bLavish

Helmut Newton’s White Women, Sleepless Nights, and Big Nudes

July 20, 2011 | Posted by bLavish as Artsy Fartsy at 8:32 pm | Comments off

If you follow fashion or photography or art in general, then Helmut Newton is probably a name you know. He is one of the most famous fashion photographers of all time. As a teen, my walls were plastered with his images that I tore from the pages of Vogue.

White Women, Sleepless Nights, Big Nudes is giant exhibition that includes over 200 of his prints and is currently traveling the U.S. The show opened last week in Houston, but if you can’t make it to see in person, you should at least check out the exhibition catalog, which has contributions from the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and Anna Wintour.

Newton, who died in 2004, survived Nazi Germany and went on to become one of the most eminent photographers of all time. His work is known for its sensual, if not outright titillating character. Newton expanded traditional notions of feminine beauty in his own way. To be precise, most of the women he photographed were traditionally beautiful, but in his images they were allowed to play out roles and fantasies that were somewhat transgressive.

 

Mulvany & Rogers Luxury Dollhouses

July 19, 2011 | Posted by bLavish as Artsy Fartsy at 11:00 pm | Comments off

I’m kind of obsessed with miniature things. It’s a new obsession. I think it started when I saw the Joseph LeDray exhibit that’s been traveling around the states. Anyways, the point is that there is something fascinating about objects rendered in teeny tiny scales. Mulvany & Rogers is know for their opulent dollhouses and their ability to make the miniature extraordinary.

Take, for example, this dollhouse version of the Palace of Versailles. It’s absolutely stunning, and much easier to take in than the original. All the details of the palace, including the carved golden chandelier, has been rendered in exquisitely minute detail. Plus, at around $30,000, it’s a lot less expensive than investing in the real thing.

Other designs include classic English Gothic manor homes, Georgian shops, and of course, custom work. These are the kind of dollhouses you’ll love even if you were never a Barbie girl. Or boy.

Kieth Haring By House Of Field

June 3, 2011 | Posted by bLavish as Apparel, Artsy Fartsy at 12:12 am | Comments off

Fashion and art are two great tastes that taste great together. For years, artists and designers have been collaborating to produce wearable art. This is more of a posthumous collaboration, though, since one of the collaborators, Kieth Haring, died in 1990. Before and since then, he acquired legendary pop artist status, and Patria Field pays homage to him in her line for The House of Field.

You know Patricia Field because she was the stylist for Sex and the City, but fashionistas have known about her for decades. Patricia Field is always on the cutting edge of what’s happening next, especially more recently, when she’s become a driving force behind the trends. This line is eye-poppingly colorful and super graphic. It has a youthful playfulness that represents Haring’s work well.

The line is of a totally reasonable price point, too. Prices start at $38 for a cotton tote and go up from there for jewelry and apparel.

Laurence Stephen Lowry Painting Sells For A Record $9.2 Million

June 2, 2011 | Posted by bLavish as Artsy Fartsy, Auctions at 11:55 pm | Comments off

Laurence Stephen Lowry was a British artist painting around the second World War who was known for his sketchy renderings of “matchstick men”. This intriguing painting from 1949 entitled, “The Football Match” in considered a modern masterpiece by collectors. It recently sold at Christie’s for $9.2 million, twice as much as it was expected to go for, and also twice as much as any other Lowry painting.

Why all the excitement over this large format landscape? Critics say it encapsulates the spirit of the town gathered for an afternoon of sport in Lowry’s own indelibly unique way. The subdued color palette shows an extensive view of Manchester, in which the center of activity is the match. The tiny “matchstick” figures huddled together en masse give the audience a sense of the camaraderie. Lowry’s point of view is inimitable and expertly rendered. Let’s see how much this sale drives up the value of his other paintings!

The Ultimate Custom Waterfall By DNA 11

May 27, 2011 | Posted by bLavish as Artsy Fartsy at 11:33 pm | Comments off

DNA 11 makes portraits and design pieces that are customized in the most personal way possible: they are representation’s of the client’s DNA. Yes, you read that correctly. This waterfall is definitely a piece that is all you.

If you want a personalized waterfall (or portrait, they make those, too), DNA 11 will send you a kit to help you collect a sample of your own DNA. Then you get to choose the color and style of the piece. Talk about personalization!

While I want to write this idea off as gimmicky, which it absolutely is, there is something beautiful about the design as well. That, and there’s nothing like knowing that a little piece of you (or all of you) has been preserved for all of time.

