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It’s Time To Celebrate!
Davide and Paolo SozziWelcome to the DIFFA Age
The Italian furniture atelier PROMEMORIA held its annual holiday parties in cities around the world this week including Paris, Moscow, London, Milan and New York. At the New York fete, in the company’s Upper East Side showroom at the Fine Arts Building, New York’s prominent interior designers, design editors and design-loving New Yorkers gathered with hosts Davide and Paolo Sozzi to celebrate the season take a chance in a “Wish-Raffle” to benefit Design Industries’ Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA). Guests made a wish and a donation to the organization for a chance to win one of two tremendous prizes.Some of the wishes were general in nature, others were more specific to the AIDS cause, for which DIFFA has mobilized the immense resources of the design communities and granted over $40 million to hundreds of AIDS service organizations nationwide since its founding in 1984. Journalist and author Jorge Arango made this heartfelt wish “As someone who has lived with AIDS since 1993, it is my sincerest wish that the good works done by DIFFA will not be necessary in some near future, and that a cure will make the organization’s existence unnecessary.” David Sheppard, Executive Director of DIFFA National for more than 15 years, wished for generous benefactors: “What a difference it would make if more companies like Promemoria added ‘doing good’ to doing good business!”Raffle prizes were donated by generous sponsors and included The MoMA VIP Experience (featuring a private, after-hours tour of the museum and dinner for four at The MODERN restaurant, one of New York’s premiere dining experiences), and a deluxe Holiday Home Entertaining package (featuring 8 bottles of fine wine from LaCrema, 6 hand-blown Murano glass tumblers by Promemoria, and a $100 gift certificate to chef Mario Batali’s Eataly Market).
Arlene Angard, RioHamilton, VynaStPard
Michael Tavano, Barry Richards
Rock Axtman and Inson Wood
DIFFA Director Bill Murphy
Darrin Varden, Michael Tavano, LarryMartino
Dennis Scully and Michael Tavano
Fruit Display
James Rixner and Rio Hamilton
Jorge Arango, Vyna St Phard
Maggie Brown, Steven Williams
Michael Tavano, Arlene Angard, Vyna St Phard
Michael Tavano, Arlene Angard
Michael Tavano, Larry Martino
The three hour party was afloat in Italian wine and Prosecco, delicious hors d’oeuvres were copious and a huge buffet table laden with luscious fruits in della robbia style displays and several enormous Panettone, the traditional sweet breads that mark the holidays in Italy, and which hail from the north of the country, where Promemoria is headquartered and where they makes all of their fine furniture, lighting and gift items by hand.
Live jazz from the 45 Riots Quartet featuring Broadwaystar LaShonda Reese singing holiday and jazz favorites
Rock Axtman, Lizzy Schofield
The Panettone is the highlight of the event, and is flown in from Milan especially for the occasion by Promemoria, which has its entire staff tasting various versions of Panettone from Milan’s top bakeries and voting on the favorite months in advance of its worldwide celebrations.Photos courtesy PromemoriaAll Rights Reserved - Art Deco, Decorative Arts, Dr Stephen Kelly, Fireplaces, Galleries, Geoffrey Bradfield, Interior Design, Shagreen, Silver, Townhouses, Upper East Side of Manhattan
A Doctor’s Best Kept Secret Unleashed!
Kelly Gallery Study with Jourbet et Petit cerused oakand marble table and Andre Frechet CabinetI’ve long been fascinated with art deco particularly because of its preoccupation with lavish ornamentation, its superb craftsmanship and fine materials. And I feel fortunate to live in a town that is home to some of the most trustworthy art deco dealers in the world, namely Delorenzo, Maison Gerard, Friedman & Vallois, to name a few. Exactly one week to this day, I attended the opening of a gallery that can easily take its place among the rank of the illustrious establishments named above.
