9.4.11

CHRISTIE'S TO SELL WARHOL SELF-PORTRAIT


AN ANDY WARHOL SELF-PORTRAIT PURCHASED IN 1963 FOR $1,600 ON AN INSTALLMENT PLAN IS POISED TO FETCH $30 MILLION OR MORE WHEN IT GOES ON THE AUCTION BLOCK AT CHRISTIE'S IN MAY. 'SELF-PORTRAIT', A FOUR-PANEL ACRYLIC SILKSCREEN DEPICTING THE POP ARTIST WEARING A TRENCH COAT AND SUNGLASSES, IS BEING SOLD BY THE FAMILY OF DETROIT COLLECTOR FLORENCE BARRON. BARRON FIRST COMMISSIONED WARHOL TO PAINT HER PORTRAIT, BUT CHANGED HER MIND AND SUGGESTED THE YOUNG ARTIST DEPICT HIMSELF, TELLING HIM, 'NOBODY KNOWS ME...THEY WANT TO SEE YOU'. THE RESULT WAS WARHOL'S FIRST SELF PORTRAIT, FOUR IMAGES TAKEN IN A COIN-OPERATED PHOTO-BOOTH RENDERED IN HUES OF BLUE. 'MY MOTHER DIDN'T LOOK AT COLLECTING IN TERMS OF 'IS THIS IMPORTANT OT NOT IMPORTANT', GUY BARRON TOLD REUTERS. SHE LOOKED AT IT FROM THE STANDPOINT OF WHAT RESONATED WITH HER, AND OF 'I WANT TO LIVE WITH IT', IT WAS NOT DONE AS SOME PEOPLE DO TODAY, AS WALL POWER.' THE PORTRAIT GRACED THE LIVING ROOM WALL OF THE FAMILY HOME IN DETROIT. IT ALSO WENT ON PUBLIC DISPLAY, SERVING AS THE COVER IMAGE FOR CATALOGS FROM MAJOR WARHOL EXHIBITIONS AND RETROSPECTIVES AT THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART IN NEW YORK AND THE GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM IN BILBAO, SPAIN. BRETT GORVY, CHRISTIE'S INTERNATIONAL CO-HEAD AND DEPUTY CHAIRMAN FOR POST-WAR AND CONTEMPORARY ART, SAID THE WORK MARKED THE BEGINNING OF WARHOL'S OWN STARDOM. 'WITH DARK GLASSES AN OBLIVIOUS GAZE, WARHOL WAS AHEAD OF HIS TIME IN CREATING A NEW ARCHETYPE OF GLAMOR', GORVY SAID. 'THE PAINTING IS REMARKABLE NOT ONLY FOR ITS VISUAL IMPACT AND THE INTRODUCTION OF THE PHOTO-BOOTH GENRE, BUT FOR MARKING A KEY MOMENT IN THE HISTORY OF ART, WHEN WARHOL TAKES HIS PLACE IN THE PANTHEON OF CELEBRITY ALONGSIDE MARILYN, ELIZABETH AND ELVIS.' BARRON, WHOSE FAMILY INCLUDES TWO MARRIED SONS AND SEVERAL GRANDCHILDREN, SAID THEY WERE AUCTIONING THE WORK BECAUSE 'DIVIDING IS NOT POSSIBLE, SO SELLING MAKES THE MOST SENSE.' THE RECORD FOR A WARHOL SELF-PORTRAIT IS $32.6 MILLION SET LAST MAY AT SOTHEBY'S IN NEW YORK. THE RECORD PRICE FOR ANY WARHOL SOLD AT AUCTION IS 'GREEN CAR CRASH (GREEN BURNING CAR I)' WHICH CHRISTIE'S SOLD FOR $71.7 IN 2007.

BOUCHERON CIRQUE DU SOLEIL COLLECTION


PARISIAN LUXURY JEWELER BOUCHERON HAS RELEASED A STUNNING AND UNIQUE SERIES OF ONE OFF PIECES TO CELEBRATE THE 25th ANNIVERSARY OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL. THE SERIES FEATURES TWENTY DIFFERENT PIECES AND CELEBRATES TWENTY OF THE BEST SHOWS PUT ON BY CIRQUE DU SOLEIL AROUND THE WORLD. EACH PIECE IS DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT AND USES A WIDE VARIETY OF GEMSTONES.



