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New Lichtenstein Monograph Marks Milan Exhibit

Filed under: Art, Books


An impressive new monograph on the late pop art star Roy Lichtenstein has just been published by Skira on the occasion of a major new exhibition of his work at the Milan Triennial, the most important show ever devoted to the artist in Italy. Roy Lichtenstein: Meditations on Art covers his entire artistic development through more than 250 paintings and sculptural works, a rich photographic section including unpublished material, and critical text. In keeping with the theme of the exhibition, the book examines the relationship between Lichtenstein, art history and its protagonists. There's also a refreshing emphasis on some of his lesser-known work. The reproductions in this deluxe edition, priced at $100, are large-format and in full color. Thirteen years after the legendary artist's death, his works and lexicon of symbols, subjects and themes continue to intrigue the art world while his work fetches millions of dollars at auction.

Lagerfeld Photography Exhibition to Open in Paris

Filed under: Apparel, Art


An exhibition of photographs by Chanel kingpin Karl Lagerfeld is opening in Paris this September in time for the city's Fashion Week. The show at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in the historic heart of Paris will feature a mix of fashion photos, portraits, landscapes, architectural images and personal shots, including several of his longtime muse, Claudia Schiffer. Lagerfeld, who shoots all of Chanel's ad campaigns himself, has published several books of his photographs, and has his own art book publishing imprint and book shop in Paris called 7L.

"What I admire most is the photographers who have gone down to posterity with a single image," the designer tells La Parisienne. "An image - I prefer this word to the word picture - which went down in the collective memory of the civilized world [... ]. Today the picture is part of my life. It closes the circle of my artistic and professional lives. I look at the fashion world with the eye of the camera. This gives my work a basic critical detachment that helps more than I would have suspected." The exhibition runs from September 10 to October 15.

World's Most Expensive Car Goes on Display

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos


Back in May we reported on the ultra rare 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic that set a new record as the world's most expensive car when it changed hands in a private transaction valued at close to $40 million. Now the incredibly valuable vehicle is going on display at California's Mullin Automotive Museum, an institution that celebrates the Art Deco and Streamline eras, adding fuel to insider speculation that the museum's founder, financier, philanthropist and Bugatti boffin Peter Mullin, was the purchaser. The car, which has seldom been seen publicly, will go on display August 3rd. "I am honored to have the opportunity to display the Bugatti Atlantic at our Art Deco museum," Mullin says. "The Art Deco Movement was driven by people who were fascinated by invention and innovation – by the exotic nature of new technology and materials, by art and design, by speed and by the machine – no automobile captures this spirit more than the Bugatti Atlantic. In the historic pantheon of automobiles the Atlantic is without peer."

Celebrating the Hudson River's Rich Heritage

Filed under: Art, Green, Books


A number of American artists and writers have contributed to Lives of the Hudson, a compelling new book on the artistic, literary, and environmental history of the Hudson River from Prestel. The site of stunning historic estates like Astor Courts and Marienruh, the river is much more than mere scenery. The companion volume to an exhibition of the same name staged at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, the book explores the river's complex history via sections entitled The Natural River, The Imagined River, The Human River, and The Working River. Along with important works by famed Hudson River School painters such as Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Cole, the book features literary contributions from the likes of Rick Moody, Carolyn Forche, Philip Lopate and others. Cultural artifacts provide a fascinating background of the river's many lives while contemporary artwork asks us to "reconsider our use of the river and our relationship with nature and history."

An Homage to Edward Hopper

Filed under: Art, Books


To accompany a major new European traveling exhibition at the Palazzo Reale in Milan, Fondazione Roma Museo in Rome and Fondation de l'Hermitage in Lausanne, Skira has released a massive new monograph on famed American artist Edward Hopper. Illustrated with over 150 oils, watercolors, etchings, and drawings with critical comments on their formal and technical characteristics, topics include Hopper's European travels and his love of movies that influenced his work in various ways, his early work as an illustrator and printmaker, and his process of drawing versus painting. Among the artworks included are Cape Cod Sunset, Second Story Sunlight (shown on the book's cover, above) and several self-portraits from the Whitney Museum of American Art; the famous Morning Sun from the Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio, and a number of lesser-known watercolors and oils from Hopper's journeys to Paris. Also included are essays by several noted scholars, and an extensive chronology and bibliography.

