The Metropolitan Museum
- Architecture, Art, Art Deco, Bauhaus, Books, Design, Gifts, HEW Hotels, Shopping, The Metropolitan Museum, Vyna St Phard
Shopping at The Met with Vyna
The Metropolitan Museum Gift Store“To the making of many books there is no end…” And The Metropolitan Gift Shop is an authority on supplying the world’s most outstanding reading materials. After a recent visit to the New American Wing Galleries for Paintings, Sculpture, and Decorative Arts, I decided to commemorate the occasion by visiting the gift shop and adding a few more books to my home library. I’m in the process of doing some research for a garden that I’m designing, and dedicating to the memory of my mother, and found the Gardening section had the right amount of variety of designs and styles which were quite helpful. In addition, I picked up a number of books ranging from architecture, fashion, and decorative arts. Would you like to find out exactly which ones were my favorites? -
Artful Gifts with A Past
Sonia Delaunay’s fashionable gifts from The Met StoreNow is the the time to get a head start on your holiday shopping. After all, immediately following Labor Day comes a barrage of holidays, and if you love the arts, and have some of those hard to please artsy friends, we suggest you try the shopping experience from The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual holiday catalogue. Once we looked through its pages we were delighted to find merchandise collections inspired by and evocative of objects in the Museum’s vast holdings.
Like the previous years before, The Met has continued a tradition that began in 1870, their merchandising staff work closely with art historians, master craftspeople, and responsible manufacturers to assure that each of their publications, reproductions, and adaptations offers superior design, quality and value. These holiday introductions (and many more) are also available at store.metmuseum.org and in the Met’s retail locations: 1000 Fifth Avenue (within the Museum) and Rockefeller Center (15 West 49th Street). - Fashion Review, Guest Blogger, HEW Hotels, Polly Guerin, Punk: Chaos to Culture, The Metropolitan Museum
When Punk Meets High Fashion
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, “Punk: Chaos to Culture”From left, looks from Yohji Yamamoto, Viktor & Rolf and Chanel.Photo by Thomas Iannaccone, via WWD.comJust what exactly defines the punk era? Is it anarchy, rebellion or a do-it-yourself venue that continues to engage and excite our imagination? In this compelling and outrageous exhibition, “PUNK: Chaos and Couture,” May 9 to August 14 at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute,curator Andrew Bolton argues high fashion has adopted punk style more than any other counter cultural movement. The exhibition examines punk’s impact on high fashion from the movement’sbirth in the 1970s through its continuing influence today.
Karl Lagerfeld for House of ChanelPhotograher: David Sims PUNK’S ORIGINSince its origins, punk has had an incendiary influence on fashion,” said Mr.Bolton. Punk began in the mid-1970s as youth movement centered on the music scene at New York, CBGB club and then moved to London and there it grew full blown and fashion-focused with designers Vivienne Westwood at the helm. Punk broke all the rules in a time when originality was celebrated and championed the individual’s individuality. The museum explores this visually with 100 designs for men and women.
COMPARISON VIEWSOriginal pink garments from the mid-1970s are juxtaposed with recent, directional fashion to illustrate how haute couture and ready-to-wear have borrowed punk’s visual symbols, with paillettes being replaced by safety pins, feathers with razor blades, and bugle beads with studs, and other hardware. The exhibit is organized around the materials, techniques and embellishments associated with the anti-establishment style.GALLERY PRESENTATIONSThe seven galleries, organized thematically have designated punkheroes. The first gallery is devoted to CBGB represented by Blondie, Richard Hell, The Ramones andPatti Smith., Next gallery is inspired by Malcolm McClaren and Vivienne Westwood and their Seditionaries boutique in London. The Clothes for Heroes examines designers who extend the visual language of punk, as it was originally articulated by McClaren and Westwood. Do-it-yourself, punk’s contribution to high fashion is explored in the four final galleries focus on couture’s use of studs, spikes, chains, zippers,padlocks, safety pins and razor blade with Sid Vicious as its icon.MUSIC and VIDEOSPresented as an immersive multimedia, multisensory experience, the clothes are animated with period music videos andsoundscaping audio techniques; original punk pieces and videos showing punk icons wearing their infamous looks. The designers includeVersace, Balenciaga, Dolce & Gabbana and Karl Lagerfeld. It is interesting to note the couture and punk had value handcrafted, individual pieces. Bolton said, “Just as couture has made-to-measure one of a kind garments, punk would take a leather jacket and customize it so that you are the only person in the world who wears it.”
