Written on: Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 | Filed under:
Blog, Design
| Art Chat
New book chronicles the life of Ralph Pucci International
Ralph Pucci International’s path from mannequins to world-renowned furnishings and art is the subject of a new book, SHOW, published by Glitterati Incorporated.
Starting with the company’s origins as a mannequin repair shop founded by Nick and Lee Pucci, Ralph’s parents and the individuals to whom the book is dedicated, the book follows the company’s growth into a high-end mannequin manufacturer in the 70s and, eventually, a major New York City art and furnishings showroom.
Written on: Monday, July 20th, 2009 | Filed under:
Blog, Art
| Art Chat
[Installation view. Image courtesy of Shoshana Wayne Gallery]
Exhibition of video and drawings comes to Bergamot Station gallery
In 2007, the J. Paul Getty Center commissioned artist Nicole Cohen to incorporate French decorative arts from the museum’s permanent collection into an interactive video installation. What resulted was Please Be Seated, which featured replicas of several French chairs fabricated in an all-white room. Visitors could sit in them and look to an overhead screen to see the chair and their image transported to the original interior from whence the furniture would have existed, complete with prerecorded contemporary performers inhabiting the televised scenes. It was an an exercise in exploring history as well as a way of examining social mores regarding etiquette.
Written on: Monday, July 20th, 2009 | Filed under:
Blog, Art
| Art Chat
[Julius Shulman, 2008. Photo by Jim McHugh]
Remembering an icon
Last week, Julius Shulman, arguably the most talented and accomplished architectural photographer of the 20th century, passed away at the age of 98. A good friend of Art and Living, he will be sorely missed, both by those who knew him and by countless appreciators of his work worldwide.
Back in January, Art and Living was honored to be able to recognize Mr. Shulman with an Art to Life award. As part of that recognition, Art and Living ran a piece highlighting the career and accomplishments of the well-known architectural photographer. In memory of the artist, here is that piece.
Written on: Friday, July 17th, 2009 | Filed under:
Art
| 2 Chat Comments
[Deborah Brown. Image courtesy of the artist]
A Postmodernist in Fairyland
Plastic artist Deborah Brown has revealed a fresh crop of creations at her sculpture farm just outside London in St. Albans, England. Falling somewhere between the whimsical, the quizzical, the inoffensively mocking and the slightly unsettling, Brown’s fantastic animal-vegetable, animal-human, and vegetable-human hybrids suggest figures populating a fairyland set borrowed from a mutant’s version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Written on: Friday, July 17th, 2009 | Filed under:
Blog, Art
| Art Chat
[Robert McGinley, “Farm Rake Fog.” Image courtesy of the artist/Blue Seven Gallery]
Santa Monica exhibition welcomes art lovers and environmentalists alike
Conservation landscape photographer Robert McGinley opened up an exhibition of his latest work at Blue Seven Gallery in Santa Monica on June 27. Titled Topography, Light and Magic, the exhibit explores natural landscapes through a series of strikingly beautiful images.
[Otto Ernst Wiesenthal, the owner of Hotel Altstadt]
Vienna hotel makes for an exquisite, artful escape
Situated in the heart of picturesque Vienna, Hotel Altstadt provides visitors to the capital city of Austria a respite from the hustle and bustle of the busy city. Otto Ernst Wiesenthal, Art collector needed a gallery for his collection so converted an old patrican house to a boutique hotel. You can even request the room with the Bösendorfer piano.
Getting up close and personal with the creative team behind one of the world’s most storied musical instruments
Bösendorfer ranks among the world´s oldest piano manufacturers. In operation since 1828, the company is both rich in tradition and world famous for its unmistakably inspiring sound and the outstanding quality of its instruments.
Recently, Art and Living went behind the scenes at the factory where these pieces of musical craftsmanship come to life. You can read all about it in our upcoming issue, but in the meantime, here’s a photo preview our coverage of the Bösendorfer creative team.
[Neigungsgruppe Design, organizer of Vienna Design Week: Lilli Hollein, left, Thomas Geisler, and Tulga Beyerle, right. Photo/Concept: Zajc & Zündel]
Looking forward to one of Europe’s great design gatherings
We know this one’s still a little ways off, but we thought we’d tell you about a great event coming up: the Vienna Design Week.
In cooperation with many partners — from Vienna museums to production and retail companies to designers from all over the world — all of Vienna becomes a platform and showplace of design for this one October week. Make no mistake: this isn’t just a trade fair, as the VDW takes place in a variety of venues and encompasses a multitude of smaller events.
Poignant exhibition showcases the intricacies of the human condition
Vienna’s Albertina Museum is currently showcasing an exquisite assortment of photographs exploring the human body its multitude of forms.
Whatever their artistic origins or national provenance, the artists featured in this show — Erwin Wurm, Gottfried Helnwein, Helmut Newton, Franz West, Chuck Close, John Coplans, Elke Krystufek and Marie Jo Lafontaine — focus on the body, its qualities of expression, or text and body (image) combinations in their works.
In all, there are about 80 photographic works from the holdings of the Albertina on display. Among these is Gottfried Helnwein’s image of a 1980s-era Michael Jackson, a visage which is particularly striking in the face of Jackson’s recent death.
We go inside the studios of Montblanc for a look at the creative team behind one of the world’s leading writing instrument manufacturers
Writing utensils seem so simple, yet Art and Living learned otherwise when we got to tour the design studios of renowned penmaker Montblanc. There’s a lot of design and artistry that goes into the crafting of these intricate pieces.
We’re hard at work on our latest issue, which will showcase our experience firsthand. But in the meantime, you can check out some photos we took of the journey.
MySpace Art Chat
ArtChat - Chat Forum 
