20.11.10

SMITHSONIAN UNVEILS HOPE DIAMOND IN NEW SETTING


THE HOPE DIAMOND, THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS DIAMOND, BEGAN ANOTHER CHAPTER IN ITS ALREADY ILLUSTRIOUS HISTORY. FOR THE FIRST TIME THE DIAMOND IS ON DISPLAY AT THE SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY IN A SETTING OTHER THAN ITS HISTORIC CARTIER-DESIGNED SETTING. THE NEW TEMPORARY SETTING, 'EMBRACING HOPE' WAS DESIGNED BY HARRY WINSTON INC AND UNVEILED AND PLACED ON DISPLAY 18.NOVEMBER. THE EVENT MARKS THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE HOPE DIAMOND'S DONATION TO TEH MUSEUM IN 1958 AND THE 100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE MUSEUM. THE NEW EXHIBIT ALSO COINCIDES WITH THE WORLD PREMIER OF THE SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL DOCUMENTARY FILM, MYSTERY OF TEH HOPE DIAMOND, WHICH DEBUTS 21.NOVEMBER. MORE THAN 100,000 PEOPLE SELECTED THE STUNNING NEW DESIGN IN AN ONLINE VOTE SPONSORED BY THE SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL. MASTER CRAFTSMEN AT THE HARRY WINSTON INC THEN SPENT EIGHT MONTHS CREATING THE SETTING. THE NEW PLATINUM SETTING SURROUNDS THE LEGENDARY DEEP-BLUE DIAMOND WITH AN EXTRAORDINARY 340 BAGUETTE DIAMONDS TOTALING 60 CARATS. IT WILL BE ON DISPLAY FOR A LIMITED TIME, AFTER WHICH THE HOPE WILL BE RETURNED TO ITS HISTORIC SETTING. AS PART OF TEH CELEBRATION, HARRY WINSTON INC ANNOUNCED THAT IT WILL MAKE A $1 MILLION DONATION TO SUPPORT GEM AND MINERAL SCIENCES EDUCATION AT THE SMITHSONIAN THROUGH ITS NEW HARRY WINSTON HOPE FOUNDATION. WHEN DISTINGUISHED JEWELER HARRY WINSTON GAVE THE HOPE DIAMOND TO THE MUSEUM IN 1958, HE MADE A LASTING GIFT TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THAT HAS SINCE BECOME ONE OF THE MOST RENOWNED MUSEUM ICONS IN THE WORLD. THE GEM INSPIRES MORE THAN 7 MILLION VISITORS A YEAR WITH ITS FASCINATING SCIENTIFIC STORY, HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND INTRIGUING TALES OF A CURSE. IT IS THE MOST VISITED AND MOST POPULAR OBJECT IN THE ENTIRE SMITHSONIAN

BIJAN ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM


BIJAN, THE RENOWNED US-BASED IRANIAN DESIGNER OF LUXURY MENSWEAR AND FRAGRANCES, WHO HAS DRESSES SOME OF THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS AND POWERFUL MEN, INCLUDING BARACK OBAMA, TOM CRUISE, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN, PAUL ALLEN AND GIORGIO ARMANI, HAS NOW TEAMED UP WITH ROLLS-ROYCE TO LEND HIS ICONIC LUXURIOUS STYLE TO THE ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM COUPE. THE DESIGNER IS KNOWN FOR HIS LAVISH RODEO DRIVE BOUTIQUE, WHICH IS ALSO KNOWN AS THE MOST EXPENSIVE STORE IN THE WORLD, AND CAN BE VISITED BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. BIJAN WILL CUSTOMIZE THE LIMITED EDITION ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM COSTING MORE THAN $1 MILLION EACH, WITH UP TO 30 UNITS TO BE SOLD TO A SELECT GROUP OF VIPs FROM 20 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. BIJAN'S SPECIFICATIONS WILL BE DEVELOPED BY SKILLED CRAFTSMEN AT ROLLS-ROYCE'S PRODUCTION FACILITY IN GOODWWOD, ENGLAND. THE FIRST OF THE BIJAN ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM WILL BE PRESENTED IN THE SPRING OF 2011.