A book, Punk; Chaos To Couture, by Andrew Bolton with Prefaces by Three Punk Originals, Richard Hell, John Lydon (a.k.a. Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols) and Jon Savage each contribute with enlightening and fascinating essays illustrated with photographs of vintage punks and high fashion. Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
A Vivienne Westwood ensemble.Photo by Thomas Iannaccone, via WWD.com
Versace’s safety pin dress that created Elizabeth Hurley.Photo by Thomas Iannaccone, via WWD.com
A Stephen Sprouse dress works a graffiti vibe.Photo by Thomas Iannaccone, via WWD.com
Photo via The Epoch Times
Images via www.sentinelandenterprise.com
A series of Comme des Garçons dresses against a video wall featuring Johnny Rotten.Photo by Thomas Iannaccone, via WWD.comWritten by Polly Guerin - Art, Contributors, de Kooning, Drawings, Durer, Morgan Library, Photography, Polly Guerin, Polly Talk, The Metropolitan Museum
Autumn in New York
Rich cultural venues drive the wealth of museum openings to keep New Yorkers and tourists busy in the world’s most fascinating city, fueling inspiration on a broad scale from historical to modern. Here’s the scoop!!! CROSSING BORDERS: Manuscripts from the Bodleian Libraries. For a rare glimpse into antiquity when books were unique works of art as well as repositories of knowledge, head uptown to The Jewish Museum for Crossing Borders, the meeting place of medieval cultures, where illuminated manuscripts from England’s Bodleian Library, established by Thomas Bodley in 1602 are on display. Renowned for its great treasures, this exhibition features over 60 works, Hebrew, Arabic and Latin manuscripts, the majority of which have never been seen in the United States including the splendid Kennicott Bible, the most lavishly illuminated Hebrew Bible to survive from medieval Spain.
In addition to viewing the actual illuminated manuscript, visitors will be able to look at digital images of every page in several of the bibles and examine details on touch screens. At The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd St., through February 3, 2013, T-212.423.3200.
DURER TO de KOONING: 100 Master Drawings from Munich marks the first time such a comprehensive and prestigious selection of works has been lent to a single exhibition. The Morgan Library & Museum hosts an extraordinary exhibition of rarely-seen master drawings from the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung, Munich, one of Europe’s most distinguished drawings collections. Durer to de Kooning occupies the Morgan’s principal galleries containing more than 60 Italian, German, Dutch, French drawings of the 15th through the 19th centuries with celebrated artists Rubens, Michelangelo, Rembrandt and Titian while the second gallery features late-nineteenth-century and modern contemporary works. Through January 2013. 225 Madison Ave.