Incredible Louwman Auto Museum Now Open in The Hague

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos


An incredible new auto museum designed by famed architect Michael Graves has opened in The Hague. The Louwman Museum houses over 230 historic cars as well as world's largest collection of automotive art, all assembled by Dutch car importer Evert Louwman, who bought everything from pioneering autos from the late 19th century to race cars, sports cars and luxury limousines. Most of the cars are rare examples and are preserved in their original, often unrestored state, including the second-oldest automobile in the world, a De Dion Bouton & Trépardoux from 1887. There's also James Bond's original 1964 Aston Martin DB5, as well as the eccentric Swan Car from 1910, a hybrid Woods from 1917, the Jaguar D-type 1957 Le Mans winner, an original condition Mercedes-Benz SSK (above), bubble cars, steam cars, electric cars and more.

The Classicist: The Summer of Style Icon & Jazz Great Miles Davis

Filed under: Books, Men's Style, The Classicist


Here at Luxist we write a lot about fashion and style, mainly in the form of luxury goods, but it's also interesting to look at the inspiration and influence behind what some people only see as pricey items in a luxe boutique. Some style influencers are well known and at times over-used; Steve McQueen and John F. Kennedy are two examples that spring to mind. Less well known but equally as influential among the tastemakers who decide what we buy as musicians – see Ralph Lauren's homage to Davis' take on Ivy League style here – is the late jazz great Miles Davis, who's finally getting his due with a new museum exhibition and accompanying book this summer.

Now through August 29, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is staging the first major North American multimedia retrospective dedicated to Miles. Entitled We Want Miles: Miles Davis vs. Jazz, the exhibition (designed and organized with help from the Cité de la Musique in Paris with the support of Davis' estate) combines image and sound to offer visitors a sensory experience inspired by Davis himself, who once said, "A painting is music you can see, and music is a painting you can hear." If you can't make it to the museum in person – or even if you can – Skira Rizzoli's book version (above) is well worth buying. The most comprehensive and lavishly illustrated volume on the jazz great to date, it chronicles Davis' life and his relationship to jazz and musicians surrounding him, on the heels of the 50th anniversary of his acclaimed album Kind of Blue and 40th anniversary of Bitches Brew.

BMW to Auction Museum Cars for First Time Ever at Bonhams in Dubai

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions


BMW have consigned two cars from their museum's reserve collection for sale at Bonhams inaugural Collectors' Motor Cars auction at the Royal Mirage Hotel in Dubai this October. This is the first time that cars have ever become available from the official factory collection representing a truly unique opportunity for collectors. The first of the lots is a white BMW 3.0 CSL (left) with motorsport stripes and concours factory restoration. With its aerodynamic spoilers for racing, the car became known as the "Batmobile". Only 57 of this second series design were created before production ceased in December 1975, of which only about a third are thought to survive.

The 3.0 CSL is expected to fetch €130,000–€170,000. Also consigned is a rare 1979 white BMW M1 (right) with very low mileage and in concours condition - a homologation special of which very few were made due to high production costs. It is also estimated to fetch €130,000–€170,000. Other cars also consigned for the sale already include a 1993 Italdesign Aztec Barchetta (€80,000–€120,000) and our personal favorite, an extraordinary one-of-a-kind 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Shooting Brake, estimated at €200,000–€300,000.

Charles Saatchi Donates Gallery And Major Works

Filed under: Art, Big Givers


Art collector Charles Saatchi is famous for his patronage which has made the careers of British artists like Tracy Emin and Damien Hirst, fueling the trend for young British artists in the 1990s. Now the ad man has announced that his lifetime of collecting will be Britain's gain. He has announced plans to donate his London gallery and 200 works as a new public art museum. The impressive gift is worth more than 25 million pounds. The Saatchi Gallery will be renamed the Museum of Contemporary Art, London.