Van Gogh Still Life Up For Auction At Rau Antiques

May 27, 2011 | Posted by bLavish as Artsy Fartsy, Auctions at 10:12 pm | Comments off

Vincent Van Gogh is famous for a lot of things. First and foremost, he created his own inimitable style within the Impressionist movement. Second, he cut off his own ear, although we don’t know whether this was because of frustration over auditory hallucinations or a frustrated love affair or both. Regardless, he is a master of both modern painting and of modern life. It is for these reasons that his work is hard to come by on the open market.

Hard, but not impossible. This remarkable still life, entitled “Still Life With Two Sacks And A Bottle” has recently gone up for auction at Rau Antiques. I am personally fascinated by it. Any fan of Van Gogh will recognize both his signature style and also the fact that this painting is unusual within that style. It has less obvious brush strokes than much of his work. Some might consider the piece less painterly than his more famous works, but the distinctive quality of his artistry shines through, nonetheless.

 

100,000 Carat Gemstone Mona Lisa Reproduction

March 12, 2011 | Posted by bLavish as Artsy Fartsy at 5:00 pm | (1) Comment »

The world is reproduction crazy. I’ve seen the Mona Lisa on handbags, mugs, postcards, magnets, even throw pillows, but this really takes it to a new level. A jewelry collector in China recently constructed this over-the-top reproduction of the Mona Lisa using a mind-warping 100,000 carats of gems. If that number seems ridiculously high, well, that’s because it is. This woman has been collecting gems to make this baby for the past 30 years. Would Leonardo be proud? I’m just not sure.

Anyhow, it took the gem collector and several Eurpoean craftspeople five years to finish this extraordinary, um, work of art. It’s being displayed by a jewelry store at a mall in Shenyang City to celebrate International Women’s Day. Women of the world, rejoice! You will probably never own this many jewels in your life, but the mystique of feminine beauty will be showcased in them always!

Fashion Photographer Michel Comte’s Exhibit In Prague

February 22, 2011 | Posted by bLavish as Artsy Fartsy at 11:00 pm | Comments off

Michel Comte may not be a household name, but if you’re into fashion, you’ve definitely seen his work. The prominent fashion photographer first garnered attention in 1979 when he shot an ad campaign for Chloe. Since then, he has become one of the hottest photographers in fashion, and has worked with everyone from Cindy Crawford to Gisele Bundchen.

An exhibition of his work is currently running at the Leica Gallery in Prague. The exhibit, entitled, “Not Only Women: Feminine Icons of Our Times” will be on display until March 3rd. The Leica Gallery says that:

“Not only Women” arises from an assumption that all too often the fashion portrait, in particular the female one, only has to be studied from iconographic and stylistic points of view. Michel Comte overturns this assumption. On the contrary, his shots are not limited to being plastic-aesthetic interpretations or to being well planned out performances, where the protagonists are women.

Dennis Hopper’s Mao Warhol Sells For $300k

January 12, 2011 | Posted by bLavish as Artsy Fartsy, Auctions at 4:10 pm | Comments off

There’s so much going on in this story that it’s hard to know where to start. This very iconic screenprint was made by Andy Warhol in 1972 and was subsequently purchased by the star of Easy Rider, Dennis Hopper. At some point, supposedly in a drunken and/or drug-induced haze, Mr. Hopper put two bullet holes through the famous painting. He said that he got freaked out when he mistook the painting for Mao himself. When Hopper showed the bullet holes to Warhol, Warhol agreed to consider the painting a collaboration. He then drew circles around the bullet holes, and labeled one of them “warning shot” and the other “bullet hole”.

This amazing piece went up for bid after Hopper’s death at the age of 74 last year. Christie’s expected the piece to sell for between $20,000 and $30,000, but they drastically underestimated its cult value. The piece sold yesterday for $302,500, along with numerous other paintings from Hopper’s collection. The sale garnered over $10 million for his estate.

Fantastic Food Photography Contest

January 3, 2011 | Posted by bLavish as Artsy Fartsy at 8:00 pm | Comments off

NOWNESS, an online magazine of everything hip, luxurious, or artfully bizarre, is hosting their first food photography contest. All of the entries were submitted by readers, which may make the whole enterprise seem plebian, except that NOWNESS readers just aren’t average. The entries ranges from farm fresh piles of watermelons to carefully curated combinations that were clearly made by accomplished, if amateur, chefs.

Even if you don’t happen to love food photography, you may find yourself drawn in to the experience of peeking at what people are eating at home when they aren’t noshing on cold cuts and french fries. Or when they’re noshing on the most aesthetic cold cuts and french fries ever. If you’re a foodie, you’ll love the diversity of subject, and if you’re not, well, maybe you’ll just like the pretty colors.

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