19.11.10

GALERIE MICHAEL SCHULTZ PRESENTS AN EXHIBITION OF WOLFGANG JOOP WORKS


WITH THE ARTISTIC WORK OF WOLFGANG JOOP, GALERIE MICHAEL SCHULTZ PRESENTS AN ASPECT OF THIS CREATIVE MULTI-VERSATILE GENIUS WHICH IS STILL LESS HEARD OF, AS OPPOSED TO HIS WORLD FAME AS A DESIGNER. FOR MORE THAN TEN YEARS NOW, THE ARTIST WHO COMPLETED HIS STUDIOS FOR FINE ARTS AT HOCHSCHULE FUR BILDENDE KUNSTE BRAUNSCHWEIG HAS ALSO BEEN INVOLVED WITH SCULPTURE. HIS COMPLETE BODY OF WORK STANDS OUT DUE TO INTUITION AND THE ULTIMATE MANUAL PERFECTION. THEY ACHIEVED THIS IN QUITE DIFFERENT GENRES OF FINE AND APPLIED ARTS, ALWAYS WITH THE SAME PRECISION THAT CHARACTERIZES HIS WORKS SO DISTINCTLY. FOR JOOP'S THINKING IN TERMS OF GESAMTKUNSTWERK (TOTAL WORK OF ART) THIS APPLIES TO FASHION AS IT DOES FOR EXPRESSING MYTHS, POETRY AND DEATH. THE SCULPTURAL AND TEXTILE WORKS SHOWN IN THE EXHIBITION, WITHIN THEIR STRONG MATERIAL OPPOSITES, FORGE A UNIT IN THEMSELVES, AT FIRST GLANCE BY THEIR WEIGHT. ALTHOUGH, THE SPIRITUAL SUBJECT EXCEEDINGLY UNIFIES THEM HARMONIOUSLY INTO AN ENTITY WITH REGARDS TO CONTENT. WOLFGANG JOOP DOES NOT SHY AWAY FROM PATHOS. WHOEVER CALLS POTSDAM HIS HOME DOES KNOW ABOUT THE POWER OF CLASSICIST INFLUENCES ALL AROUND SACSSOUCI PALACE. BUT WITH THESE ELEMENTS, JOOP INITIATES A DIALOG BETWEEN TRADITION AND EXPERIMENT THAT ACCOMPLISHES MATERIALIZATION WHILE BEING BORN FROM DREAMS. HE WORKS WITH STRONG PICTORIAL QUOTES WHICH COMMEMORATE OF CHRISTIAN AND MYTHOLOGICAL ICONS, SUCH AS THE VEIL OF VERONIKA, OR THE LEGENDARY ANCIENT NIKE OF SAMOTHRACE WHOSE GIANT WINGS ADORN THE LOUVRE TODAY. 'ANGELS ARE CONSOLATORY MESSENGERS BETWEEN MAN AND GOD', THE ARTIST SAYS. HIS ANGELS OCCASIONALLY SCREAM OUT OF LONELINESS AND PAIN THOUGH, OR THEY APPEAR LIKE DEMONS WITH THEIR SOCRATIC FACIAL FEATURES, REMINDING RATHER OF KNOWING HERMES AND THEREFORE READABLE ALSO AS SIGN POSTS THAN AS GRAVE STELES, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEIR SEXUAL AFFILIATION DOES NOT MAKE ITSELF ACCESSIBLE IMMEDIATELY TO THE BEHOLDER.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.galerie-schultz.de

