NATIONAL COWGIRL MUSEUM AND HALL OF FAME PRESENTS NEVER BEFORE SEEN O'KEEFFE EXHIBITION

THE NATIONAL COWGIRL MUSEUM AND HALL OF FAME, FORTH WORTH, TX, IS PRESENTING A NEVER BEFORE SEEN GEORGIA O'KEEFFE AND THE FARAWAY: NATURE AND IMAGE EXHIBITION, WHICH WILL BE DISPLAYED THROUGH TO 6.SEPTEMBER.2010. THE EXHIBITION, A COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE NATIONAL COWGIRL MUSEUM AND HALL OF FAME AND THE GEORGIA O'KEEFFE MUSEUM IN SANTA FE, EXPLORES THE RELATIONSHIP THAT ARTIST AND COWGIRL HALL OF FAME HONOREE O'KEEFFE HAD WITH NATURE THROUGH HER CAMPING EXPERIENCES AND ARTIFACTS. THE TWO MUSEUMS SPENT MORE THAN TWO YEARS CREATING THE EXHIBITION IN WHICH VISITORS WILL FIND O'KEEFFE'S PERSONAL EFFECTS, INCLUDING CLOTHING, LETTERS, DRAWINGS AND CAMPING EQUIPMENT, DISPLAYED ALONGSIDE HER ARTWORK. THIS UNION OF ARTISTRY AND PERSONAL BELONGINGS IS RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY AS AN ENDEAVOR THAT HARBORS THE ART, GEOGRAPHY, PHOTOGRAPHY AND ARTIFACTS IN AN EFFORT TO UNDERSTAND HOW O'KEEFFE EXPLORED THE AMERICAN WEST THROUGH CAMPING AND HIKING IN A VARIETY OF ENVIRONMENTS.
THE EXHIBITION BEGINS WITH THE ARTIST'S EARLY CAMPING YEARS AS A YOUNG TEACHER IN VIRGINIA. THE VISITOR THEN PROGRESSES TO AN AREA RESERVED FOR HER WORK IN NEW MEXICO AND PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY ANSEL ADAMS, WHO SPENT SEVERAL TRIPS CAMPING WITH O'KEEFFE. AFTER VIEWING SOME OF THE ARTWORKS ON LOAN FROM THE AMON CARTER MUSEUM AND THE GEORGIA O'KEEFFE MUSEUM, GUESTS CAN EXPLORE A SIGNIFICANT LOCATION IN O'KEEFFE'S CAMPING EXPERIENCE KNOWN AS THE 'BLACK PLACE'. THIS SPECIFIC AREA WILL GIVE VISITORS THE CHANCE TO IMMERSE THEMSELVES IN THE SITE THROUGH CAMPING DISPLAYS, A LARGE SCENIC PHOTOGRAPH OF THE AREA, AND A VIDEO DOCUMENTARY. THE EXHIBITION THE TRANSITIONS TO THE 'WHITE PLACE', A REMOTE LOCATION NEAR ABIQUIU, NEW MEXICO, AND INCLUDES A SKETCHBOOK COMPLETED BY O'KEEFFE OF THE AREA. THE NATIONAL COWGIRL MUSEUM EXHIBITION IN UNIQUE IN THAT IT OFFERS A PERSPECTIVE IN WHICH VISITORS CAN VIEW O'KEEFFE ALONGSIDE THE OTHER EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN WHO CAME AND LIVED IN THE WEST, AND MADE A DIFFERENCE.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.cowgirl.net/

CHOPIN VODKA UNVEILS A 200 LITER BOTTLE TO CELEBRATE CHOPINS 200th BIRTHDAY

TO CELEBRATE THE 200th BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY OF COMPOSER FREDERICK CHOPIN, SUPER LUXURY POLISH POTATO VODKA MAKERS, CHOPIN HAVE RECENTLY UNVEILED A 200 LITER BOTTLE OF VODKA. TOUTED AS A GREAT MARKETING IDEA TO PROMOTE THE BRAND, THE STUNNING BOTTLE OF VODKA WAS UNVEILED THIS WEEK AT THE SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. OSCAR-NOMINATED ACTRESS SANDRA BULLOCK WAS THE FIRST CELEBRITY SIGNER TO SIGN THE GIGANTIC BOTTLE. THE AUTOGRAPHED BOTTLE WILL TOUR THE US BEFORE BEING AUCTIONED OFF FOR CHARITY, WITH ALL THE PROCEEDS GATHERED FROM THE SALE TO BE GIVEN TO THE GRAMMY FOUNDATION'S MUSIC PRESERVATION PROJECT.

