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.

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.

Antiques 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.

Left: 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.