BOUCHON BAKERY, NEW YORK


DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON YOU CAN SPEND ENDLESS HOURS AT THE STOVE OR, IF YOU'RE IN NEW YORK CITY, YOU CAN LET THOMAS KELLER'S BOUCHON BAKERY DO ALL THE WORK FOR YOU. THIS YEAR BOUCHON BAKERY IS OFFERING HOLIDAY PIES, COOKIES AND MORE. THERE ARE TURKEY-SHAPED VERSIONS OF THE TKO COOKIES, ONE OF THOMAS KELLER'S FAVORITE SNACKS WITH A CHOCOLATE SABLE DOUGH AND A SWEET WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE FILLING, PRICED AT $3 EACH, HOUSE MADE SPECULOOS COOKIES FINISHED WITH A YOGURT GLAZE AND SHAPED AS A LEAF, WHICH IS PRICED AT 3 PER BAG AT $9.50. FOR CUPCAKE AFICIONADOS THERE IS THE PILGRIM HAT CUPCAKE, AN UPSIDE DOWN PUMPKIN SPICE CUPCAKE FILLED WITH CREAM CHEESE, ENROBED WITH FONDANT AND FESTIVELY DECORATED WITH A GOLD BUCKLE AND MINI MARZIPAN. PUMPKIN BRIOCHE ARE AVAILABLE FOR $3.25 EACH, AND OF COURSE, THERE ARE PIES. BOUCHON HAS BOURBON PECAN PIES, APPLE PIES WITH OAT STREUSEL AND THE CLASSIC PUMPKIN PIE. EACH 8-INCH PIE IS PRICED AT $30. ORDERS CAN BE MADE VIA PHONE, EMAIL OR IN PERSON.

18.11.10

BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM & ART GALLERY TO DISPLAY PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN WORK BY DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI


A PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN WORK BY DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI IS TO GO ON DISPLAY FOR THE FIRST TIME AT THE BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM & ART GALLERY, THE POETRY OF DRAWING, OPENING 29.JANUARY.2011. ROSETTI'S BROODING 'MNEMOSYN' IS A STRIKING LARGE-SCALE PASTEL DRAWING DEPICTING JANE MORRIS, WIFE OF THE DESIGNER WILLIAM MORRIS AND ROSSETTI'S MOST IMPORTANT MUSE IN THE LAST DECADE OF HIS LIFE. THE DRAWING REMAINED IN ROSSETTI'S STUDIO UNTIL HIS DEATH AND HAS BEEN IN A PRIVATE COLLECTION EVER SINCE. ROSSETTI FELL IN LOVE WITH JANE AND DREW AND PAINTED HER REPEATEDLY, SOMETIMES AS HERSELF BUT MORE OFTEN AS CHARACTERS FROM MYTHOLOGY AND LITERATURE. HER DISTINCTIVE APPEARANCE, WITH HER HEAVY DARK HAIR AND STRONG, IMPASSIVE FEATURES, HAS COME TO TYPIFY THE LATER PRE-RAPHAELITE IDEAL OF FEMALE BEAUTY. WHEN THE NOVELIST HENRY JAMES, HAVING SEEN ROSSETTI'S PAINTINGS OF HER, MET JANE IN PERSON IN 1869, HE WROTE: 'IT'S HARD TO SAY (WHETHER) SHE'S A GRAND SYNTHESIS OF ALL THE PRE-RAPHAELITE PICTURES EVER MADE, OR THEY A 'KEEN ANALYSIS OF HER - WHETHER SHE'S AND ORIGINAL OR A COPY. IN EITHER CASE SHE IS A WONDER.' THE POETRY OF DRAWING WILL DEBUT AT THE BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM & ART GALLERY BEFORE TOURING TO SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, NEXT SUMMER.

PENINSULA HOTELS ADD MINI COPPER TO ITS FLEET


IN ITS ONGOING EFFORTS TO ENHANCE THEIR GUEST'S EXPERIENCE, THE LUXURIOUS PENINSULA HOTELS IN NEW YORK AND CHICAGO WILL BE ADDING THE MINI COOPER TO ITS ALREADY WORLD-CLASS FAMOUS CAR FLEET. THIS WEEK, THE HOTELS WILL INTRODUCE CHAUFFEUR-DRIVEN MINI COOPER CARS SPECIALLY DESIGNED AND FULLY DECKED FOR THE HOTELS. IN LINE WITH THE HOTEL'S THEME, MINI COOPER S CLUBMANS HAVE BEEN GIVEN A PENINSULA GREEN PAINTWORK WITH CUSTOM SPECIFIC LETTERING ON THE DOORS AND ILLUMINATED DOOR SILLS. THE COOPER S CLUBMANS ALSO COME WITH A ROOF RAIL, WHICH ALLOWS THE HOTEL GUESTS TO HAVE EXTRA SPACE FOR THEIR EXTENDED SHOPPING BINGES. THE MINIS ALSO CONTAIN MINI REFRIGERATORS FOR DRINKS AND COLD TOWELS, AND FEATURE IPOD AND IPHONE CONNECTIONS SO THAT GUESTS CAN PLAY THEIR OWN TUNES. GUESTS WHO BOOK A SUITE WILL HAVE FREE ACCESS TO THE CARS FOR UP TO THREE HOURS PER DAY, WHETHER FOR SIGHTSEEING OR FOR SHOPPING EXPEDITIONS. BOTH OF THE HOTELS HAVE DEVELOPED SPECIFIC TOURS FOR GUESTS AS, WELL. THE TWO CARS NOW JOIN PENINSULA'S EXCLUSIVE CAR FLEET THAT ALREADY INCLUDES 14 ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM EXTENDED WHEELBASE CARS AND A CLASSIC ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM II THAT WAS BUILT IN 1943. PENINSULA FIRST ROLLED OUT MINIS AT ITS HONG KONG HOTEL LAST DECEMBER AS PART OF ITS 81st ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION.