ROYAL RESIDENCE IN MINIATURE

THE ROYAL RESIDENCE IN MINIATURE IS A 16th CENTURY STYLE DOLL'S HOUSE MADE WITH GOLD, CRYSTAL, SILVER AND WOOD FITTINGS. WHEN ONE LOOKS CLOSELY THIS AMAZING PALACE TRULY LOOKS FIT FOR A KING, BUT THE INCREDIBLE STRUCTURE IS ONLY 42 INCHES HIGH AND HAS BEEN PAINSTAKINGLY PUT TOGETHER BY PROFESSIONAL DOLL HOUSE MAKERS. THE AWE-INSPIRING MINIATURE SCALE OF THE STUNNING RESIDENCE IS MADE OF CLEAR BY LIFE-SIZE SPECTACLES, BOOKS, FOUNTAIN PENS AND EVEN A BOTTLE OF COFFEE LIQUEUR. MATCHES IN ONE OF THE HOME'S FIRE PLACES AND A POT OF MUSTARD ALSO GIVES ONLOOKERS A SENSE OF PERSPECTIVE. 'CHATEAU ANTOINETTE' ASTONISHINGLY REFLECTS THE LAVISH LIFE OF HISTORIC FRENCH ROYALTY. IT FEATURES FIXTURES AND FURNISHINGS MADE OF REAL CRYSTAL, GOLD, LUXURY WOODS, SOLID STERLING SILVER AND GENUINE TINY OIL PAINTINGS CRAFTED BY REAL ARTISTS. BRITISH COUPLE KEVIN MULVANY AND SUSIE ROGERS, OF MULVANY AND ROGERS, ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MOST OF THE EXPENSIVE DOLL HOUSES EVER MADE. THEY ARE FAMED FOR THEIR ONE-TWELFTH SCALE RECREATIONS OF EXISTING STATELY HOMES AND CASTLES, WHICH THEY BUILD IN THEIR HOUSE IN HOLT, WILTSHIRE. BUT FOR THEIR LATEST SPECTACULAR PROJECT, FOR A CALIFORNIAN COLLECTOR PASSIONATE ABOUT MARIE ANTOINETTE, THEY FUSED PLACES LINKED WITH THE INFAMOUS FEMALE MONARCH WHO WAS EXECUTED DURING THE FRENCH REVOLUTION IN 1793. INCLUDED IN THE MIX ARE VERSAILLES PALACE, THE CHATEAU DE BAGATELLE AND THE PALACE OF FONTAINBLEAU. BETWEEN SUSIE, KEVIN AND TEN OTHER MODELERS WORKING ON THE HOME'S DETAILED FEATURES, CHATEAU ANTOINETTE HAS BEEN PAINSTAKINGLY PUT TOGETHER OVER 10,000 MAN HOURS. THE CHANDELIERS COST OVER £1,000 EACH WHILE £200 WAS SPENT ON GOLD GILT AROUND THE DADO RAILS AND WALL BORDERS.


THROUGH THEIR 25 YEARS OF MAKING MINIATURES. MASTER MODELERS SUSIE AND KEVIN HAVE
TRAVELED THOUSANDS OF MILES VISITING THE PLACES THE REBUILD IN REDUCED SIZE. FULLY DEDICATED TO GETTING EVERYTHING PERFECT, THEY EVEN PUT REAL DUST IN THE CORNERS, REAL SOOT IN THE FIREPLACE AND LEAVE WAXY CANDLES BURNING TO MAKE THEIR MODELS SMELL THE SAME AS THE REAL THING. USING ESSENTIAL OILS THEY CAN CREATE ODORS EXACTLY LIKE THE ONES THEY EXPERIENCE WHILE VISITING THE REAL VENUES THEMSELVES. AND THEIR QUEST FOR ACCURACY FOR THE MODEL-MAKERS SPARED NO EXPENSE IN PRODUCING THE SIX ROOM MASTERPIECE. THE HOME'S TEENY OIL PAINTINGS WERE CREATED NY REAL ARTISTS AND COST AS MUCH AS LIFE-SIZED ARTWORK, RUNNING INTO THE THOUSANDS. HIGHLIGHTS IN THE AMAZING HOME INCLUDE A DINING TABLE MADE FROM MAHOGANY LAID WITH STERLING SLIVER CUTLERY CASED ON A REAL 16th CENTURY SET. THE DINNER FORKS MEASURE 16mm LONG WHILE THE SHORTER DESERT FORKS ARE JUST 12mm. ALSO ON THE TABLES ARE HAND-PAINTED PORCELAIN SEVRES PLATES AND REAL GLASS GOBLETS. A YEAR IN THE MAKING, THE HOME IS LIT BY MINUSCULE 'GRAIN OF WHEAT BULBS' TO GIVE THE EFFECT OF CANDLE LIGHTING TRUE TO THE ERA THE HOUSE REPRESENTS.