8.4.11

BROOCH THE BELONGED TO QUEEN VICTORIA SELLS FOR £11,400


A GOLD, ENAMEL AND GARNET BODICE BROOCH FROM 1830 THAT BELONGED TO QUEEN VICTORIA MADE FOURTEEN TIMES ITS PRE-SALE ESTIMATE AT BONHAMS JEWELRY SALE THAT TOOK PLACE YESTERDAY IN KNIGHTSBRIDGE. WITH A PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF £600–800, THE BROOCH SOLD FOR £11,400. THE FINELY DETAILED BROOCH IS EMBELLISHED WITH GREEN AND RED ENAMEL, SET WITH CABOCHON GARNETS THAT SUSPEND AN ELONGATED DROP OF A SIMILAR DESIGN. THE BROOCH ORIGINALLY BELONGED TO VICTORIA, DUCHESS OF KENT, WHO ON HER DEATH IN 1861 LEFT HER JEWELRY TO HER DAUGHTER, QUEEN VICTORIA. QUEEN VICTORIA SUBSEQUENTLY GAVE THE BROOCH TO HER THIRD DAUGHTER HELENA, PRINCESS CHRISTIAN OF SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN, AS A PRESENT ON HER 24th BIRTHDAY IN 1870. THE REVERSE OF THE BROOCH HAS A SIMPLE, YET VERY PERSONAL ENGRAVING: 'BELONGED TO DEAR GRANDMAMMA V. FROM MAMA V.R. TO HELENA 25th MAY 1870'. ALTHOUGH PRINCESS HELENA MARRIED THE GERMAN PRINCE CHRISTIAN OF SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN IN 1866, THEY REMAINED IN BRITAIN CLOSE TO THE QUEEN, WHO LIKED TO HAVE HER DAUGHTERS NEARBY. HELENA WAS CONSIDERED THE MOST ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE ROYAL FAMILY, CARRYING OUT AN EXTENSIVE PROGRAM OF ROYAL ENGAGEMENTS. SHE WAS ALSO A COMMITTED PATRON OF CHARITIES, AND WAS ONE OF THE FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE RED CROSS. SHE WAS ALSO THE ORIGINAL PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL SCHOOL OF NEEDLEWORK, AND PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL BRITISH NURSES' ASSOCIATION.

HERMES TO LAUNCH FURNISHINGS COLLECTION


THE ICONIC LUXURY DESIGN HOUSE HERMES HAS ANNOUNCED THAT IT WILL LAUNCH ITS FIRST FURNITURE COLLECTION DURING THE SALONE DEL MOBILE, RUNNING 12-17.APRIL. ARTISTIC DIRECTOR PIERRE-ALEXIS DUMAS HAS TEAMED UP WITH DESIGNERS INCLUDING ENZO MARI, DENIS MONTEL AND ANTONIO CITTERIO TO CREATE FURNISHINGS, FURNITURE AND ACCESSORIES THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE IN SELECT HERMES BOUTIQUES THIS FALL. IN ADDITION, AS PART OF A NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH ITALIAN MANUFACTURER DEDAR, HERMES WILL PRESENT A RANGE OF HOME FABRICS, WALLPAPER AND CARPETS. UNDER THE LABEL OF NEWLY FORMED VENTURE FAUBOURG ITALIA, THE LINE WILL GO ON SALE IN HERMES AS WELL AS DEDAR BOUTIQUES IN MAY.

