOW OF ANY AMERICAN ARTIST AT THE INSTITUTION. THE SUBJECT OF THE SCULPTURE, KIRSTEIN, WAS HEIR OF THE FILENE'S DEPARTMENT STORE FORTUNE AND HAD BEGUN PROMOTING ART EVEN AS AN UNDERGRADUATE AT HARVERD. HE WAS AN EARLY COMPANION NOT ONLY OF LACHAISE AND HIS FRIENDS, BUT ALSO OF ISAMU NOGUCHI, ALEXANDER CALDER AND BUCKMINSTER FULLER, AND ORGANIZED THE FIRST BAUHAUS SHOW IN AMERICA. HIS CLASSMATE JOHN WALKER, LATER FIRST DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY IN WASHINGTON, LIKENED KIRSTEIN'S UNCANNY ABILITY TO SPOT TALENT TO A 'SETTER POINTING OUT COVEYS OF GENIUS'. ONE OF HIS GREATEST DISCOVERIES OCCURRED IN EUROPE WHERE HE MET THE RUSSIAN DANCER AND CHOREOGRAPHER GEORGE BALANCHINE. TOGETHER THEY ESTABLISHED THE SCHOOL OF AMERICAN BALLET, WHICH BECAME THE NEW YORK CITY BALLET. DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR, KIRSTEIN SERVED AS ONE OF THE 'MONUMENT MEN', WHO HELPED RECOVER AND RESTITUTE ART WORKS LOOTED BY THE NAZIS.
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JULIEN'S AUCTIONS TO HOLD FIRST ENTERTAINMENT MEMORABILIA AUCTION IN CHINA

JULIEN'S AUCTIONS, THE PREMIERE AUCTION HOUSE IN THE WORLD FOR ENTERTAINMENT POP CULTURE MEMORABILIA, ANNOUNCED THE AUCTION OF ICONIC PROPERTY TO TAKE PLACE ON 9.OCTOBER AT PONTE 16, A WORLD-CLASS ENTERTAINMENT RESORT IN MACAU SAR, CHINA. THE PARTNERSHIP, SPANNING TWO CONTINENTS, WILL FEATURE PROPERTY FROM THE LIFE AND CAREER OF MICHAEL JACKSON INCLUDING STAGE WORN GLOVES, ORIGINAL PAINTINGS, HANDWRITTEN NOTES AND A RARE BLACK SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL GLOVE ($30,000/50,000) WORN BY JACKSON DURING HIS HISTORIC PROMOTION OF HIS 30 MILLION DOLLAR PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE ALBUM HISTORY: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE AND OTHER ITEMS FROM HIS LEGENDARY CAREER. ANOTHER MAJOR HIGHLIGHT OF THE AUCTION IS A BURGUNDY VELVET BALL GOWN WORN BY PRINCESS DIANA TO A 1989 EVENT AT THE FRENCH EMBASSY HONORING THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR, VISCOUNT LUC DE LA BARRE DE NATEUIL (Est. $80,000/$100,000). IN ADDITION, AN ASSORTMENT OF POP CULTURE ARTIFACTS WILL BE OFFERED FROM BLOCK BUSTER FILMS AND TELEVISION SHOWS SUCH AS GHOSTBUSTERS, THE BATMAN FILM FRANCHISE, THE LEGEND OF SLEEP HOLLOW, BABYLON 5, KRULL, THE LAST STARFIGHTER, HEROES, 24 AND THE ORIGINAL TELEVISION SERIES V WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE AUCTION. OTHER LEGENDARY PROPERTY INCLUDE ITEMS FROM THE LIFE AND CAREER OF MADONNA, ELVIS PRESLEY, MARILYN MONROE, BRUCE LEE AND OTHER ICONIC LEGENDS WHO'S POPULARITY SPANS ALL CONTINENTS. A FULL COLOUR LIMITED EDITION COLLECTIBLE CATALOG IS AVAILABLE AT www.juliensauctions.com.

JONATHAN FERRARA GALLERY TO SELL ARTWORK TO BENEFIT OIL SPILL FAMILIES

JONATHAN FERRARA GALLERY, NEW ORLEANS, HAS ANNOUNCED A LIMITED UNIQUE EDITION PRINT BY ARTIST BRIAN BORRELLO THAT WILL BENEFIT THE EXPANSION OF RESOURCES AND MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES AFFECTED BY THE BP OIL SPILL. BRIAN BORRELLO IS A PORTLAND-BASED ARTIST WHO WAS BORN AND RAISED IN NEW ORLEANS. BORRELLO IS WELL-KNOWN FOR HIS ENVIRONMENTAL WORKS AND PUBLIC ART PROJECTS. 'NEW ORLEANS SKYLINE' IS A HIGH-RESOLUTION DIGITAL PRINT ON ARCHIVAL PAPER WITH OIL COLLECTED FROM THE BP DEEPWATER HORIZON SPILL. BORRELLO HAS BEEN INTEGRATING MOTOR OIL AND OTHER MATERIALS OF A DEADLY BEAUTY IN HIS ARTWORK SINCE 1993. THE LIMITED UNIQUE EDITION PRINT WILL BE SOLD DIRECTLY FROM THE GALLERY WITH A PORTION OF THE PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT THE ST BERNARD PROJECT IN COLLABORATION WITH LSU HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY TO PROVIDE SERVICES FOR FAMILIES IMPACTED BY THE OIL SPILL.