DELAWARE ART MUSEUM PRESENTS 'FASTER THAN THE EYE CAN SEE: PHOTOGRAPHS BY HAROLD EDGERTON'

THE DELAWARE ART MUSEUM PRESENTS 'FASTER THAN THE EYE CAN SEE: PHOTOGRAPHS BY HAROLD EDGERTON', FEATURING 18 PHOTOGRAPHS PRODUCED AT ULTRA HIGH-SPEED, ON VIEW UNTIL 25.APRIL.2010. DR HAROLD "DOC" EDGERTON REDEFINED THE LIMITS OF VISION, SHOWING THINGS INVISIBLE TO THE UNAIDED EYE BY STOPPING TIME AND MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO WITNESS SPLIT SECONDS. PRODUCED WITH A STROBE LIGHT, WHICH HE INVENTED, EDGERTON'S EXPOSURES COULD BE AS BRIEF AS 1/1,000,000 OF A SECOND, ALLOWING HIM TO CAPTURE A BULLET PIERCING AN APPLE OR A HUMMINGBIRD IN FLIGHT. PUBLISHED IN LIFE MAGAZINE AND NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC AND DISPLAYED FREQUENTLY AT THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, EDGERTON'S PHOTOGRAPHS HAVE AMAZED MILLIONS SINCE THE LATE 1930s. AND ALTHOUGH HE PHOTOGRAPHED IN THE SERVICE OF SCIENTIFIC AND COMMERCIAL RESEARCH, EDGERTON APPRECIATED THE IMPORTANCE OF AESTHETICS TO CREATE WONDER AND COMMUNICATE IDEAS. FOR 25 YEARS HE LABORED TO GET THE PERFECT PICTURE OF A MILK DROP AND THE CORONET CREATED BY ITS SPLASH, THE RESULTING 1957 PHOTOGRAPH IS ONE OF THE MOST FAMILIAR IMAGES OF MODERN VISUAL CULTURE. THE ENDURING APPEAL OF EDGERTON'S PHOTOGRAPHS RESULTS FROM HIS COMBINATION OS TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION AND VISUAL ALLURE. CLEAR. SCIENTIFIC AND EXCITING, EDGERTON'S PHOTOGRAPHS ARE PRODUCTS OF AMERICAN INGENUITY THAT DEMONSTRATE FAITH IN TECHNOLOGY TO REVEAL TRUTH AND IMPROVE LIFE. FROM THE VANTAGE POINT OF 2010, EDGERTON'S PHOTOGRAPHS ARE DELIGHTFULLY PRE-DIGITAL, THEY DATE FROM A TIME WHEN PHOTOGRAPHS WERE ROUTINELY EQUATED WITH TRUTHFULNESS.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART PRESENTS 'RENOIR IN THE 20th CENTURY'

THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART (LACMA) PRESENTS RENOIR IN THE 20th CENTURY, AN EXHIBITION FOCUSING ON THE LAST THREE DECADES OF PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR'S CAREER, UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 1919. THE EXHIBITION PRESENTS APPROXIMATELY 80 PAINTINGS, SCULPTURES AND DRAWINGS BY RENOIR, INTERSPERSED WITH SELECT WORKS BY PABLO PICASSO, MATISSE, ARISTIDE MAILLOL AND PIERRE BONNARD, TO ILLUSTRATE THE DEVELOPING AVANT GARDE'S DEBT TO THE OLDER MASTER. THE SHOW OFFERS AN UNPRECEDENTED LOOK AT RENOIR THROUGH THE LENS OF MODERNISM, BRIDGING THE PERCEIVED DIVIDE BETWEEN THE ART OF THE LATE 19th AND 20th CENTURIES. CO-ORGANIZED BY THE REUNION DES MUSEES NATIONAUX, THE MUSEE D'ORSY AND LACMA, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART, THE EXHIBITION WILL BE ON VIEW FROM 14.FEBRUARY TO 9.MAY.2010. DURING THE LAST 30 YEARS OF HIS CAREER, RENOIR MOVED FROM IMPRESSIONISM TO AN ART AIMING TO BE DECORATIVE, CONTINUE THE GREAT TRADITION OF EUROPEAN PAINTING, AND BE MODERN, ALL AT ONCE. THE RESULTING PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURES BECAME AN ENDURING SOURCE OF INSPIRATION TO A GENERATION OF YOUNGER ARTISTS WHO WERE FEELING THEIR WAY INTO MODERNISM IN THE EARLY 20th CENTURY.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.lacma.org

CONWAY STEWART VALENTINES LIMITED EDITION PEN

CONWAY STEWART HAS RECENTLY DESIGNED A NEW PEN JUST FOR VALENTINE'S DAY. THE 'VALENTINES LIMITED EDITION' IS MADE OF RICH RED RESIN LACQUER AND STERLING SILVER WITH A LARGE 18 CARAT GOLD NIB. CAREFULLY DESIGNED AND BALANCED FOR AMAZINGLY SMOOTH AND EFFORTLESS WRITING, THE CLEAN CONTEMPORARY DESIGN IS ACCENTED WITH SMALL ENGRAVINGS OF ROMANTIC SHAKESPEAREAN LOVE SONNETS. THE ROMANCE CONTINUES ALL THROUGH THE PACKAGING WITH A SMALL BOOK OF SONNETS, A CALLIGRAPHIC COPY OF THE LOVE SONNETS ENGRAVED ON THE PEN AND A BOTTLE OF RED INK ALL INCLUDED IN A PRETTY BLACK SATIN-LINED BOX. LIMITED TO ONLY 50 PIECES AND SELLING FOR AN ESTIMATED $750, THE CONWAY STEWART VALENTINES LIMITED EDITION PEN IS THE PERFECT GIFT FOR WRITING WORDS OF LOVE.

CAR SLAMS INTO FAMED TIFFANY'S STOREFRONT

AN OFF DUTY POLICEMAN AND TWO OF HIS PASSENGERS WERE INJURED IN A DRINK-DRIVE ACCIDENT EARLY SATURDAY MORNING WHEN THEIR CAR FLIPPED OVER AND SLAMMED INTO TIFFANY'S ICONIC MIDTOWN STOREFRONT, A POLICES SPOKESPERSON SAID. POLICE OFFICER RAPHAEL OSPINA WAS BEHIND THE WHEEL WHEN HIS LUXURY CAR PLOWED INTO A GARBAGE TRUCK AT THE CORNER OF 57th STREET AND 5th AVENUE, BEFORE CAREENING ONTO THE SIDEWALK AT 3am. BLOOD WAS SPATTERED THROUGHOUT THE INSIDE OF THE CRUMPLED CHRYSLER 300, BUT WHILE ALL THREE MEN HAD BEEN RUSHED TO HOSPITAL, THEIR INJURIES WERE NOT CONSIDERED LIFE-THREATENING, ACCORDING TO OFFICIALS. A CHAMPAGNE CORK AND A CARTON OF ORANGE JUICE WAS SPOTTED INSIDE THE CAR, WHICH HAD ITS WINDSCREEN SHATTERED IN THE CRASH AD ITS ROOF CUT OFF BY FIREFIGHTERS RESCUING THE MEN TRAPPED INSIDE. OSPINA WAS CHARGED WITH DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED AND VEHICULAR ASSAULT, POLICE SAID. INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE A GARBAGE TRUCK WAS TRAVELING WEST ON 57th STREET AND TURNED ONTO FIFTH WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH THE CHRYSLER. THE SPINNING SEDAN WAS PROPELLED ONTO THE SIDEWALK WHERE IT KNOCKED OVER A TREE AND GARBAGE BIN BEFORE COMING TO REST PARTIALLY LODGED IN TIFFANY'S HISTORIC MARBLE FACADE, CAUSING MODERATE DAMAGE TO THE ENTRANCE AND WINDOW DISPLAY CASES.