17.11.10

LOUVRE ASKS PUBLIC FOR FUNDING TO SAVE PAINTING FOR COUNTRY


FRANCE'S LOUVRE MUSEUM IS MAKING AN UNPRECEDENTED APPEAL TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO HELP IT RAISE THE CASH NEEDED TO BUY A 16th CENTURY PAINTING DEEMED A NATIONAL TREASURE BY ART EXPERTS. THE LOUVRE HAS ALREADY SCRAPED TOGETHER $4.19 MILLION FOR 'THE THREE GRACES', AN OIL PAINTING OF THREE NUDES BY GERMAN ARTIST LUCAS CRANACH THE ELDER, BUT IS CLOSE TO $1 MILLION SHORT OF ITS PRICE TAG SET BY THE WORK'S PRIVATE OWNERS. THE LOUVRE HAS UNTIL THE END OF JANUARY TO RAISE THE FUNDS, WITHOUT WHICH IT FEARS THE MASTERPIECE COULD GO TO ANOTHER PRIVATE COLLECTOR AND NEVER GO ON PUBLIC DISPLAY, OR WORSE, BE TAKEN OUT OF FRANCE. PAINTED IN 1531, THE WORK IS AN IRONIC AND PROVOCATIVE TAKE OF THE RENAISSANCE THEME OF THE THREE GRACES, DEPICTING THE NUDES IN A MILDLY DARING POSE THAT THE LOUVRE BELIEVES COULD MAKE IT A HEADLINING PIECE OF ITS COLLECTIONS. THE CENTRAL FIGURE IN THE TABLEAU HAS CHOSEN TO CAP HER NUDITY WITH AN EYE-CATCHING FEATHERED RED HAT, WHILE THE WOMAN TO HER LEFT LEANS NONCHALANTLY ON HER NEIGHBOR, HOLDING ONE BENT LEG UP BEHIND HER BUTTOCK. AL THREE ARE WEARING CHUNKY CHAIN NECKLACES. BUT THE DECISION BY THE STATE-FUNDED MUSEUM TO APPEAL TO THE FRENCH PUBLIC'S GENEROSITY HAS ANGERED SOME PEOPLE, GIVEN WIDESPREAD DISILLUSIONMENT OVER RECENT POLITICAL FUNDING SCANDALS AND ALLEGATIONS OF TAX EVASION BY WEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. '(SARKOZY) OR L'OREAL'S BETTENCOURT SHOULD BUY IT AND GIVE IT TO THE LOUVRE SO THAT MILLIONS OF VISITORS CAN THINK OF THEM WHEN THEY WALK PAST IT', ONE READER OF DAILY LE FIGARO SAID IN AN ONLINE POST. THEY WERE REFERRING TO PRESIDENT SARKOZY, WHOSE NEW PRESIDENTIAL PLANE COST AN ESTIMATED $90 MILLION, AND SCANDAL-HIT L'OREAL HEIRESS LILIANE BETTENCOURT, FRANCE'S RICHEST WOMAN. PEOPLE WHO GIVE DONATIONS FOR THE PAINTING WILL BE LISTED AS DONORS ON THE LOUVRE'S WEBSITE AND IN PUBLICITY DOCUMENTS.