For over thirty years Dr. Stephen Kelly, a successful ophthalmologist with a Manhattan practice has been quietly assembling a collection of rare and important Art Deco furniture, fine art and design and filling his ca. 1915 landmark limestone and brick townhouse with these treasures. Now in his 60s, Dr. Kelly has embarked on a second career as a gallery owner.His treasured art deco gallery is nestled between the three floors of his dramatic six-story Upper East Side home. The gallery has now been opened since Wednesday, December 12th. The doctor’s entire collection is an impressive one to be sure. And art deco enthusiasts and collectors now have the opportunity to possess some of the most rarest pieces on the market – a variety of objects by such famed French Art Deco craftsmen as Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann, Jean-Michel Frank, Jean Dunand, Sue et Mare, A.A. Rateau, Eugene Printz, Edgar Brandt and Albert Cheuret, and others.
Salon Kelly Gallery with Ruhlman Lorcia Table Center and LeftMost of the fine art deco on view are between 1918 and 1939. Dr. Kelly puts particular emphasis on this period in France between the two world wars as one of the greatest and most productive times for fine and decorative arts. Pieces from this period lend a certain elegance and patina of age to a modern interior, without an 18th or 19th century antique look, and work well with all forms of 20th century fine art.
Kelly Gallery Assorted English Shagreen and Ivory Boxes ca 1925
KG Cardeillhac Sterling, Tortoise and Ivory Wine Caddies ca 1930Particular gems from the gallery include a monumental Sèvres urn by Ruhlmann that was one of four from the ocean liner Ile de France – only one other survives and is in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
Also on view is a spectacular straw marquetry cabinet by Jean-Michel Frank; a Rateau giltwood daybed from the home of Jeanne Lanvin; a one-of-a-kind silver and champlevé enamel clock by Jean Goulden, which was exhibited in the Art Deco Exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London in 2003; a coquille d’oeuf lacquer vase by Dunand from the 1925 Art Deco Exhibition in Paris and exhibited in the 1926 Art Deco Exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; and a unique amboyna wood table by Ruhlmann originally designed for the French actress Gabrielle Lorcia ca.1930, as well as modernist paintings and works on paper by Christian Bérard, Fernand Leger, Max Ernst and Sonia Delaunay juxtaposed against contemporary masters like Richard Diebenkorn, Jasper Johns and Jean Dubuffet.
Important Jean Luce Glass VasesThe gallery features a vast array of vintage silver or alligator photograph frames, crystal and silver perfume bottles and dressing sets, period ceramics and glass, period sterling silver serving pieces, bookends, lamps, classic American guilloche enamel sterling silver doubles cufflinks, 18kt gold doubles cufflinks, shagreen and ivory boxes, cubistic pewter dinanderie vases and other vintage Art Deco gift items that start at around $150, with median prices of $1000 to $10,000.
“I particularly like the rare and beautiful woods used in furniture during this period, frequently decorated with shagreen, ivory, parchment, tortoiseshell or lacquer,” says Dr. Kelly. “I am drawn to the handcrafted artistic quality of the wrought-iron work and lacquered dinanderie vases. It was also one of the greatest periods in fine art with the advent centered in Paris of cubism, surrealism and orphism.”Dr. Stephen KellyThe space features a spectacular interior that was originally designed by Geoffrey Bradfield and the late Jay Spectre. It includes a large two story solarium and more recently updated by Mr. Bradfield with a parchment-paneled drawing room, Venetian plaster foyer and macassar ebony-paneled library.
The Kelly Gallery is located at 154 East 71st Street (Between 3rd and Lexington Avenues), New York City. Hours of operation are: Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Tel: 212.744.0004Photo courtesy Josh GaddyAll rights reserved -
Classic American Style at its Best
Joseph Abboud’s Classic TuxedoThe British have Savile Row, and Italians are well known for their fashion savor fair, and everything sartorial. And in America, we have some of the most trail blazing fashion designers. Joseph Abboud has long been recognized as having his own brand of classic style, and is by large a “style guardian”. In 1981, he began working along side the American Style Icon Ralph Lauren, and thus started his namesake label in 1986.Written by Mark Scott
Joseph Abboud Super 120s Wool Tuxedo
photo via suitored.com
Joseph Abboud has furnished everyone from athletes, musicians and businessmen to everyday Men of Style (such as myself). His unique style is classic but still very relevant to American Fashion. In February 2013, I will look forward, once more, to the spin he puts on American Style during Fashion Week in New York!
