metropolitan museum of art

Backstage Dior, An Eye-Popping All-Access Pass

Renowned photographer Roxanne Lowit has been chronicling the fashion scene for the past 30 years; early on she staked out the backstage areas at fashion shows, where the really interesting action takes place, as her prime hunting ground for capturing the most beautiful people in their natural habitat. Now Lowit, whose work has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum and others, has an incredible new book just published by teNeues, focusing on brilliant, flamboyant Dior deigner John Galliano's couture concoctions which she chronicled for over a decade. Backstage Dior, with a foreword by Galliano, mixes black-and-white and color images, candids and close-ups, delving into the fascinating details behind the scenes. The book is a must for any devotée of fashion, spectacle, photography, or all three.

Tags: Christian Dior, ChristianDior, Dior, fashion show, Fashion Week, FashionShow, FashionWeek, French fashion, FrenchFashion, John Galliano, JohnGalliano, Metropolitan Museum of Art, MetropolitanMuseumOfArt, models, photographer, photography, Roxanne Lowit, RoxanneLowit

Tips for Decorating Your Christmas Tree

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

The first written record of a decorated Christmas tree was in 1510 in Riga, Latvia when men representing the local merchants' guild decorated a tree with artificial roses, danced around it in the marketplace and then set fire to it. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, roses were used for many years and are considered to be a symbol for the Virgin Mary.

During the 17th century, apples were commonly used in Germany to decorate Christmas trees, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. This practice was a holdover from the 14th and 15th centuries when evergreen boughs hung with apples were the only prop used in the "miracle plays" that were performed at the churches on the day before Christmas. December 24th was known as "Adam & Eve's Day" in the early Christian calendar, and the plays were used as ways of teaching the Bible to a largely illiterate population.

During the 18th century, edible ornaments were so commonly used on Christmas trees that they were often called "sugar trees." During this time, lighted candles started being used as decorations in France.

German settlers introduced the Christmas tree to the United States during the 19th century and they rapidly grew in popularity. At first, Christmas trees were tabletop in size before the floor-to-ceiling-sizes became more commonly used, according to the association.

Do you want to make your Christmas tree a striking one this year? Here are a few tips to help you:

1. Choose a theme and color scheme
Begin by choosing a theme and color scheme for your tree. Such is the tradition in the White House, where First Families have selected a theme for the White House Christmas Tree each year, beginning with the Kennedy family in 1961. There's no need to throw out old ornaments that don't fit into your current theme, as they might be work with themes selected in the future. This year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York decorated its 20 ft. tall blue spruce (above) with a collection of 18th-century Neapolitan angels and cherubs among its boughs. Flanking the tree's base are groups of realistic crèche figures flanking the Nativity scene at its base. The tree is currently on display in the Museum's Medieval Sculpture Hall.

2. Work from the inside out
Once you have figured out what your theme is, work from the inside out. Be sure to string your lights before hanging the garland and ornaments. Metallic-colored ribbon works well as garland.

3. Hang your "filler" ornaments
Decorate the backdrop of your tree with your filler ornaments (solid colors or simply decorated) before hanging the thematic ones. Wire or ribbon works best for hanging ornaments, as they will provide more stability. While many ornaments come with hooks attached, these tend to fall off the branches easily.

4. Hang large ornaments low and small ones high
Larger ornaments often work best on the lower branches of the tree; use the smaller ones for the higher branches. Metallic ornaments and garland are a great choice, as they will reflect the light emitted from your Christmas lights.

For a peak at some of the most beautiful Christmas trees in the world, click on the slide show below. Here you will see a range from traditional Christmas trees to those that are futuristic.

Gallery: The World's Most Beautiful Christmas Trees

Christmas Tree at Plazza Del Duomo in Milan, Italy

The 2009 Official White House Christmas Tree

Tags: awards-main, awards-module, awards-promo, decor-pedia, luxist-awards, main-pedia, metropolitan museum of art, MetropolitanMuseumOfArt, national christmas tree, NationalChristmasTree, obama, u.s. capitol, U.s.Capitol, White House, WhiteHouse

New Bacon Book to Accompany Met Exhibit

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Art, Books

If you can't make it to "Francis Bacon: A Centenary Retrospective" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York this month you can still enjoy the great painter's works courtesy of art book imprint Skira Rizzoli. Francis Bacon, a comprehensive study of the seminal 20th-century painter (and oligarch favorite) "provides a radical reassessment of his major achievements and his enduring importance for the twenty-first century."

Bacon developed a way of portraying the human body that was unique in the history of painting - "usually in isolation, at moments of extreme tension or even pain, his figures distorted as if in a fantastical nightmare," as the authors note. In addition to 250 full-color plates, the book also reveals Bacon's inspirations, including magazine tear sheets, photographs, and imagery from films. The book, which will be published later this month, is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.

Tags: contemporary art, ContemporaryArt, Francis Bacon, FrancisBacon, Metropolitan Museum of Art, MetropolitanMuseumOfArt, museums, New York, NewYork, painting

The Metropolitan Museum Tightens Its Belt, Closes Shops

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City becomes the latest cultural organization to take a sharper look at its bottom line. Chairman James Houghton recently published a letter on the museum's website outlining the effect of the financial crisis on the museum. The letter states that the museums estimates that its current endowment is around $2.1 billion which is a decrease of 25 percent since June 30, 2008.

The museum is also reporting fewer visitors and fewer patrons at the Met's restaurant and gift shops. A predicted decline in New York City tourism along with fewer members and fewer donations is forcing the museum to take some immediate steps. Some infrastructure renewal programs have been tabled although others including the renovation of the American Wing and new galleries for the Departments of Islamic Art and The Costume Institute are continuing.

The museum had 23 satellite gift stores a year ago but already closed eight and will close another seven bringing the remaining total to eight stores. The museum will focus on its online shop and mail-order business. The Met has also imposed a hiring freeze and is making cuts in staff travel and entertainment and is looking to cut costs wherever possible.With a healthy endowment in its coffers, the Met isn't facing the type of immediate trouble that other smaller institutions are wrestling with but just about every cultural organization is experiencing some sort of adjustment.

[via NY Times]

Gallery: Culture in Trouble