SAN FRANSISCO ART EXCHANGE PRESENTS VARGAS EXHIBITION


A MAJOR RETROSPECTIVE OF ALBERTO VARGAS' ORIGINAL ARTWORK OPENED 13.NOVEMBER AT THE SAN FRANSISCO ART EXCHANGE (SFAE). THE EXHIBITION IS CELEBRATING TWO IMPORTANT ANNIVERSARIES: 25 YEARS SINCE SFAE BROUGHT VARGAS ARTWORK TO THE ART MARKET FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH A WORLD RETROSPECTIVE IN 1985, AND THE 50 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST MONTHLY APPEARANCE OF VARGAS' ARTWORK IN PLAYBOY MAGAZINE. VARGAS' WATERCOLOURS WERE PUBLISHED AS A FULL PAGE IN EACH ISSUES OF PLAYBOY MAGAZINE, VIRTUALLY EVERY MONTH FROM 19560-1975. IT HAS BEEN 70 YEARS SINCE THE FIRST TIME A VARGAS PAINTING EVER APPEARED IN PRINT, UNDER THE NAME 'THE VARGA GIRL', IN A 1940 ISSUE OF ESQUIRE MAGAZINE. 60 WORKS OF ART, REPRESENTING EVERY PERIOD OF VARGAS' CAREER FROM 1919 TO THE 1970s, WILL BE ON DISPLAY. THE MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR RETROSPECTIVE INCLUDES RARE PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS FROM THE MAX VARGAS ESTATE, ORIGINAL ARTWORKS PROVIDED BY THE PLAYBOY COLLECTION, ART FROM SEVERAL PRIVATE COLLECTIONS AND A NUMBER OF VALUABLE LIMITED EDITION LITHOGRAPHS. ONE OF AMERICA'S MOST FAMOUS ARTISTS, VARGAS' CAREER BEGAN IN EARNEST IN 1919 WHEN HE WAS EMPLOYED BY FLORENZ ZIEGFELD TO PAINT PORTRAITS OF THE ARTISTS WHO APPEARED IN HIS ZIEGFELD FOLLIES. IN THE 1930s, HE WORKED WITH FOX, PARAMOUNT AND WARNER BROTHERS DURING THE GOLDEN ERA OF HOLLYWOOD. WORLD WAR II FOUND HIS 'GIRL NEXT DOOR' PAINTINGS TRAVELING WITH AMERICAN GI's IN THE FORM OF HIS FAMOUS PIN-UPS THAT APPEARED IN THE PAGES AND CALENDERS OF ESQUIRE MAGAZINE. SERVICE MEMBERS COPIED THEM ONTO THEIR AIRCRAFT, JACKETS AND SHIPS, ADOPTING THEM AS GOOD LUCK EMBLEMS.

16.11.10

RITZ-CARLTON HONG KONG TO HAVE WORLD'S TALLEST INFINITY POOL



THE NEW RITZ-CARLTON HONG KONG WILL BE THE TALLEST HOTEL IN THE WORLD AND THERE WILL BE AN INFINITY-EDGE POOL ON THE TOP FLOOR. THE CURRENT RECORD FOR THE HIGHEST HOTEL POOL IS THE INFINITY POOL ON THE EDGE OF THE MARINA BAY SAND HOTEL IN SINGAPORE, AN OPEN-AIR POOL PERCHED 55 STORIES UP. LIKE THE MARINA BAY SANDS, THE RITZ-CARLTON POOL WILL ALSO BE AN INFINITY POOL, BUT IT WILL BE LOCATED INDOORS ON THE 188th FLOOR. THE HOTEL IN THE MAKING WILL BE THE FLAGSHIP PROPERTY FOR THE RITZ-CARLTON IN ASIA, OCCUPYING LEVELS 102 TO 118 OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE CENTER. AT THE BASE OF THE ICC TOWER, THE ELEMENTS SHOPPING MALL OFFERS SOME OF THE FINEST LUXURY SHOPPING IN HONG KONG WITH BRAND NAMES AND INTERNATIONAL FASHION BRANDS FIGHTING FOR SPACE IN THE WORLD-CLASS LOCATION. THE BUILDING SITS DIRECTLY ACROSS VICTORIA HABOUR AND OFFERS MAGNIFICENT VIEWS OF THE HARBOR, HONG KONG AND THE NEW TERRITORIES. THE RITZ-CARLTON HONG KONG IS SET TO OPEN MARCH OF 2011.

