modernist

Modernist Masterworks of Los Angeles, 1900 - 1970

If you coveted the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Ennis House in Los Angeles we wrote about last year, but didn't quite have the $15 million asking price, you should pick up a copy of Architecture of the Sun. The weighty tome, being published later this month by Rizzoli for $95, focuses on Los Angeles' many fine modernist masterworks built from 1900–1970. A modern city shaped by the complexities of its geography – ocean, desert, and mountains – "as connected with the industries which formed its cultural references and livelihood", Los Angeles has produced some of the greatest architectural accomplishments of the twentieth century. In addition to Lloyd Wright the architects featured include Richard Neutra, John Lautner and Rudolph Schindler, whose brilliant designs came to define an era. The eminent author, Thomas S. Hines, is Professor Emeritus of History and Architecture at UCLA, where he teaches cultural, urban, and architectural history.

Tags: architecture, books, California, coffee table books, design, Ennis House, Frank Lloyd Wright, John Lautner, Los Angeles, modernism, modernist, modernist architecture, photography, Richard Neutra, Rizzoli, UCLA

The Classicist: $90 Million Picasso, Crichton Collection & More in Megabucks May Art Sales

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art, The Classicist

May is shaping up to be a megabucks month for the art market with some of the world's most notable collections of modern and contemporary master works crossing the block. Topping the list is a rarely-seen Picasso that's expected to fetch up to $90 million at Christie's landmark Evening Sale of Impressionist and Modern Art on May 4th in New York. The painting, Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust (above) dated 1932, is from the Collection of Mrs. Sidney F. Brody of real estate fame. The Brody collection boasts a wealth of master works by the "towering figures of the Modernist movement", including Picasso, Henri Matisse, Alberto Giacometti, Georges Braque, Edouard Vuillard, Marino Marini, and Henry Moore. The total value of the works to be offered is expected to exceed $150 million, making it one of the most valuable single-owner collections ever offered at auction.

Other standouts from the sale include Matisse's Nu au coussin bleu, 1924, estimated at $20–30 million, and Giacometti's Grande tête mince, 1954, estimated at $25–35 million. The Brodys acquired the Picasso direct from the artist's dealers in the 1950s and made it the focal point of their expanding collection at their mansion in Holmby Hills. The painting has only been exhibited once in the United States, when the Brodys loaned it to the 1961 exhibition Bonne Fête Monsieur Picasso, a retrospective staged in honor of Picasso's 80th birthday that was sponsored by the UCLA Art Council. The upcoming sale preview on April 30 marks the first time in 50 years the work will be publicly displayed.

Gallery: Megabucks May 2010 Art Auctions

Tags: alberto giacometti, Andy Warhol, art auction, art market, Christies, contemporary art, eduoard vuillard, georges braque, Henri Matisse, Henry Moore, Jasper Johns, marino marini, Mark Rothko, Mark Tansey, Michael Crichton, modern art, modernist, mrs. sidney brody, New York, Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein

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Georgetown Modern, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Our modern Monday pick takes us to Washington D.C. and a rather non-traditional Georgetown townhouse. This throughly modern home is a four-story Le Corbusier-inspired work of utterly angular lines. The seven-bedroom home has multiple terraces and a wide open floor plan. The home is utterly spare and bare, all dark wood and white walls and bathrooms that trip the line between stark and institutional. It is listed at $3.45 million. After the jump, not a curve in sight.

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Tags: esate of the day, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, georgetown, luxury real estate, LuxuryRealEstate, modern home, modernist

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Kempinski Adds To Great Wall China Hotel

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

You wouldn't think modern design and the Great Wall of China would go together but a gorgeous modernist hotel with private access to an unrestored section of the Great Wall, opened this week. The Commune by the Great Wall Kempinski is located in the Shuiguan Mountains, one hour's drive from Beijing. Since 2002, The Commune has been a collection of contemporary villas designed by 12 Asian architects. It was opened as both a boutique hotel and semi-architectural museum. Kempinski Hotels took over the hotel in 2005 and have built an additional 21 villas with 191 new rooms. The new villas have views of The Great Wall and each one is a replica of one of four of the original designs: The Bamboo House, Cantilever House, Shared House and Forest House. The interior is full of beautiful modern furniture designed by top designers such as Philippe Starck and Karim Rashid. The hotel also now has a spa with 15 suites that offer partial views of the Great Wall. There is also a Kids' Club, named Commune of the Children, a whole villa devoted to activities for children including a kitchen for cooking classes, a garden, a tree house and outdoor pool.

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Tags: china, great wall, hotel, kempinski, modern design, modernist

The Houses at Indian Beach

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Many developments in Florida are nothing to write home about but The Houses of Indian Beach in Sarasota, Florida bring modern design back to the area. There are 23 houses which will reference the style created by the "Sarasota School of Architecture", a movement in modernist style which spanned from 1941-1966. Modernism has since fallen out of favor in the area but the Houses at Indian Creek hope to capitalize on the renewed interest in clean and simple styles. The houses are planned to be simple, modular and modern using materials that reflect the natural setting. The houses start at $1.7 million and construction is set to begin this fall.

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Tags: architecture, design, houses of indian beach, HousesOfIndianBeach, housing development, modernism, modernist, sarasota, florida