photo via Joseph Abboud
photo via Joseph Abboud
photo via Joseph Abboud
photo via Joseph Abboud
Jospeh Abboud’s Runway Show/2013photo via The Fine Young Gentleman
photo via Joseph Abboud
Cufflinks by Joseph Abboudphoto via modnique.com
Joseph Abboud’s Home Collectionvia Joseph Abboud
Joseph Abboud’s runway show/2012photo via Fresher than Chris
Joseph Abboud, Spring 2013photo via The Fine Young Gentleman
Fashion designer, Joseph AbboudNOTE: 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.
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The Whimsical World of François-Xavier & Claude Lalanne
Lalannes and friend at their Parisian homefrom the archieves of LIFE magazineAnimal Kingdom
My recent gallery tour at Sotheby’s reminded me of how wonderful Lalanne’s works truly is when I saw several of his most iconic pieces on display. The dynamic french duo have won the slow and steady race of producing what some called “the supreme art of living” with their beloved works of art. From monkey shaped fireplaces, rhino-shaped desks to a flock of sheep, Francois-Xavier and Claude Lalanne have created a whimsical world where we can engage with art and design – in a joyful and meaningful way.
François-Xavier Lalanne, “Mountons De Laine”, 1967, wool, patinated aluminum,electro-formed copper and woodPhoto courtesy High End Weekly™
Gingko Bench, Claude Lalanne, 1999. Aluminum,From Sotheby’s December 15, 2012 SalePhoto courtesy High End Weekly™
Claude Lalanne, chairs and table fom Lila Acheson Wallace Garden, Dewitt Wallace Deocrative Arts Museum. Part of Sotheby’s December 15, 2012 Sale
Lalanne Park Avenue Exhibition in NYC
François-Xavier Lalanne, Les Autruches, 1966
François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne Exhibition at Paul Kasmin Gallery
François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne Exhibition at Paul Kasmin Gallery
François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne Exhibition at Paul Kasmin Gallery
Oiseau à Bascule, François Xavier Lalanne, 1974Image via Wallpaper
Required Reading: Claude & Francois Xavier Lalanne from RizzoliNOTE: 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. -
Contemplating the Genius of Place & The Places of Geniuses
Midlands, EnglandAfter our marathon visit to Liverpool, prudence dictated that we sleep until respectably late hours, and then spend the remainder of Friday a bit closer to home. We gathered at Anne and David’s, and inspected Anne’s exquisite back garden (all photos of which were taken by Anne)……and then proceeded to Julia and Roger Aldridge’s for tea, where Julia and her cats Tim and Henry gave us a tour of her yard (photos of which are also Anne’s).
As you can see, my British friends make sublime gardens!Our plan for the afternoon was a visit to the ruins at Witley Court,Great Witley, Worcestershire. Inevitably, since the buildings we’d bewandering through are roof-less, the skies, which had been reticent all morning, finally unleashed drenching rains: the afternoon would be soggy.Rather than rewrite what has already been well-stated, I quote from the English Heritage guidebook, “Witley Court” :“Once one of England’s great country houses, Witley Court was largely gutted by fire in 1937. The owner, Sir Herbert Smith, decided not to rebuild, but to put the estate up for sale. Witley was never lived in again and was subsequently stripped and abandoned. Yet, as a ruin, it remains deeply evocative. Today it offers a rare opportunity to see the bones of a mansion that has grown over the centuries, from a substantial Jacobean house, based upon a medieval manor house, through expansion under the first Baron Foley and his son in the 1720’s and 1730’s to the addition of two massive porticos by Regency architect John Nash. It finally reached its peak of grandeur in the 1850’s with the extensive remodeling commissioned by the first earl of Dudley from the architectSamuel Daukes. Lord Dudley’s immense wealth, generated largely by his industrial enterprises in the West Midlands, enabled his family to live an extraordinarily opulent life. It also funded the creation of an ornate formal garden at Witley designed by William Andrews Nesfield, the leading garden designer of his day. An army of servants was involved in servicing the property and family, further swollen during the lavish house parties attended by the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and his circle.”