7.4.11

ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE


THE ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM, BOSTON, ANNOUNCED THE LAUNCH OF A NEWLY DESIGNED EXPLORATORY WEBSITE. IN ADDITION TO STRUCTURAL AND NAVIGATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS, THE MUSEUM'S NEW WEBSITE AIMS TO ENGAGE ONLINE VISITORS WITH MEANINGFUL EXPLORATIONS THAT REFLECT THE UNIQUE, MULTI-SENSORY EXPERIENCES OF A PHYSICAL VISIT TO THE GARDNER MUSEUM AND ITS INTERIOR COURTYARD AND GALLERIES. THE SITE'S LANDING PAGE, ORGANIZED AROUND THE HISTORIC GALLERIES AND FLOORS OF THE MUSEUM, SHOWCASES A MOSAIC OF IMAGES LEADING TO A SELECTION OF ALMOST 300 OBJECTS OF ART, WHICH CAN BE UNDERSTOOD THROUGH TRADITIONAL AND HISTORIC MATERIAL. THE DESIGN FOR THE SITE DIMINISHES THE CONCEPT OF A TRADITIONAL HOMEPAGE BY INVITING VISITORS TO VIRTUALLY EXPLORE THE GALLERIES AND COLLECTION: TO LISTEN TO AUDIO; TO READ ARCHIVAL EXCERPTS; TO LOOK CLOSELY AT WORKS OF ART; AND TO DISCOVER DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON THE COLLECTION OR NEW WORKS BY VISITING CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS. THIS EXPLORATION IMPROVES ACCESSIBILITY TO THE GARDNER MUSEUM'S COLLECTION AND ENCOURAGES CONNECTIONS ACROSS MUSEUM DEPARTMENTS, PROGRAMS AND MEDIA THROUGH A USER-DRIVEN PATH THAT PROVIDES A PERSONALIZED WEB EXPERIENCE. THE NEW WEBSITE AT www.gardnermuseum.org WAS LAUNCHED ON 8.MARCH FOR A QUIET PHASE, FOLLOWING A YEAR OF CONCEPTUAL PLANNING AND DESIGN WORK WITH AWARD-WINNING WEB DESIGN FIRM TENDER CREATIVE, BASED IN NEW YORK. IN THE WEEKS SINCE ITS LAUNCH, www.gardnermuseum.org HAS SEEN AN INCREASE IN DAILY PAGE VIEWS OF ALMOST 100%.

CHRISTIE'S TO SELL STUBBS PAINTING FOR ESTIMATED £20 MILLION


CHRISTIE'S WILL OFFER A GEORGE STUBBS HORSE PAINTING FOR SALE IN LONDON ON 5.JULY AND EXPECTS IT TO MAKE MORE THAN £20 MILLION, POTENTIALLY PUTTING IT IN THE OLD MASTERS AUCTION ELITE. 'GIMCRACK ON NEWMARKET HEATH, WITH A TRAINER, A STABLE-LAD, AND A JOCKEY' WAS PAINTED BY STUBBS, RENOWNED FOR HIS ANATOMICALLY PRECISE PORTRAYALS OF HORSES, IN 1765, AND IS DESCRIBED BY THE AUCTIONEER AS 'A TRUE MASTERPIECE'. IT DEPICTS GIMCRACK, ONE OF THE MOST ADMIRED 18th CENTURY RACEHORSES WHICH WON 28 OF HIS 36 RACES AND FINISHED UNPLACED ONLY ONCE. THE PAINTING SHOWS GIMCRACK TWICE, IN THE BACKGROUND WINNING A 'TRIAL' AND IN THE FOREGROUND WITH HIS TRAINER AND JOCKEY, A STABLE LAD RUBBING HIM DOWN. SHOULD THE PAINTING EXCEED PRE-SALE EXPECTATIONS, IT WOULD PLACE STUBBS AMONG THE MOST VALUABLE OLD MASTER PAINTERS IN AUCTION HISTORY, ACCORDING TO CHRISTIE'S. THE MOST EXPENSIVE OLD MASTER PAINTING AT AUCTION REMAINS 'THE MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS' BY PETER PAUL RUBENS WHICH FETCHED £49.5 AT SOTHEBY'S IN 2002. THAT IS FOLLOWED BY TWO WORKS BY J.M.W. TURNER, A PAINTING BY PONTORMO AND IN FIFTH PLACE, REMBRANDT'S 'PORTRAIT OF A MAN WITH ARMS AKIMBO' WHICH SOLD FOR £20.2 MILLION AT CHRISTIE'S IN 2009.