FAKING IT: Manipulated Photography Before PhotoshopFAKING IT: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop While digital photography and image editing software have brought about an increased awareness of the degree to which camera images can be manipulated, the practice of doctoring photographs has existed since the medium was invent. Featuring some 200 visually captivating photographs created between the 1840s and 1990s in the service of art, politics news, entertainment and commerce, this exhibition offers a provocative new perspective on the history of photography. The photographs in the exhibition were altered using a variety of techniques including multiple exposure, photomontage, over painting and retouching on the negative or print. The Metropolitan Museum of Art through May 2013. 1000 Fifth Avenue. SAGA SITES, Landscapes of the Icelandic Sagas. The American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) presents a unique exhibition tracking the great, medieval narratives of Iceland, known collectively as the Sagas of Islanders, through the 19th century watercolors of British artist W. G. Collingwood and the contemporary photographs of renowned Iceland artist Einar Falur Ingolfsson. The first of its kind in the U.S., the exhibition explores the inimitable visual dialog forged between Collingwood and Ingolfsson and highlights the significance of the sagas within Ireland’s literary heritage and their enduring cultural inspiration. Free Admission. ASF, 58 Park Ave., @38th St., through January 2012.Ta Ta darlings: Don’t miss an opportunity to see breathtaking treasures in the Jewish Museum’s rare illuminated manuscripts.Written by Polly Guerin, Polly Talk New York
NOTE: Please notify us directly, if you believe that certain images on this post are alleged to infringe upon the copyrights of others, according to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Thank you. - 1stDibs, Art, Calendar of Events, Elsa Schiaparelli, Galleries, Georffrey Bradfield, Haute Couture, HEW Hotels, Liz O'Brien, Miuccia Prada, Photography, Robin Rice Gallery, The Metropolitan Museum, Todd Burris
This Week 5 Hottest Events
The show brings together five examples of Swing’s iconic coin furniture, and will serve as the debut of his most recent and ambitious work to date, Murmuration. A fully illustrated catalogue showcasing each of the works from the series, with essays by David Collens, Judd Tully and James Zemaitis, will accompany the exhibition.Johnny Swing, Murmuration, 2012May 3, 2012 – June 29, 2012Opening Reception hosted by Geoffrey Bradfield
The opening reception hosted by Geoffrey Bradfield. Monday May 07, 2012. 6:30 – 8:30pm. Sebastian + Barquet – 601 West 26th Street, 3rd flr. New York NY 10001.Born in Connecticut in 1961, Johnny Swing lives and works in rural Vermont, though set up his first studio in 1986 in an abandoned gas station on the corner of 2nd street and Avenue B on New York’s Lower East Side. Space 2B served as both workshop and showcase for his and other artists and designers work, and was the venue for his initial experiments with repurposed found objects and furniture. Central to his practice is the importance of his materials, exposing their inherent nature with a witty detachment from their intended utility. Nothing is taken at face value.
Todd Burris, Corso Sienna, 1989The opening reception for the spellbinding photographs of Todd Burris will take place on Wednesday, May 9th, from 5:30-8:30pm at the Robin Rice Gallery. The exhibition will be at the gallery until June 17th. This is the second collaboration between the artist and Robin Rice, so expect to see a series of beautiful photography which are like a visual dance of contractions. The exhibition is from May 9th to June 17th, 2012. Robin Rice – 325 West 11th Street, New York, NY 10014.
Liz O’Brien, Editions – Vintage-inspired FurnitureAntiques dealer Liz O’Brien debuts her first collection of newly designed, vintage-inspired furniture, lighting and accessories at 1stdibs on Wednesday, May 9th. The pop-up shop opens with a reception at NYDC from 6 to 8 PM. The collection will be on view and for sale from Wednesday, May 9th until Monday, June 4, 2012 at 1stdibs at the New York Design Center, 200 Lexington Avenue, 10th Floor.The Editions Collection offers a sophisticated, refreshing alternative at exceptional value featuring thoughtfully selected designs inspired by Liz O’Brien’s keen eye and passion for 20th Century art and design. These unique pieces are priced competitively to attract those seeking high style at an accessible price. With her ability to bridge the gap between historical design and contemporary interiors, Editions captures the essence of the great designers of the past with an updated, elegant and practical interpretation. Liz O’Brien is considered one of America’s leading experts in modern design and has forged her reputation as a premier furniture dealer catering to the most respected architects, interior designers, museum curators, and private collectors.