HERMES TALARIS SADDLE

HERMES HAS RECENTLY RELEASED ITS NEW TALARIS SADDLE AS PART OF THEIR EQUESTRIAN ACCESSORY COLLECTION. THE TALARIS SADDLE IS DESIGNED TO RESEMBLE A NORMAL SADDLE BUT WHAT MAKES IT UNIQUE IS THE INTERIOR THAT TOOK HERMES ENGINEERS NEARLY THREE YEARS TO PERFECT. THE TALARIS HAS BEEN CAREFULLY ENGINEERED TO OFFER THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF COMFORT NEVER BEFORE SEEN IN A SADDLE. THE WEIGHT OF THE SADDLE IS ONE POINT FIVE KILOS LESS THAN WHAT A NORMAL SADDLE WEIGHS, METAL AND WOOD HAVE BEEN PLACED WITH CARBON AND TITANIUM TO MAKE IT LIGHTER AND MORE DURABLE. THE HERMES TALARIS SADDLE CAN BE ADJUSTED TO FIT ANY RIDER AND HORSE AND IS AVAILABLE FROM HERMES BOUTIQUES WORLDWIDE.

CHRISTIE'S TO SELL LEHMAN BROTHERS ART COLLECTION

ART WORKS THAT ONCE ADORNED THE BRITISH AND EUROPEAN OFFICES OF FORMER BANKING POWERHOUSE LEHMAN BROTHERS ARE TO BE AUCTIONED OFF NEXT MONTH, THE BANK'S ADMINISTRATORS SAID SUNDAY. WORKS BY THE LIKES OF LUCIAN FREUD AND GARY HUME AND THE SIGN THAT ADORNED THE COMPANY'S OFFICES IN LONDON'S CANARY WHARF FINANCIAL DISTRICT WILL BE AMONG THE PIECES FOR SALE, SAID PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS (PWC), WHICH IS IN CHARGE OF THE COLLAPSED BANK'S MAIN EUROPEAN OPERATIONS. THE BANK FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY IN SEPTEMBER 2008 WITH DEBTS OF $613 BILLION, THE LARGEST BANKRUPTCY FILING IN US HISTORY, DEEPENING A GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS AND TEMPORARILY PARALYZING MARKETS. THE DATE FOR THE SALE AT CHRISTIE'S LONDON, 29.SEPTEMBER, WAS NO COINCIDENCE, PWC SAID. 'THE AUCTION DATE WAS SELECTED TO APPROXIMATELY COINCIDE WITH THE SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF THE ADMINISTRATIONS', A SPOKESMAN FOR PWC SAID. 'WE THINK THAT THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD WHO WOULD LIKE TO ACQUIRE SOME ART WITH A LEHMAN CONNECTION.' THE DIVERSE SELECTION OF ITEMS INCLUDE POST-WAR AND CONTEMPORARY PIECES, MARITIME PICTURES AND SPORTING WORKS OF ART, PWC SAID. THERE IS ALSO A COMMEMORATIVE PLAQUE MARKING THE 2004 OPENING OF THE CANARY WHARF OFFICES BY FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER GORDON BROWN WHEN HE WAS FINANCE MINISTER WHICH IS ESTIMATED TO FETCH UP TO $2,000. OVERALL, THE AUCTION IS EXPECTED TO RAISE ABOUT $3.18 MILLION TO HELP PAY BACK CREDITORS. A SIMILAR SALE OF 450 CONTEMPORARY ART WORKS OWNED BY LEHMAN IN THE UNITED STATES IS DUE TO BE HELD ON 25.SEPTEMBER AND COULD RAISE $10 MILLION.