JOHN GALLIANO DESIGNS SECOND HOLIDAY TREE FOR CLARIDGE'S HOTEL


ONCE AGAIN, DIOR'S HEAD FASHION DESIGNER JOHN GALLIANO IS RETURNING TO CLARIDGE'S HOTEL IN LONDON FOR THE HOLIDAYS WITH HIS DIOR CHRISTMAS TREE. FOR 2010, GALLIANO IS CREATING A TRULY DAZZLING DESIGN, USING THE OCEAN AS HIS MUSE FOR HIS 'UNDER THE SEA' CHRISTMAS TREE. MADE OF SPARKLING SILVER LEAVES, PINK CORAL, SEA HORSES, ANEMONES, STARFISH AND JELLY FISH, THE WHIMSICAL DESIGN IS TRULY ONE OF A KIND. LAST YEAR HE DESIGNED AN ASIAN-INSPIRED TREE THAT FEATURED SNOW LEOPARDS, DRAGON FLIES AND PARROTS AMONG ITS BABY BLUE, 'FROZEN' BRANCHES. THIS FESTIVE SEASON, CLARIDGE'S, THE ICONIC ART DECO GEM WILL BE TRANSFORMED TO AN OCEANIC PARADISE WITH GALLIANO'S EXTRAORDINARY CREATION. COMMENTING ON THE COLLABORATION, JOHN GALLIANO SAID: 'THE MAJESTIC BEAUTY OF CLARIDGE'S ART DECO INTERIORS NEVER FAILS TO INSPIRE ME. I AM THRILLED TO BE INVITED TO CREATE A NEW TREE FOR CHRISTMAS AT CLARIDGE'S. I WANTED TO CREATE AN UNDERWATER FANTASY AND HAVE MIXED PINK CORALS, SEAHORSES, ANEMONES AND JELLYFISH, ALL GLITTERING LIKE GEM STONES, SWIMMING AMIDST THE SILVER LEAVES. I HOPE WE CREATE SOMETHING AS SUMPTUOUS AS ITS SETTINGS AND THIS INSPIRES A TRULY LUXURIOUS ESCAPE AND A VERY FESTIVE SEASON AT CLARIDGE'S.' THOMAS KOCHS, CLARIDGE'S HOTEL MANAGER, COMMENTED, 'WE ARE EXCITED TO SEE THE RETURN OF THE LEGENDARY JOHN GALLIANO, WHO WILL ONCE AGAIN CREATE THE CHRISTMAS MAGIC IN OUR LOBBY. FOLLOWING HIS SPECTACULAR TREE LAST YEAR, WE SIMPLY COULD NOT RESIST TO SEE THE NEW DESIGN WHICH WILL KEEP LONDON TALKING THROUGHOUT THE SEASON. BOTH CLARIDGE'S AND DIOR ARE SYNONYMOUS WITH TIMELESS GLAMOR AND IMPECCABLE HERITAGE AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO CELEBRATING THE FESTIVE SEASON TOGETHER.' THE TREE WILL BE UNVEILED IN THE LOBBY OF THE HOTEL ON 25.NOVEMBER AND WILL BE ON DISPLAY UNTIL 5.JANUARY.2011.