NYC Tribal Art Week® 2012Traditional arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas take center stage in New York City during the 3rd Annual NYC Tribal Art Week®. Historically, New Yorkers have been among the foremost collectors of tribal art. New York politicians, artists, business leaders, professionals, fashion moguls and celebrities such as Helena Rubinstein, Nelson Rockefeller, Andy Warhol, John Friede, Armand Arman and Robert Mapplethorpe have solidified the international tribal art market rumored to now only exist in Paris. This year NYC Tribal Art Week® has reached a pinnacle and features three major tribal art auctions at Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Bonhams as well as a wealth of gallery exhibitions and events focused on tribal art. NYC Tribal Art Week will take place from Thursday, May 7 until Wednesday, May 13, 2012 in New York City.Participating Galleries include: Cassera Arts Premiers, La Conner, Throckmorton Fine Art, Luz Miriam Toro, Corso Gallery, David Norden African Art, Antwerp Belgium, Oumar Kiende, Wormhole to the Past Gallery, Hemingway African Art. Regular Show Hours – Friday, May 11th, Saturday, May 12th, from 11am – 6:30pm. Sunday, May 13th, from 11am-4:30pm. NYC Tribal Art show VIP Preview To Benefit Miracle House is on Thursday, May 10th from 5:00 -9:00pm at The Bohemian National Hall: 321 E 73rd St New York, NY 10021. Tickets available through Eventbrite. The Official NYC Tribal Art Week and Art Week and After Sotheby’s Auction Roof Terrace Celebration is on Friday 11th May Open 4:00PM – 12:00AM at the Bohemian National Hall, Roof Terrace, 321 E 73rd St New York, NY 10021 (3 blocks from Sotheby’s). Tickets available through Eventbrite.
Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations, The Metropolitan Museum of ArtLeft: Elsa Schiaparelli. Right: Miuccia Prada, photographed by Guido Harari in 1999.Photos: Hoyningen-Huené/Vogue/Condé Nast Archive and Guido Harari/Contrasto/Redux“Fashion is instant language,” Miuccia Prada has said. That gives curators Harold Koda andAndrew Bolton plenty of material for the conversations they’ll imagine between Prada and Elsa Schiaparelli (1890–1973) for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 2012 Costume Institute exhibition. Opening in May, “Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada: On Fashion” will explore the affinities between the two Italian designers from different eras. “Given the role Surrealism and other art movements play in the designs of both Schiaparelli and Prada, it seems only fitting that their inventive creations be explored here at the Met,” said museum director Thomas Campbell in a statement announcing the exhibition. “Schiaparelli’s collaborations with Dalí and Cocteau as well as Prada’s current Fondazione Prada push art and fashion ever closer, in a direct, synergistic, and culturally redefining relationship.” From Media Bistro. Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations at The Metropolitan Museum is on view from Thursday, May 10 through Sunday, August 19, 2012. -
J.J. Lally: Silver and Gold in Ancient China
This slender curving handle of half-round form with flattened back, tapering to a simplified duck’s head terminal at one end and flattened out to a lotus-petal-shaped very shallow curving scoop at the other end.Top: A Silver long-handled tea scoop (Ze)Early Tang Dynasty, A.D. 7th century – Length 9 3/4 inches.Bottom: A gilt-silver wine cup and stand, fromthe Northern Song Dynasty (A.D. 960-1127) Diameter of cup stand 5 1/8 inches, Diameter of cup 2 3/4 inches,The flower-shaped wine cup with gently rounded and slightly flaring sides divided into ten petal-lobes, chased on the exterior with ten demi-florettes in a band below the lipped rim, the saucer-shaped stand also divided into ten lobes enclosed by a flat foliate rim of conforming outline with squared edge and raised on a high hollow ten-lobed foot, chased in the center of the stand with an undulating band of composite floral scroll, and the splayed edge of the foot chased with a border of pendant petal lappets enclosing demi-florettes, the gilded surface showing a soft luster and scattered dark tarnish, the patination and tarnish more concentrated on the underside of the cup stand where surface has not been as thoroughly cleaned.