6.4.11

NELSON-ATKINS TO PRESENT MONET 'WATER LILIES' TRIPTYCH


ONE OF IMPRESSIONIST MASTER CLAUDE MONET'S 'WATER LILIES' TRIPTYCHS, SEPARATED 50 YEARS AGO AND SOLD TO THREE MUSEUM, HAS BEEN REUNITED IN A MULTIFACETED EXHIBIT THAT HIGHLIGHTS NOT ONLY THE THREE-PANEL ARTWORK, BUT THE ARTIST TOO. 'I THINK ALL OF US THINK OF MONET AS THIS FATHER OF IMPRESSIONISM, AS THIS PAINTER WHO WAS SPONTANEOUS, WHO PAINTED OUTDOORS IN HIS GARDEN', SAID NICOLE MYERS, ASSOCIATE CURATOR AT THE NELSON-ATKINS MUSEUM OF ART, KANSAS CITY, MO, WHERE 'MONET'S WATER LILIES' OPENS 9.APRIL. 'THAT WAS CERTAINLY TRUE. HE PRESENTED HIMSELF THAT WAY PUBLICLY, REALLY TO THE END OF HIS LIFE.' BUT MONET HAD ANOTHER SIDE THAT'S ALSO DETAILED IN THE EXHIBITION, WHICH ENDS 7.AUGUST BEFORE MOVING ON TO THE ST LOUIS ART MUSEUM AND THEN TO THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART. 'WITH THESE LATER PAINTINGS FROM THE 20th CENTURY THAT HE'S WORKING ON, YOU SEE THE SORT OF OBSESSIVE, ALMOST OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE, ARTIST WHO CAME INDOORS AND WORKED TIRELESSLY MAKING REVISIONS AGAIN AND AGAIN IN THIS KIND OF OBSESSIVE WAY', SHE SAID. IT'S UNCLEAR IF MONET EVER CONSIDERED THE THREE PANELS FINISHED, SHE SAID. 'AND IT REALLY BLOWS OUT OF THE WATER THIS IMPRESSION WE HAVE OF THIS MAN WHO JUST SORT OF DASHED OFF HIS FIRST THOUGHTS AND LEFT THINGS ALONE. HE WORKED ON THEM ALMOST CONSISTENTLY FROM 1915 TO 1926', MYERS SAID. THE THREE PANELS, EACH 6 FOOT TALL AND 14 FEET WIDE, LANGUISHED IN MONET'S STUDIO AT GIVERNY OUTSIDE PARIS AFTER HIS DEATH IN 1926, MYERS SAID. THE PIECES ON DISPLAY AT THE NELSON-ATKINS COMPRISE ONE OF TWO OF MONET'S WATER LILY TRIPTYCHS IN THE US. THE OTHER IS AT THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART IN NEW YORK, WHERE THEY ARE A STEADY, POPULAR SELECTION. THE TRIPTYCH AT THE NELSON-ATKINS WAS BROUGHT TO NEW YORK IN THE 1950s. IT WAS THEN SEPARATED, AND THE INDIVIDUAL PANELS WERE SOLD TO THE ST LOUIS ART MUSEUM, THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART AND THE NELSON-ATKINS. IT HS BEEN MORE THAN 30 YEARS HOWEVER, SINCE THEY WERE SHOWN AS MONET INTENDED FOR THEM TO BE SEEN, TOGETHER. 'SO FOR A NEW GENERATION THIS IS REALLY A FIRST TIME TO GET THE CHANCE TO SEE THESE GREAT PAINTINGS COME TOGETHER', MYERS SAID.

5.4.11

WOMAN ATTACKS GAUGUIN PAINTING AT NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART


A WOMAN ACCUSED OF POUNDING ON A PAINTING BY PAUL GAUGUIN AND TRYING TO RIP IT FROM A WALL AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART TOLD POLICE THE POST-IMPRESSIONIST ARTIST WAS EVIL AND THE PAINTING SHOULD BE BURNED, COURT DOCUMENTS SHOW. SUSAN BURNS, OF ARLINGTON VA, HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED SECOND-DEGREE THEFT AND DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY FOLLOWING THE ATTACK FRIDAY. SHE WAS BEING HELD WITHOUT BAIL PENDING A MENTAL HEALTH HEARING TUESDAY. THE GAUGUIN PAINTING 'TWO TAHITIAN WOMEN', VALUED AT AN ESTIMATED $80 MILLION, WAS NOT DAMAGED AND WILL GO BACK ON VIEW, THE NATIONAL GALLERY SAID IN A STATEMENT. THE PICTURE IS ON LOAN FROM THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART IN NEW YORK FOR AN EXHIBIT TITLED 'GAUGUIN: MAKER OF MYTH'. THE PAINTING DEPICTS TWO WOMEN STANDING NEXT TO EACH OTHER, ONE WITH BOTH BREASTS EXPOSED AND THE OTHER WITH ONE BREAST SHOWING. ACCORDING TO CHARGING DOCUMENTS, AN INVESTIGATOR TOLD BURNS HER RIGHTS AND ASKED WHY SHE HAD TRIED TO REMOVE THE PAINTING. 'I FEEL THAT GAUGUIN IS EVIL. HE HAS NUDITY AND IS BAD FOR CHILDREN. HE HAS TWO WOMEN IN THE PAINTING AND IT'S VERY HOMOSEXUAL. I WAS TRYING TO REMOVE IT. I THINK IT SHOULD BE BURNED', ACCORDING TO THE DOCUMENTS. BURNS ALSO SAID: 'I AM FROM THE AMERICAN CIA AND I HAVE A RADIO IN MY HEAD. I AM GOING TO KILL YOU.' BURNS' ATTORNEY, SHARON WEATHERS, DECLINED TO COMMENT MONDAY. BURNS APPROACHED THE PAINTING AROUND 4.45p FRIDAY, GRABBED THE FRAME AND PULLED THE BOTTOM PART OFF THE WALL, CAUSING SCREWS TO FALL TO THE FLOOR, ACCORDING TO THE WITNESSES. SHE THEN BEGAN BANGING ON THE MIDDLE OF THE PAINTING WITH HER FIST. BURNS WAS QUICKLY APPREHENDED BY THE MUSEUM'S FEDERAL PROTECTION SERVICES OFFICERS. THE PAINTING WAS PROTECTED BY A TRANSPARENT PLASTIC SHIELD. IT WAS THE FIRST DOCUMENTED CASE OF SOMEONE TRYING TO DEFACE A PAINTING AT THE GALLERY SINCE THE 1970s, SPOKESWOMAN DEBORAH ZISKA SAID. SHE SAID THE GALLERY'S SECURITY PROCEDURES WORKED. BURNS HAS BEEN ARRESTED SEVERAL TIMES. SHE SERVED SIX MONTHS IN JAIL AFTER A 2006 CONVICTION FOR ASSAULT AND BATTERY ON A POLICE OFFICER. IN 2002, SHE WAS CONVICTED OF MISDEMEANOR TRESPASSING. SHE HAS ALSO BEEN CHARGED WITH DISORDERLY CONDUCT, OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE, VANDALISM AND A SEPARATE ASSAULT ON A POLICE OFFICER, BUT PROSECUTORS DECLINED TO PURSUE THOSE CASES, VIRGINIA COURT RECORDS SHOW.