15.11.10

CHRISTIE'S TO SELL FABERGE SNUFF-BOX


CHRISTIE'S UPCOMING RUSSIAN WORKS OF ART SALE ON 29.NOVEMBER WILL BE LED BY AN IMPORTANT JEWELED VARI-COLOURED GOLD AND GUILLOCHE ENAMELED IMPERIAL PRESENTATION SNUFF-BOX, MARKED FABERGE, WITH THE WORKMSTER'S MARK OF HENRIK WIGSTROM. IT WAS PRESENTED TO THE TURKISH DIPLOMAT, TURKHAN PASHA, IN DECEMBER 1913 ON BEHALF OF EMPEROR NICHOLAS II PROBABLY TO COMMEMORATE THE END OF HIS FIVE YEAR AMBASSADORSHIP IN ST PETERSBURG. IN 1919 THE SNUFF-BOX CHANGED HANDS FOR THE LAST TIME, WHEN IT WAS ACQUIRED BY THE FAMILY OF THE PRESENT OWNER. IT WILL BE OFFERED WITH AN ESTIMATE OF £400,000-600,000. THE FIRM OF FABERGE WAS AWARDED THE TITLE OF COURT JEWELER IN 1884 AND BECAME ONE OF THE MAIN SUPPLIERS TO THE CABINET OF HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY. ONLY 54 PRESENTATION SNUFF-BOXES SET WITH A MINIATURE OF NICHOLAS II WERE EVER PRESENTED BY THE EMPEROR. OF THESE, ONLY 19 WERE EXECUTED BY FABERGE, MAKING THESE BOXES EVEN RARER THAN THE FIFTY KNOWN IMPERIAL EASTER EGGS. THE PRESENT IMPERIAL PRESENTATION SNUFF-BOX WAS PURCHASED FROM FABERGE ON 16.MAY.1909 AT A COST OF 2,500 RUBLES AND WAS ENTERED IN THE LEDGERS OF THE CABINET OF HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY. IN 1911, A PORTRAIT MINIATURE BY VASILII ZUEV WAS SET ON THE COVER. THE SNUFF-BOX WAS LATER PRESENTED ON BEHALF OF EMPEROR NICHOLAS II TURKHAN PASHA ON 12.DECEMBER.1913. IN RUSSIA, THE PRACTICE OF AWARDING JEWELED SNUFF-BOXES CAME IN ITS OWN DURING THE REIGNS OF THE EMPRESS ELIZABETH AND CATHERINE THE GREAT, WHEN SNUFF TAKING DEVELOPED INTO AN ELABORATE SOCIAL RITUAL, L'ART DE PRISER, AND GAVE RISE TO THE NEW ART FORM OF LUXURIOUS SNUFF-BOXES, FOR WHICH THERE WAS A TREMENDOUS DEMAND. THE CUSTOM ENDURED IN RUSSIA LONG AFTER THE FASHION FOR SNUFF TAKING HAD PASSED. A JEWELED PRESENTATION SNUFF-BOX WAS THE MOST FREQUENTLY AWARDED PORTRAIT GIFT DURING THE REIGN OF NICHOLAS II AND WAS AN IMPERIAL AWARD BESTOWED UPON BOTH DESERVING RUSSIAN NATIONALS AS WELL AS FOREIGN DIGNITARIES. NICHOLAS II PRESENTED A TOTAL OF 54 SNUFF-BOXES WITH HIS MINIATURE PORTRAIT, 20 OF THESE TO PROMINENT RUSSIANS AND 34 TO FOREIGN DIGNITARIES.

DELAWARE ART MUSEUM PRESENTS ULTRA-REALISTIC SCULPTURE BY MARC SIJAN


THE DELAWARE ART MUSEUM PRESENTS ULTRA-REALISTIC SCULPTURE BY MARC SIJAN, FEATURING 17 STARTLINGLY LIFELIKE SCULPTURES, ON VIEW FROM 13.NOVEMBER THROUGH 16.JANUARY.2011. BASED ON INDIVIDUALS SIJAM KNOWS WELL, HIS FACES AND FIGURES CAPTURE MOVEMENT AND HUMAN EMOTION, AS WELL AS THE MINUTE DETAILS OF INDIVIDUAL APPEARANCE. ALTHOUGH THE ARTIST DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM THE IDEALIZED ANATOMY OF CLASSICAL SCULPTURES, SUCH AS MICHELANGELO'S DAVID, HIS CONTEMPORARY INTERPRETATION OF THE HUMAN FORM ILLUSTRATES THE GRITTY IMPERFECTIONS OF AVERAGE PEOPLE. SIJAN BREATHES LIFE INTO HIS SCULPTURES THROUGH A SIX-MONTH PROCESS. AFTER CREATING A PLASTER MOLD, HE CASTS THE SCULPTURE IN POLYESTER RESIN. SIJAN ACHIEVES A REALISTIC FLESH-LIKE SURFACE BY COATING THE SCULPTURE IN UP TO 25 LAYERS OF PAINT AND METICULOUSLY ADDING UNIQUE 'VARIATIONS' WITH OIL PAINT, SUCH AS FRECKLES, VEINS, AND BIRTHMARKS. TO SATISFY THE CURIOSITY OF VISITORS WHO WANT TO FEEL HIS LIFELIKE CREATIONS, SIJAN HAS INCLUDED A TOUCHABLE POLYESTER RESIN HAND IN THE SHOW. THE EXHIBITION INCLUDES FIVE LIFE-LIKE FIGURES, THREE TORSOS, AND YEN PORTRAITS. THE FREE STANDING FIGURES ARE INSTALLED THROUGHOUT THE GALLERIES TO PLAYFULLY ENGAGE VISITORS WITH THE MUSEUM'S PERMANENT COLLECTION. SIJAN, WHO IS BASED IN MILWAUKEE, WI, HAS BEEN SCULPTING THE HUMAN FIGURE AND ARTISTICALLY EXPLORING ANATOMY FOR OVER 30 YEARS. HIS WORK HAS BEEN FEATURED IN MORE THAN 51 SOLO EXHIBITION IN THE UNITED STATES AND AROUND THE WORLD.