A parcel-gilt silver ‘Musical troupe’ Ewer and CoverLiao – Northern Song Dynasty, A.D. 10th -11th CenturyHeight 10 inchesThe hexagonal vessel of tall slender form decorated with six gilded figures in high relief including a dancer, a drummer and four different musicians playing Chinese instruments centering each of the six flat tapering sides, further decorated with a ring-matte punched ground embellished with incised foliate and cloud motifs above and below each figure, and with incised borders of overlapping petal motifs framing each panel, the sloping shoulders and tapering narrow neck also decorated with floral motifs on ring-punched grounds within petal-borders and the upright cylindrical spout and high arch-form handle similarly decorated, standing on a plain splayed hexagonal ring foot and with a small stepped cover with incised foliate decoration surmounted by a large gilded flame-shaped finial.
A clam shell box and chased silver coverTang Dynasty, A.D. 8th-9th CenturyWidth 4 inchesThis shell-shaped silver cover with domed surface finely decorated with a fenghuang bird with fan-shaped crest and long luxurious tail feathers shown walking with wings displayed, surrounded by exotic blooms and lush foliage borne on long curling stems, the decoration all freely incised in outline and with fine stippling and linear details, reserved on a dense ring-punched ground, and enclosed within a narrow plain border around the rim and downturned narrow sides which are angled over the edge of the natural clam shell base, with a small silver ring at one side of the cover linked by a silver chain to a similar ring on a peg drilled through and attached to the shell.
A set of early gold headdress ornamentsNorthern Dynasties – Early Tang Dynasty, circa A.D. 5th-7th Century(Approximately 50 pieces)Length of the repoussé bands 11 7/8 inches; 8 5/8 inches; 3 inchesLength of florette tassels 2 3/4 inchesLength of sequins 3/8 inchLength of beads 3/8 inchThis breathtaking set comprised of nine repoussé decorated bands, five florette tassels, six hollow beads, and twenty-nine sequins, the largest band decorated in shallow relief with a frieze of round-faced boys wearing lotus-petal skirts and bead necklaces shown grasping the strands of an undulating foliate scroll sprouting palmette motifs between beaded borders punched with tiny holes for attachment. The shorter two narrow bands each decorated with similar undulating foliate scroll sprouting palmette motifs in a continuous pattern between beaded borders, the six small bands decorated with overlapping undulating ropetwist pattern between beaded borders. The five tassels each in the form of an eight-petal florette pierced through the center to receive a thin pendant gold strip of tapered form, and the twenty-nine sequins all of teardrop shape, slightly convex on one side and concave on the other, pierced at the top for suspension. Finally, he six beads thinly cast with a mould line across the waist; all the elements showing a higher polish on the front and slightly matte on the reverse, one of the medium-size narrow bands with an ancient repair visible only on the back.