Witley Court in its heyday
Today’s ruins and restored gardensWe first popped inside the Witley Parish Church, a still-functioning place of worship that’s attached to the manor house ruins. The Church is a rarity in England: the baroque style of its interior is more typical of Italy and southern Germany.
A fine Rococo InteriorLeaving the Church, we approached the magnificent ruins
Ruins of Manor House to the left; Parish Church to the right
Archway leading to the West Wing
The Conservatory, also known as The Orangery, was one of the largest in England. AG
South Parterre Gazebo. AG
Fountain in ACTION. Perseus and his winged steed Pegasus are riding to Andromeda’s rescue. Sea monsters snap at their heels, but the hero and his lady fly off, in a spray of water! How’s THAT for watery entertainment. The fountains are activated, once every hour, and run for 20 minutes. AG
A Dog-Walker’s Paradise. AG
Anne and Janet strolling by Cupid, who is riding a dolphin
These photos of Witley’s ruins say it all: rarely have I been to a place that so exemplifies
the concept of sweet melancholy. -
Nicolai Frahm: The Super Collector
Takashi Murakami Kitagawa – KunUniquely colored sculpture, oil paint, synthetic resins, fiberglass and stellBackground: Richard Prince, Telling It Over. Signed, titled and dated 1989 on the overlap acrylic
and silkscreen on canvas“I bought my first Murakami painting in 1997, and he is an artist that I’ve loved every single day since then.”Nicolai FrahmLast month, I attended the premier of Wanderlust at Sotheby’s S|2 Gallery, and saw a curated show unlike any other that I’ve seen before. Nicolai Frahn (famously known as the ‘Super Collector’) was the man responsible for an exhibition filled with a range of art that can best be described as “minimal, clean, Zen” to “very pop, figurative, in-your face.” So it became important for me to understand the collection by looking into the background of the collector.
INTERNATIONALISM AT ITS BESTNicolai Frahm is an influential art collector, patron of the arts, and art advisor. I understand that in February 2013, he will be opening a nonprofit art center with collector Frank Cohen in central London. The center will highlight both collaborators’ keen eye for progressive art, and will also include commissioned works by some of the selected artists that you see here. Sotheby’s Lisa Dennison describes Wanderlust as a ‘journey around the globe as seen through Nicolai’s eyes. His aesthetic is broad enough to accommodate the divergent paths of much of today’s art”. I agree. But for me, it was also a splendid journey of exceptional examples of contemporary art from various artists who managed to survived the Cultural Revolution, and came out to create something beautiful, and extraordinary: art that will surely stand the test of time.