RUSSIAN ARTIST CREATES PEARL-ENCRUSTED PAINTING FOR THE QUEEN


A RUSSIAN ARTIST IN SERBIA HAS SPENT A SMALL PERSONAL FORTUNE OVER A THOUSAND PEARLS FOR A RELIGIOUS PAINTING HE HAS MADE FOR QUEEN ELIZABETH II. CLAD IN EMBROIDERED ROBES, ADAM AND EVE SIT IN THRONES ON A SUSPENDED GARDEN OF EDEN IN ANATOLY PASTYREV'S PAINTING, WHICH IS CROWNED BY A RUSSIAN ORTHODOX ICON AND PEARL-ENCRUSTED THROWOUT. 'THE BRITISH MONARCHY IN PARTICULAR HAS BEEN THE BASTION OF MODERN CIVILIZATION WHICH HAS CENTURIES-OLD TRADITIONS COMING FROM CHRISTIANITY', PASTYREV TOLD REUTERS ON SUNDAY AT HIS HOME IN TAIGA FOREST ENCIRCLING KRASNOYARSK, SOME 3,300km EAST OF MOSCOW. PASTYREV NOW WANTS TO GIVE THE PAINTING, CALLED 'GLORIFICATION OF THE LORD', TO THE BRITISH MONARCH AS A TRIBUTE TO HER TITLE AS SUPREME GOVERNOR OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. THE BULLDOZER OPERATOR-TURNED-ARTIST SPENT MONTHS WORKING ON THE PAINTING, WHICH HAS 1,360 NATURAL PEARLS HE BOUGHT IN MOSCOW FOR A HANDSOME SUM OF 500,000 RUBLES (£10,947). 'THE BRITISH ROYAL COURT IS THE OLDEST, MOST POWERFUL AND MOST INFLUENTIAL', SAID PASTYREV, WHO WAS A FERVENT COMMUNIST IN SOVIET DAYS. HE IS NOW LOOKING FOR A WAY TO GIVE THE PAINTING, WHICH MEASURES ONE METER BY 1.4 METERS LONG AND IS PEARL-ENCRUSTED ALONG ITS OUTLINE, THROUGH-OUT THE GARDEN AND ON THE BUBBLE-LIKE CLOUDS, TO BUCKINGHAM PALACE. BUT PASTYREV WANTS TO WAIT WHILE THE 'HAT' SURROUNDING PRINCE WILLIAM'S MARRIAGE TO KATE MIDDLETON ON 29.APRIL DIES DOWN BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO GET HIS ARTWORK TO THE BRITISH MONARCH. 'I AM THRILLED BY THIS EVENT...I HAVE NOTHING BUT RESPECT FOR THE YOUNG PRINCE WILLIAM', HE SAID.

4.4.11

ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM RESTORES TAPESTRY ROOM TO FORMER GLORY


FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE IT OPENED IN 1914, THE ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM'S 4,000 SQUARE FOOT TAPESTRY ROOM IS BEING RESTORED TO ITS ORIGINAL GLORY AND WILL ONCE AGAIN TAKE ITS PLACE AS ONE OF THE NATION'S GREAT TAPESTRY HALLS. THE RESTORATION OF THE BELOVED SPACE WILL RETURN THE TAPESTRY ROOM TO ITS ORIGINAL CONFIGURATION FOR ITS FIRST TIME SINCE A TEMPORARY STAGE, CHAIRS, AND OTHER MODERN ELEMENTS WERE ADDED TO ACCOMMODATE FORMAL CONCERTS IN THE EARLY 1970s. HISTORICALLY, THE TAPESTRY ROOM HAS BEEN A GALLERY AND HOME TO MANY OF THE MUSEUM'S PROGRAMS, INCLUDING THE POPULAR SUNDAY CONCERT SERIES. NOW, AS PART OF THE GARDNER MUSEUM'S EXTENSION AND PRESERVATION PROJECT, THE MUSEUM'S WORLD CLASS CONCERTS WILL BE RELOCATED TO AN INTIMATE NEW PERFORMANCE HALL IN THE RENZO PIANO-DESIGNED ADDITION, AND THE GARDNER WILL BE ABLE TO RESTORE THE SPACE TO ITS HISTORIC APPEARANCE, ENABLING VISITORS TO SEE AND ENJOY THE TAPESTRY ROOM FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NEARLY 40 YEARS. NO EVENT PROGRAMMING IS SCHEDULED FOR 2011 IN THE TAPESTRY ROOM; PROGRAMMING WILL RESUME IN 2012 IN THE NEW WING AND THE GALLERY WILL REMAIN OPEN UNTIL THEN SO THAT VISITORS CAN VIEW THE CONSERVATION AND PRESERVATION WORK TAKING PLACE. THE REINSTALLED TAPESTRY ROOM WILL BE HIGHLIGHTED AS PART OF THE MUSEUM'S GRAND OPENING FOR ITS NEW WING IN JANUARY 2012. 'ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT GOALS OF THE NEW WING IS THE RELOCATION OF PROGRAMMING WHICH HAS OUTGROWN THE HISTORIC GALLERIES', SAYS ANNE HAWLEY, THE NORMA JEAN CALDERWOOD DIRECTOR OF THE ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM. 'THE TAPESTRY ROOM IS PERHAPS THE MOST DRAMATIC EXAMPLE OF THAT AS IT HAD BECOME THE HUB OF THE MUSEUM'S LARGEST AND MOST POPULAR PROGRAMMING AND HAD LOST ITS FOCUS AS A GALLERY. THIS EFFORT RETURNS THE SPACE INTO A BEAUTIFUL GALLERY FOR VIEWING TAPESTRIES, SOMETHING AN ENTIRE GENERATION OF VISITORS HAS NOT EXPERIENCED.' THE NEW 70,000 SQUARE FOOT WING DESIGNED BY RENZO PIANO INCLUDES PURPOSE-BUILT SPACES FOR MANY OF THE ACTIVITIES FORMALLY HELD IN THE TAPESTRY ROOM, SUCH AS LECTURES, VISITOR ORIENTATION AND THE SUNDAY CONCERT SERIES. WHILE OCCASIONAL SMALLER MUSICAL PERFORMANCES AND TALKS WILL CONTINUE IN THE REINSTALLED SPACE, THE TAPESTRY ROOM WILL SERVE PRIMARILY AS A GRAND GALLERY FOR VIEWING TAPESTRIES AND OTHER WORKS OF ART. CURATORIAL AND CONVERSATION STAFFS HAVE PLANNED THE PRESERVATION AND RE-INSTALLATION OF THE TAPESTRY ROOM BASED ON HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE MUSEUM'S ARCHIVES, WHICH WERE TAKEN IN 1915, 1916, AND 1926 BY PHOTOGRAPHER T.E. MARR AND SON. THE PHOTOGRAPHS REVEAL A PIANO PLACED IN FRONT OF THE LATE 14th CENTURY FRENCH FIREPLACE AND AN ARRANGEMENT OF FURNITURE AND OBJECTS IN THE CENTER OF THE GALLERY. CONSERVATION TREATMENT WILL ENCOMPASS CLEANING, RESTORATION AND RE-INSTALLATION OF MANY PARTS OF THE GALLERY, INCLUDING ITS MERCER-TILED FLOORS AND FRENCH MEDIEVAL STONE FIREPLACE, SELECT ART AND FURNITURE OBJECTS, AND NEW LIGHTING. THE HISTORIC ARRANGEMENT OF FURNITURE IN THE CENTER OF THE GALLERY AND OTHER VIGNETTES AROUND THE WINDOWS AS DEPICTED IN EARLY PHOTOGRAPHS ALSO WILL BE RESTORED. TWO OF THE MOST STRIKING AREAS WILL BE THE CONSERVATION OF THE MASSIVE FIREPLACE AND THE PAINTING OF THE ARCHANGEL MICHAEL BY PEDRO GARCIA DE BENABARRE THAT HANGS ABOVE IT, AND AN ARRANGEMENT OF TEN SIDE CHAIRS UPHOLSTERED IN 18th CENTURY NETHERLANDISH PAINTED LEATHER THAT WILL BE RE-INSTALLED AROUND A 17th CENTURY DUTCH TABLE IN THE CENTER OF THE GALLERY. ADDITIONALLY, LIGHTING UPGRADES WILL ENHANCE THE GALLERY'S HISTORIC ATMOSPHERE, REDUCE HARMFUL LIGHT ON THE COLLECTION AND IMPROVE VISIBILITY. EIGHTEEN TEXTILE PROJECTS ARE INCLUDE IN THE ROOM REFURBISHMENT PLANS. THEY INCLUDE CONSERVING ORIGINAL TEXTILES, RE-UPHOLSTERING FURNITURE, AND REPLACING MISSING, DAMAGED OR INAPPROPRIATE FURNISHING TEXTILES. TWO TAPESTRIES WILL BE REINSTATED TO THEIR ORIGINAL 1926 POSITIONS.

PIAGET LIMELIGHT COLLECTION 2011


AS PART OF THEIR LIMELIGHT COLLECTION PIAGET HAS RECENTLY RELEASED A STUNNING COLLECTION INSPIRED BY THE SIMPLE BEAUTY OF SPRING. THE CENTERPIECE OF THE COLLECTION IS A UNIQUE DIAMOND ENCRUSTED BIRD PERCHING ON A RUBELLITE GEM. THE COLLECTION ALSO FEATURES A BIRD PERCHED ON A WHITE GOLD SPRIG AND OTHER PIECES FEATURING PEARLS, RING DIAMONDS, EMERALDS AND PINK SAPPHIRES.