SERENDIPITY SELLS THE WORLDS MOST EXPENSIVE DESSERTS

SUMPTUOUS LUXURY DESSERTS ARE NOT JUST DESSERTS ANYMORE THEY ARE WORLD RECORD-BREAKING DESSERTS. A STUNNING £630 GRAND OPULENCE SUNDAE AND A MIND-BOGGLING £15,730 'FRRROZEN HAUTE CHOCOLATE' ARE ON OFFER AT NEW YORK'S FAMOUS SERENDIPITY 3 RESTAURANT AND ACCORDING TO GUINNESS ARE THE MOST EXPENSIVE DESSERTS IN THE WORLD. CREATED BY ONE OF SERENDIPITY'S SPECIALIST CHEFS TO ORDER AT YOUR TABLE, THE GRAND OPULENCE SUNDAE IS AVAILABLE AT 48 HOURS NOTICE AND THE FRRROZEN HAUTE CHOCOLATE AT A STAGGERING TWO WEEKS. EACH CONTAINS 24 CARAT EDIBLE SWISS GOLD AND IS LINED WITH 23 CARAT EDIBLE GOLD LEAF AND MAINTAINS THE RESTAURANTS FAME FOR PRODUCING WORLD RENOWNED AND EXPENSIVE DESSERTS. 'WE PRODUCED THE GRAND OPULENCE TO CELEBRATE OUR 50th ANNIVERSARY IN 2005', SAID JOE CALDERONE, A SPOKESMAN FOR SERENDIPITY. 'WE WANTED SOMETHING TO MATCH OUT GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY, SO BASED OUR SUNDAE AROUND THAT PRECIOUS METAL. EACH ONE IS MADE WITH THREE SCOOPS OF THE RICHEST TAHITIAN VANILLA ICE CREAM, WHICH WE INFUSE WITH MADAGASCAR VANILLA PODS. THE SUNDAE IS HELD WITHIN A BACCARAT HARCOURT CRYSTAL GOBLET AND LINED WITH 23 CARAT EDIBLE GOLD LEAF. WE DRIZZLE IN THE WORLD'S RAREST AND EXPENSIVE CHOCOLATE AMEDEI PORCELEANA, WHICH IS HARVESTED FROM VENEZUELA AND COVERED IN CHUNKS OF CHUAO CHOCOLATE. WE ADD CANDIED FRUITS FROM PARIS AND THE SUNDAE IS TOPPED WITH GRAND PASSION CAVIAR, WHICH IS SALT FREE AMERICAN CAVIAR INFUSED WITH PASSION FRUIT, ORANGE AND ARMAGNAC. THE DESSERT IS EATEN WITH AN 18 CARAT GOLDEN SPOON AND TOPPED WITH A SPECIALLY DESIGNED SUGAR FLOWER.' NEEDING TWO DAYS NOTICE TO ORDER SOME OF THE INGREDIENTS AS THE CANDIED FRUIT FROM FRANCE, SERENDIPITY SAYS THAT SINCE ITS UNVEILING IN 2005 THEY HAVE SOLD 200 GRAND OPULENCE SUNDAES. HOWEVER, SERENDIPITY HAS ANOTHER STRATOSPHERIC DESSERT ON OFFER, THE FRRROZEN HAUTE CHOCOLATE AND IS OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED BY GUINNESS AS THE WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE DESSERT. 'WE TAKE A BACCARAT HARCOURT GOBLET FOR THE HAUTE CHOCOLATE, BUT IN THIS CASE THERE IS A 18 CARAT GOLD AND WHITE DIAMOND BRACELET ATTACHED TO THE NECK.

GALLERY OF MODERN ART, BRISBANE, PRESENTS 'VALENTINO, RETROSPECTIVE'

A MAJOR RETROSPECTIVE EXHIBITION OF THE LUXURY FASHION HOUSE OF VALENTINO IS BEING SHOWN EXCLUSIVELY AT THE GALLERY OF MODERN ART, BRISBANE, FROM 7.AUGUST THROUGH 4.NOVEMBER. QUEENSLAND ART GALLERY DIRECTOR TONY ELLWOOD SAID 'VALENTINO, RETROSPECTIVE: PAST/PRESENT/FUTURE' INCORPORATED A STUNNING ARRAY OF VALENTINO GARAVANI'S HAUTE COUTURE DESIGNS FROM THE LATE 1950s THROUGH TO HIS FINAL COLLECTION IN JANUARY 2008, AS WELL AS RECENT CREATIONS BY MARIA GRAZIA CHIURI AND PIER PAOLO PICCIOLI, APPOINTED IN OCTOBER 2008 CREATIVE DIRECTORS FOR VALENTINO, HIGHLIGHTING THE FUTURE DIRECTION OF THE MOST ESTEEMED FASHION HOUSE. VALENTINO WAS THE FIRST COUTURE HOUSE OUTSIDE OF PARIS TO BE OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED BY THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT. 'THE RETROSPECTIVE OF 100 ENSEMBLES INCLUDES SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT HAUTE COUTURE CREATIONS ORIGINALLY SHOWN IN THE EXHIBITION 'VALENTINO: THEMES AND VARIATIONS' AT LES ARTS DECORATIFS, PARIS, IN 2008', HE SAID. THE EXHIBITION EXPLORES VALENTINO'S TECHNIQUES AND RECURRING MOTIFS SUCH AS ORNAMENTATION, THE USE OF GEOMETRIC AND ANIMAL PRINTS, FRILLS, FOLDS AND PLEATS AS WELL AS THE CREATIVE POSSIBILITIES OF VOLUME, SURFACE AND LINE. GARMENTS WORN BY HOLLYWOOD STARS AND HIGH SOCIETY FIGURES SUCH AS CATE BLANCHETT, NICOLE KIDMAN, JACQUELINE KENNEDY ONASSIS, ELIZABETH TAYLOR AND OTHERS WILL BE DISPLAYED ALONG WITH THE STUNNING BLACK AND WHITE GOWN JULIA ROBERTS WORE TO THE 73rd ACADEMY AWARDS IN 2001. IN ADDITION TO A NUMBER OF ENSEMBLES FROM VALENTINO'S NOTED 'WHITE COLLECTION' FROM 1968, THE EXHIBITION FEATURES A SELECTION OF SIGNATURE 'VALENTINO RED' DRESSES, INCLUDING ONE FROM THE COUTURIER'S COLLECTION, FIESTA, A STRAPLESS COCKTAIL DRESS IN DRAPED TULLE FROM SPRING/SUMMER 1959.