I am here by Sun Yuan and Peng YuFiberglass, silica gel, simulacral sculpture
I am here by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu
I am here by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu (details)
Forefront: Ai Weiwei, Bamboo and Porcelain (Three Works)Bamboo with porcelain, Executed in 2008
Zhang Huan, Yuan ShikaiAshes and linen, Signed and dated 2007
Left: Subodh Gupta, Black ThingSteel structure, painted stainless steel pincers and plastic tiesExecuted in 2007
Zeng Fanzhi, Qing Yuan Chun Xue, oil on canvas
Signed and dated 2006High End Weekly™ PhotosAll rights reserved -
Bedecked and Bejeweled
Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels SaleIf you didn’t make it to the Magnificent Jewels Exhibition today at Sotheby’s York Avenue Galleries, I strongly suggest you do so by December 4. The famed auction house had one of their spectacular sale last September, during the auction of “Property from the Estate of Brooke Astor”, which culminated in an impressive selection of Mrs. Astor’s famed jewels. And now they’re having another important jewelry sale on December 5th, as they’ll be offering an impressive array of jewelry owned by leading women of New York: Estée Lauder, Evelyn H. Lauder, and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman.The auctions of Magnificent Jewels will include important white and colored diamonds from additional private collections, as well as an assortment of period and signed jewels. The all day sale will be divided into three sessions. It will start with Mrs. Charles Wrightman’s Jewelry collection, afterwards, the Evelyn and Estée Lauder’s sale which will lead into the various jewelry collections sale. During the press preview, I was informed by one of their specialist that that very same day, they will hold a Timepiece, and an Antique sale as well. In case you’re unable to make it to this extraordinary auction of antique jewelry, it is a comfort knowing that Sotheby’s has a permanent department of Contemporary Diamonds sold at retail prices. It is by appointment only.Estée Lauder, Evelyn H. Lauder Collections
Botton right: 18 karat white gold, diamond and ruby ‘Love’ bracelet, France
Top left: Fancy Intense Yellow Diamond and Diamond Pendant-Necklace, Van Cleef & Arpels, New York 1978, from the collection of Estée Lauder.Set with a heart-shaped Fancy Intense Yellow diamond weighing 47.14 carats, formelry in the collection of hte Duchess of Windsor (pictured top right)
Evelyn H. Lauder at the Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s Annual Hot Pink Party, 2011
Top right: 18 karat gold, platinum, coral, diamond and emerald brooch, David WebbBottom right: 18 karat gold, platinum, diamond colored stone and enamel bangle-bracelet, also by David Webb
Left: 18 karat gold, ruby, emerald and diamond evening bag, David Webb.18 karat two-color gold and sapphire evening bag, Bulgari (centered)From the Collection of Evelyn Lauder, sold to benefit the Breast Cancer Research FoundationMrs. Charles Wrightsman
Left: Diamond Ribbon Bow Brooch, circa 1840, formerly in the Collection of HRH Princess Marina,Duchess of Kent
Top Left: Mrs Wrighsman’s Platinum, 18 karat White Gold, Coral Onyx and Diamond Wilting Hibiscus necklace, designed by Suzanne Belperron, 1932-1940. Pair of platinum, carved coral,onyx and diamond ear clips, verdura, 1986
Speaking of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, Hamish Bowles, International Editor At Large of Vogue wrote“She continues to exert a powerful mystique, aura of elegance and absolute sense of connoisseurship over the younger generation.”Various Jewelry Collections
Platinum and diamond double clip-brooch, circa 1930Approximately 10.25 carats
Pair of 18 karat white gold and diamond ear clips, with interchangeable pendantsHigh End Weekly™ ImagesAll rights reserved - Charities, Ice Theatre of New York, J McLaughlin, Nina Reeves, Out and About, Shopping, Vyna St Phard
There’s No Substitute for Grace
This past Tuesday evening, Ice Theatre of New York (ITNY), the nation’s premier ice dancing ensemble founded by Moira North, hosted a very festive Sip and Shop event with J McLaughlin at the women’s and men’s stores on East 72nd Street and Lexington Avenue. The store featured a mini-ice skating rink where one of Ice Theatre’s skaters Elisa Angeli performed throughout the evening as guests shopped for the upcoming holiday season.
Among the guests were Chairman of the Board of Directors Dr. Joan Erdheim and Martin Erdheim, Olympic Champion and long-time skating television analyst Dick Button, Diana Taylor, Lucy Curly-Brennan, Ice Theatre’s Artistic Director Douglas Webster, Executive Director Jirina Ribbens, Ritchie and Charlie Scribner, Martha and John Glass, Debbie Gordon, Vyna St. Phard, Molly Schaeffer, Felicia Taylor, Brooks Huston, Polly and Harrison Lyman, Virginia Budney, Courtney Gibson, David Zenker, Melanie Holland, Scott Salvator and Michael Zabriskie, Kim Erle and Nina Reeves.