14.11.10

VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS PRESENTS SALLY MANN EXHIBITION


ONE OF THE FIRST MAJOR EXHIBITION IN THE UNITED STATES OF THE BOLD WORK OF CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHER SALLY MANN OPENED AT THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS (VMFA) ON 13.NOVEMBER. EXCLUSIVE TO RICHMOND, THE EXHIBITION WILL CONTINUE UNTIL 23.JANUARY.2011. FOCUSING OF THE THEME OF THE BODY, THE EXHIBITION WILL REVOLVE AROUND SEVERAL ENTIRELY NEW SERIES WHILE ALSO INCORPORATING LITTLE-KNOWN EARLY WORKS. MANN IS ADMIRED FOR HER PASSIONATE USE OF PHOTOGRAPHY TO ADDRESS ISSUES OF LOVE AND LOSS, EXPRESSED IN IMAGES OF HER CHILDREN AND SOUTHERN LANDSCAPES. HER RECENT WORK USES OBSOLETE PHOTOGRAPHIC METHODS AND NEARLY ABSTRACT IMAGES TO PUSH THE LIMITS OF HER MEDIUM AND TO DIG DEEPER INTO THEMES OF MORTALITY AND VULNERABILITY. THE IMAGES INCLUDE SEVERAL POWERFUL SERIES OF SELF-PORTRAITS, AN ENTIRELY NEW SUBJECT IN HER WORK, AND FIGURE STUDIES OF HER HUSBAND. SOME OF THE WORKS IN THE EXHIBITION INCLUDE NUDITY AND OTHER GRAPHIC MATERIAL, VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. SELF-EXAMINATION, AGING, DEATH, AND DECAY ARE SOME OF THE SUBJECTS OF THE EXHIBITION, AND THESE ARE BALANCED BY THEMES OF BEAUTY, LOVE, TRUST AND THE HOPEFULNESS OF YOUTH. AMONG THE WORKS ARE PORTRAITS OF MANN'S HUSBAND, WHO SUFFERS FROM A DEGENERATIVE MUSCLE DISEASE. THESE ARE JUXTAPOSED WITH COLOURFUL IMAGES OF HER CHILDREN, FORMING A POIGNANT COMPARISON BETWEEN YOUTHFUL EVANESCENCE AND THE EXPRESSIVE CAPACITY OF THE MATURE ADULT BODY. OTHER WORKS OFFER ADDITIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE THEMES OF AGING AND MORTALITY. MADE DURING A TRIP TO THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE FOR FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY CENTER, MANN'S 'BODY FARM' IMAGES EXPLORE HER FASCINATION WITH THE THIN LINE BETWEEN ANIMATE AND INANIMATE, FORM AND MATTER. MULTI-PART SELF-PORTRAITS REPRESENT MANN'S FIRST EXTENDED EXPLORATION OF HER OWN FACE AS A SUBJECT. TWO SELF-PORTRAIT PIECES CONSIST OF MULTIPLE UNIQUE PHOTOGRAPHS PRINTED ON BLACK GLASS, A FORMAT KNOWN AS AMBROTYPES, ARRANGED IN MONUMENTAL GRIDS OF MANN'S LIKENESS.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.vmfa.state.va.us