SFMOMA PRESENTS EXHIBITION ON PAUL KLEE

FROM 7.AUGUST THROUGH 16.JANUARY.2011, THE SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART WILL SHOWCASE THE EXHIBITION PRINTS BY PAUL KLEE. SFMOMA HAS HAD A LONGSTANDING COMMITMENT TO THE ART OF PAUL KLEE OVER ITS 75 YEAR HISTORY. THE EXHIBITION RE-CREATES A SHOW OF PRINTS BY THE SWISS-BORN MODERNIST HELD AT THE MUSEUM IN 1946. AT THAT TIME, KLEE'S WORK WAS LITTLE KNOWN OUTSIDE OF EUROPE; THE EXHIBITION WAS PERCEIVED AS HIGHLY ORIGINAL, AND THE WORKS SEEMS NO LESS FRESH OR INNOVATIVE MORE THAN SIX DECADES LATER. THE PRINTS DEMONSTRATE HOW KLEE, LIKE MANY GERMAN EXPRESSIONIST ARTISTS OF THE EARLY 20th CENTURY, EXPERIMENTED WITH ETCHING, DRY-POINT AND LITHOGRAPHY TECHNIQUES IN ORDER TO ADVANCE HIS EXPLORATION OF PICTORIAL SYMBOLISM.
KLEE (1879–1940), BORN IN MUNCHENBUCHSEE, JUST NORTH OF BERN, SWITZERLAND'S CAPITAL, GREW UP IN A MUSICAL FAMILY AND WAS HIMSELF A VIOLINIST. ULTIMATELY HE OPTED TO STUDY ART AND IN 1900 TRAINED WITH NEOCLASSICIST FRANZ VON STUCK AT THE MUNICH ACADEMY, WHERE HE FIRST MET PAINTER VASILY KANDINSKY. AS WAS STANDARD ACADEMIC PRACTICE, HIS TRAINING INCLUDED LESSONS AND LIFE DRAWINGS FROM THE NUDE; HE LATER SPENT SEVEN MONTHS TOURING ITALY, WHERE HE WAS EXPOSED TO EARLY CHRISTIAN AND BYZANTINE ART. IN 1906 HE MARRIED PIANIST LILI STUMPF AND SETTLED IN MUNICH, THEN AN IMPORTANT CENTER FOR AVENT-GARDE ART;THEIR ONLY CHILD FELIX, WAS BORN THERE THE FOLLOWING YEAR. KLEE'S FRIENDSHIP WITH KANDINSKY PROMPTED HIM TO JOIN DER BLAUE REITER, AN EXPRESSIONIST GROUP PIVOTAL TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ABSTRACT ART. LATER, AT THE INVITATION OF FOUNDER WALTER GROPIUS, KLEE TAUGHT AT THE ESTEEMED BAUHAUS FROM 1920 TO 1931; IN 1931 HE ACCEPTED A POSITION AT THE DUSSELDORF ACADEMY, BUT WAS SOON DISMISSED BY THE NAZIS, WHO INCLUDED 17 OF HIS WORKS IN THEIR INFAMOUS EXHIBITION OF 'DEGENERATE ART', ENTARTETE KUNST, IN 1937. AFTER A MOVE TO SWITZERLAND IN 1933, KLEE DEVELOPED THE CRIPPLING COLLAGEN DISEASE SCLERODERMA, MARKED BY A PATHOLOGICAL THICKENING AND HARDENING OF THE SKIN; HE DIED FROM ITS COMPLICATIONS IN 1940.
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