BONHAMS TO SELL JEWELRY FROM THE HELLEU COLLECTION

JEWELRY AND SILVER BELONGING TO THE DAUGHTER OF THE FAMOUS FRENCH SOCIETY PAINTER PAUL CESAR HELLEU, ONE OF THE MODELS FOR A CENTRAL CHARACTER IN MARCEL PROUST'S MONUMENTAL NOVEL 'IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME' (SOMETIMES KNOWN AS 'REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST'), IS TO BE AUCTIONED OFF AT BONHAMS IN EDINBURGH ON 2.MARCH. BORN IN PARIS IN 1904, PAULETTE HOWARD-JOHNSTON (nee HELLEU), WHO DIED IN 2009 AGED 104, WAS ONE OF THE 21st CENTURY'S LAST LINKS TO THE BELLE EPOQUE, THE WORLD OF PROUST'S NOVEL, WHICH ENDED ABRUPTLY ON THE BATTLEFIELDS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR. THE WRITER DREW ON HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH PAULETTE'S FATHER IN CREATING THE CHARACTER OF THE PAINTER ELSTIR WHOSE WORK PROVIDES A CONSTANT POINT OF REFERENCE AND REFLECTION THROUGHOUT HIS MULTI-VOLUME MASTERPIECE. PAUL CESAR HELLEU, PAINTED SOME OF THE MOST CELEBRATED WOMEN OF THE DAY INCLUDING CONSUELO VANDERBILT, THE DUCHESS OF MALBOROUGH. TWO OF THE DUCHESS'S GIFTS TO THE ARTIST, AN 18 CARAT CIGARETTE CASE, ESTIMATED AT £1,000-1,200, AND AN EARLY 20th CENTURY FRENCH POCKET WATCH, ESTIMATED AT £1,000-1,200) ARE FEATURED IN THE SALE. HELLEU'S PORTRAIT OF HIS WIFE, ALICE GUERIN, IS KNOWN TO READERS THE WORLD OVER AFTER IT APPEARED ON THE COVER OF TRACY CHEVALIER'S BEST SELLING NOVEL 'THE VIRGIN BLUE'. NEW YORKERS CAN STILL SEE HELLEU'S ASTROLOGICAL CEILING DECORATION IN GRAND CENTRAL STATION, PAINTED IN 1912. FROM A YOUNG AGE, PAULETTE WAS USED TO MIXING IN ARTISTIC AND HIGH SOCIETY CIRCLES. SINGER SARGENT, MANET, BOLDINI AND MONET WERE FAMILY FRIENDS AND IT WAS MONET WHO TOLD YOUNG PAULETTE, 'YOU PAINT LIKE A BIRD SINGS'. HALF THE YEAR WAS SPENT LIVING ON HER FATHER'S YACHT IN DEUVILLE, WHERE HE ENTERTAINED HIS WEALTHY CLIENTS. IN TOTAL, 50 ITEMS WHICH BELONGED TO HOWARD-JOHNSTON AND HER FATHER ARE FOR SALE INCLUDING A STUNNING ART DECO DIAMOND BROOCH, ESTIMATED AT £8,000-10,000, A CARTIER MULTI-GEM PARROT BROOCH, WHICH IS ALSO ESTIMATED AT £8,000-10,000, AND A GROUP OF PLATES BY ODIOT OF PARIS.

HIGH MUSEUM OF ART TO PRESENT 'PICASSO TO WARHOL: TWELVE MODERN MASTERS'

THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, ATLANTA, WILL CONTINUE ITS COLLABORATION WITH THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MOMA), NEW YORK, WITH THE EXCLUSIVE PRESENTATION OF THE MAJOR EXHIBITION 'PICASSO TO WARHOL: TWELVE MODERN MASTERS' BEGINNING IN OCTOBER 2011. THE EXHIBITION WILL PRESENT APPROXIMATELY 100 WORKS OF ART CREATED BY 12 OF THE MOST ICONIC ARTISTS FROM THE 20th CENTURY; PABLO PICASSO, HENRI MATISSE, CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI, PIET MONDRIAN, FERNAND LEGER, MARCEL DUCHAMP, GIORGIO DE CHIRICO, JOAN MIRO, ALEXANDER CALDER, JACKSON POLLOCK, JASPER JOHNS AND ANDY WARHOL. 'PICASSO TO WARHOL ' WILL BE ONE OF THE LARGEST CONCENTRATIONS OF MODERN ART MASTERPIECES TO EVER BE EXHIBITED IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. CO-ORGANIZED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART AND MOMA, THE EXHIBITION WILL BE ON VIEW ONLY IN ATLANTA FROM 15.OCTOBER THROUGH 29.APRIL.2012.

ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME TO PRESENT 'WOMEN WHO ROCK'

THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM, CLEVELAND, OH, WILL OPEN A GROUND-BREAKING AND PROVOCATIVE NEW EXHIBIT THAT WILL ILLUSTRATE THE IMPORTANT ROLES WOMEN HAVE PLAYED IN ROCK AND ROLL, FROM ITS INCEPTION THROUGH TODAY. 'WOMEN WHO ROCK: VISION, PASSION, POWER' WILL HIGHLIGHT THE FLASH POINTS, THE FIRSTS, THE BEST, THE CELEBRATED AND SOMETIMES LESSER-KNOWN WOMEN WHO HAVE MOVED ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC AND AMERICAN CULTURE FORWARD. THE EXHIBIT IS SPONSORED BY PNC AND TIME WARNER CABLE. WOMEN WHO ROCK WILL OPEN TO ON 31.MAY.2011. THE EXHIBITION WILL SPOTLIGHT MORE THAN 60 ARTIFACTS AND FILL TWO ENTIRE FLOORS OF THE MUSEUM. THE EXHIBIT WILL FEATURE ARTIFACTS, VIDEO AND LISTENING STATIONS, AS WELL AS A RECORDING BOOTH WHERE VISITORS CAN FILM A SHORT STORY OR MOMENT OF INSPIRATION RELATED TO WOMEN IN ROCK. THE EXHIBIT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE ROCK AND ROLL ERAS, WEAVING A POWERFUL AND ENGAGING NARRATIVE THAT DEMONSTRATES HOW WOMEN HAVE BEEN THE ENGINES OF CREATION AND CHANGE IN POPULAR MUSIC, FROM THE EARLY YEARS OF THE 20th CENTURY TO THE PRESENT. 'THIS EXHIBIT IS GOING TO ILLUSTRATE THE VITAL ROLE WOMEN PLAYED IN SHAPING THE EVOLUTION OF ROCK AND ROLL', SAID JIM HENKE, VP OF THE EXHIBITIONS AND CURATORIAL AFFAIRS FOR THE MUSEUM. 'VISITORS ARE GOING TO WALK FROM THIS EXHIBIT WITH A DEEPER APPRECIATION OF HOW THESE ARTISTS CONTRIBUTED TO THE ROCK AND ROLL ART FORM AND CHANGED OUR SOCIETY. WOMEN WHO ROCK WILL COMPARE AND CONTRAST ARTIST EXPERIENCES, HIGHLIGHTING THE FEMALE SPIRIT AS THE ENGINE OF CREATION AND CHANGE IN THE MUSIC.'

FOUR SEASONS HOTEL, LONDON AT PARK LANE

41 YEARS AGO FOUR SEASONS OPENED THE INN ON THE PARK IN LONDON'S MAYFAIR, ITS FIRST EUROPEAN PROPERTY AND ONE THAT WOULD COME TO HELP DEFINE THE LUXURY BRAND AS IT EXPANDED AROUND THE WORLD. NOW AFTER A MORE THAN TWO-YEAR HIATUS DURING WHICH TIME AN ENTIRE NEW HOTEL WAS CONSTRUCTED ON THE EXISTING SITE, THE STORIED PROPERTY HAS JUST BEEN REBORN AS THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL, LONDON AT PARK LANE. THE STYLISH NEW HOTEL, DESIGNED BY ERIC PARRY, FEATURES LARGER ROOMS, MORE SUITES, A NEW RESTAURANT/LOUNGE CONCEPT, AND MEETING SPACES. THE HOTEL, WHICH NOW HAS 192 ROOMS, INCLUDING 45 ONE, TWO AND THREE BEDROOM SUITES, THE MOST LAVISH OF WHICH, THE PRESIDENTIAL SUITE, COST ABOUT $14,000 PER NIGHT, IS DESIGNED TO FEATURE EVERY LUXURY AMENITY WHILST RETAINING THE INTIMATE FEEL OF A PRIVATE RESIDENCE. THE RESTAURANT/LOUNGE, AMARANTO, IS A SERIES OF THREE FLOW-THROUGH SPACE WHEREIN GUESTS CAN CHOOSE WHEN AND WHERE THEY WANT TO DINE, WITHOUT RESTRICTIONS ON SEATING TIMES OR PARTICULAR MENUS. WITH ITS OWN ENTRANCE IN HAMILTON PLACE AS WELL AS DIRECT LOBBY ACCESS, AMARANTO OFFERS AN AIRY CONSERVATORY SPACE AND PRIVATE GARDEN FOR OUTDOOR SEATING, A MORE CLUBBY LOUNGE AREA INCLUDING AN INNOVATIVE PEEK-THROUGH WINE WALL ALLOWS GUESTS TO FOLLOW SOMMELIERS IN ACTION, AND A SOARING ATRIUM HIGHLIGHTED BY A HAND-MOLDED SCULPTURE WALL WITH MOTIFS INSPIRED BY NEARBY HYDE PARK. IN THE NEXT PHASE OF THE PROJECT THE HOTEL PLANS TO OPEN A SPA, FITNESS AND LOUNGE AREA ON THE TOP FLOOR, WITH SWEEPING VIEWS ACROSS LONDON.