Jirina Ribbens, Dick Button
Charlie Scribner, Dick Button.jpg?w=960)
Robert Palomo, Elisa Angeli, Robert Bardin, Nina Reeves
Harrison Lyman
Nina Reeves, David Zenker, Douglas Webster, Elisa Angeli.jpg?resize=640%2C426)
Michael Zabriskie and Scott Salvator (with their adorable pet, Butch) Vyna St Phard (centered)
Diana Taylor, Jack Lynch
Douglas Webster, Felicia Taylor.jpg?w=960)
Elisa AngeliPhotos courtesy Norbert SchrammAll rights reservedIce Theatre of New York, the nation’s premier ice dance ensemble, challenges conventional definitions of figure skating by creating works that integrate the sensibilities of contemporary dance, music and art. In addition to building and performing works of the highest artistic merit, ITNY reaches out to the next generation of skaters and audiences through its exemplary education, community outreach and training programs. ITNY was the first ice dance company to receive dance program funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. - 1stDibs, Architecture, Decorative Arts, Gae Aulenti, Influential Women Designers, Musée d'Orsay, Paris
In A Class By Herself
Gae AulentiInfluential Women Designers: Gae AulentiIf I’m not mistaken, you’re the kind of person who truly enjoy unparalleled design, and that’s why I believe you’ll be pleased to see the striking work of Gae Aulenti splashed all over this blog today. Many of you may already know that Gae (pronounced Guy) was the Italian architect who sadly passed away on November 1st. She was known for, and responsible for some of the most extraordinary designs of the 20th Century. One of which being the famous Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
Virtually every single piece of her iconic furniture and lighting designs are in high demand right now. This is no big surprise since most artists are even more famous after death (I am by no means suggesting that she wasn’t while she was alive). The beloved designer, who died a few weeks after her 84th birthday, was one of the first female Post War Italian architects and is best known for transforming old buildings into modern museums, including Paris’ Musée d’Orsay and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Her undisputed legacy includes a trove of modern residential and commercial furniture designs that showcase her collaborations with such illustrious manufacturers as Poltronova, Knoll, Artemide and Casabella.
The renowned online furniture store, 1stDibs, is featuring a number of American, and European dealers, who carry Aulenti’s works including her signature Tavolo con Ruote (Table With Wheels), produced by Fontana Arte, one of which is in the New York Museum of Modern Art, aka MOMA).With the design zeitgeist pointing to a renewed interest in the works of late 20th century designers and architects, Aulenti’s furniture, lighting and accessories are So Chic – to be sure. And once again, So Hip!
Gae Alenti for Vistosi: A set of four Vistosi suspension lightsItaly, 1950s, blown Murrina technique, circa: 1960-70 Italy, 1stDibs.com
Gae Aulenti for Kartell: Pair of 4794 Lounge Chairs made of rigid expanded polyurethane foam, Italy. Circa 1972, Converso
Gae Aulenti: “Means” armchair for Poltronova Italy, circa 1967. Metal frame, fabric covering featuring a pattern of orange and brown circles specially designed for this model. Compasso
Metal table lamp by Gae Aulenti (RUSPA)Image via Archie ExpoMusée d’OrsayMusée with a viewPhoto via: Prezentit.com - Arlene Angard, Art, Decorative and Fine Arts Sourcing, Johnny Swing, Maison Gerard, Park Avenue Armory, Sebastian and Barquet, Sotheby's, Vyna St Phard
Art or Decorative Arts – which one is a better investment?
New York City is such a vibrant place for Art & Design. From modern & contemporary furniture, art and antiquities at the Park Avenue Armory fairs, the whimsical and fresh designs to be had at the MOMA stores, to the exuberant atmosphere at the various auction houses week after week, this town is truly a shopper’s paradise for interior designers, art connoisseurs, collectors, and fashionable patriots for the arts & crafts.But as you shop, remember buying design is different from buying art…“Here’s to treasures, great and small…” VSP
Vyna St Phard @ Sebastian & Barquet sitting on a Johnny Swing Chair
Vyna St Phard @ Trinity House
Vyna St Phard @ the Park Avenue Armory
High End Weekly™ ImagesAll rights reserved
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