A parcel-gilt silver chrysanthemum-form cup from theSong Dynasty (A.D. 960-1279)3 3/8 inchesThe deep flower-form bowl with two tiers of twenty-four slender petals each recessed on the interior and convex on the exterior, rising to a scalloped rim with inset gilt-edged lip, the domed center of the interior imitating the center of the flower, with rows of rounded bosses above a collar of gilded leaf tips, raised on a hollow tapered foot also petal-lobed and flaring to a scalloped edge.Exhibition and Sale March 16 – April 14, 2012‘Asia Week’ is a great opportunity for everyone interested in Asian art to gather and exchange ideas while feasting their eyes on the best Asian art exhibitions in museums and specialist art galleries. At J.J. Lally & Co. we have spent several years hunting for and gathering together the rare ancient Chinese silver and gold works of art which we will be exhibiting March 16-April 14, and many of the other 33 Asian art galleries participating in ‘Asia Week’ have made an equal or greater effort. Asia Week’ is a scholarly event, a social event and a great art market event which draws aficionados from all around the world. – Mr. Jim LallyThe minute I walked through the doors of J.J. Lally, I was immediately struck by the warm and enthusiastic welcome of their gallery’s director, Ms. I-Hsuan Chen. She knew it was my first time there, and wasted no time to introduce me to their upcoming exhibit, Silver and Gold in Ancient China – a splendid show which many of you will get to see during Asia Week New York. As a young girl, I’ve always been fascinated by Asian art, not just because of its sheer, intense beauty, but I had a penchant for Asian gold because of its allure, and mystical quality. And when it comes to decoration, Asian art holds its own, and compliments modern and traditional interiors extremely well. During my tour, it became evident that this gallery embodied some of the finest Chinese works of art of every kind, particularly the arts of ancient China. I’ve also learned that J.J. Lally boasts an amazing collection of some of the most extremely rare body of works throughout the year. Some of which have been purchased by The Metropolitan Museum here in New York, The British Museum, the Shanghai Museum, and the Harvard University Art Museums.
Chinese silver of the Song dynasty (960-1279) is very well represented in this exhibition. Look for a rare piece of Song silver – an elaborate Openwork and Repoussé-Decorated Buddhist Stupa-Form Reliquary, formerly in the collection of J.T. Tai, which bears a dedicatory inscription including a Chinese reign date corresponding to A.D. 986. And what does the girl who have everything (I am not referring to myself) wish for when she visits J.J. Lally? A clam shell box and chased silver cover from the Tang Dynasty, of course! This piece is truly exquisite, and the fine details of the silver metal is so intricate that you’ll be mesmerized just by looking at it. J.J. Lally is located at 41 East 57th Street, 14th Floor New York, NY 10022. Opening Preview Saturday and Sunday, March 17–18 from 10am–6pm
www.jjlally.com.You May Also Like
NYC’s Top Asian Galleries
-
Savage Beauty
“I want to be the purveyor of a certain silhouette or a way of cutting, so that when I’m dead and gone people will know that the twenty-first century was started by Alexander McQueen.”The house of Alexander McQueen will be honored next week by The Costume Institute of The Met Museum and I can’t wait to be there to witness this spectacular event. One hundred designs will be on display and no doubt, they will all reflect Lee’s true essence – imaginative, dark, and romantic.Yesterday, I was at The Met, and picked up the book – Savage Beauty. Believe me, you don’t want to miss out on purchasing this one. I can’t remember the last time I was so enthralled by a fashion book. McQueen certainly improves upon acquaintance, and his legend lives on!Alexander McQueen
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty
May 4, 2011–July 31, 2011
Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Exhibition Hall, 2nd floor
Alexander McQueen at The Metropolitan Museum of ArtNOTE: Please notify us directly, if you believe that certain images on this post are alleged to infringe upon the copyrights of others, according to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Thank you. -
Have You Met Alexander?
New Yorkers will once again experience one of the many joys of living in this fashionable city. The Met’s Costume Institute is getting ready for their May 4th exhibit of the great fashion designer, Alexander McQueen. The show will focus from McQueen’s postgraduate collection, dated back in 1992 to the sad final runway show in February 2010, which took place after his death.
This exhibit means so much to McQueen’s devotees who have long since regarded him as one of the main King of Fashion. His designs always pushed the boundaries, and stayed true to their conceptual expression of culture, and identity. To watch the heart racing video from the museum, go to: Alexander McQueen at The Met. The Met will also produce a book from London photographer, Solve Sundsbo: Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty ($45).
Alexander McQueen had a way of making melancholy look so romantic
Photos via The New York Times
Naomi Campbell
McQueen all the way!
Andrew Bolton is the curator behind the McQueen ExhibitNOTE: Please notify us directly, if you believe that certain images on this post are alleged to infringe upon the copyrights of others, according to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Thank you.