HERMES BIRKIN CLUB

THE ICONIC PARISIAN LUXURY DESIGN HOUSE HERMES HAS RECENTLY RELEASED A STUNNING NEW TAKE ON THEIR CLASSIC BIRKIN BAG FOR THEIR SPRING/SUMMER 2011 COLLECTION. THE HERMES BIRKIN CLUB FEATURES THREE DISTINCT STRIPES IN GRIS, PERLE AND MYKONOS BLUE LIZARD MAKING IT UNIQUELY STYLISH AND DIFFERENT. THE BAG HAS BEEN SPECIALLY DESIGNED TO GIVE IT A YOUNG AND SPORTY LOOK AS AN ALTERNATIVE FROM THE CLASSIC BIRKIN AND IS EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE FROM HERMES BOUTIQUES WORLDWIDE

BOWDOIN COLLEGE TO PRESENT EDWARD HOPPER EXHIBITION

IN JULY THE BOWDOIN COLLEGE MUSEUM OF FINE ART IN BRUNSWICK, MAINE WILL BE PRESENTING A STUNNING EXHIBITION OF PAINTINGS AND WATERCOLOURS CREATED BY FAMED AMERICAN REALIST EDWARD HOPPER DURING HIS MANY SOJOURNS IN MAINE. HOPPER SPENT SEVERAL SUMMERS IN MAINE BEGINNING IN 1914 AND PAINTED NUMEROUS ICONIC SCENES OF THE COASTAL STATE, INCLUDING THE LIGHTHOUSE AT TWO LIGHTS, IN CAPE ELIZABETH, FROM 1929. FOR HOPPER SUCH WEATHER BEATEN LANDMARKS 'SYMBOLIZED THE SOLITARY INDIVIDUAL STOICALLY FACING THE ONSLAUGHT OF CHANGE IN AN INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY.' ORGANIZED WITH THE WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART IN NEW YORK, WHICH HAS HOPPER EXHIBITION RUNNING THROUGH APRIL, THE BOWDOIN EXHIBITION WILL INCLUDE OVER 80 WORKS BY HOPPER FROM PUBLIC AND PRIVATE COLLECTIONS, SOME NEVER BEFORE SHOWN IN EXHIBITION.

MOET & CHANDON VALENTINE GRAFFITI KIT

MOET & CHANDON'S MESSAGE ON A BOTTLE GIFT SET IS PERFECT FOR VALENTINE'S DAY OR TO CELEBRATE A SPECIAL OCCASION. THE PREMIUM CHAMPAGNE SET COMES WITH TWO CRISTAL FLUTES, A ROSE IMPERIAL BOTTLE WITH SPECIAL EDITION ROSE PINK SLEEVE AND A GOLD MARKER TO PERSONALIZE THE PRESENT WITH A MESSAGE, ALL BEAUTIFULLY DISPLAYED IN AN ELEGANT, ROSE TINTED GIFT BOX. THE SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE FOR THE MOET & CHANDON VALENTINE DAY GRAFFITI KIT IS $120. IT WILL BE AVAILABLE UNTIL 14.FEBRUARY.