Pieces being donated include Emin's "My Bed" and Richard Wilson's "20:50," a room filled with oil. Saatchi, who is married to celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, is an insatiable collector and even after the donation he will still own many, many works. The donation, no doubt, will allow him to go on collecting while helping insure that contemporary art has a place in Britain's future. The works that Saatchi favors are at time controversial and often challenge the nature of what really makes something "art."According to an article in Art Daily, Rebecca Wilson, associate director of the Saatchi Gallery, said that the gift also includes other works that can be sold to buy new acquisitions to help grow the collection. She referred to is as being a "very agile collection that can respond quickly to developments in contemporary art from all over the world."

The owner of the building that houses the gallery on London's King's Road, Cadogan Estate is hoping that the new museum will stay put in the same place. The staff and management team are also staying the same. What is changing is the name and the knowledge that the gallery, while still the result of one man's obsessive art collecting, is now a gift to the city he lives in.

New Exhibit Explores Cleopatra's Lost Kingdom

Filed under: Art


"Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt," a new exhibition at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, is a crash-course on Egypt at the time of Cleopatra. More than just a show of artifacts and stunning statues, it is also a tribute to one of the most ambitious underwater expeditions ever taken. This highly dramatic show where you see statues being lifted from the sea on videos and then see them in front of you in amazingly pristine condition even after being buried for centuries in the murky waters of the Mediterranean is a winner. Your visit starts out with a brief film about the life of Cleopatra where you learn that she was one smart woman, highly educated, a linguist, a diplomat, and even a naval commander. In the galleries, an audioguide narrated by an actress portraying Cleopatra leads you through the various stages of her life (69-30BC) and death. Her suicide was probably brought on by fear of what the Romans would do to her after the death of Mark Antony (her lover after Julius Caesar was murdered) and their join defeat at the Battle of Actium.

YouTube Videos To Play At The Guggenheim

Filed under: Art


Your YouTube video could make it into the Guggenheim Museum. The museum has announced a new exhibition, YouTube Play, which is a partnership between the video site and the museum. YouTube user submit their short creative videos at http://youtube.com/play. The top 20 videos will be chosen by a jury of professional artists and will be on view this fall at Guggenheim museums around the world. This project isn't for goofy videos of your cat, the Guggenheim is looking for high-quality artistic work. The YouTube Play site also bears advertising from HP. Submissions will close July 31. The works will be presented at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York on October 21, 2010 with simultaneous presentations at the Guggenheim museums in Berlin, Bilbao, and Venice. The videos will be on view to the public from October 22 through 24 in New York and on the YouTube Play channel. So far the channel has around 5,000 subscribers.

[via Washington Post]

Walmart Family Plans Art Hotel To Complement New Museum

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Art

walmartThe owners of Louisville, Kentucky's popular 21c Museum Hotel are partnering with Walmart's Walton family on a new 21c Museum Hotel in downtown Bentonville, Arkansas. The project will be a $28 million, 130-room hotel near the downtown square in Bentonville. It will have a spa, fitness center and restaurant that uses local ingredients. Construction is expected to begin this year and the project should be completed in 2012.

Business First of Louisville reports
that the hotel will be owned by the Waltons, Steve Wilson and Laura Lee Brown--the owners of 21C, and and Bentonville Revitalization Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of the city's historic structures. Poe Cos will use sustainable building materials and incorporate "green" design practices to create the hotel. The building is being designed by Deborah Berke & Partners LLP, who designed the Louisville 21c hotel in conjunction with Polk Stanley Wilcox architecture firm.

New Louise Bourgeois Exhibit Opens In Venice

Filed under: Art

louise borgeoisArtist Louise Bourgeois died last month at the age of 98 but her unique legacy lives on in Venice, where an exhibition in the Magazzino del Sale planned before her death opened June 5. Bourgeois was working in her studio home until the end and the exhibit "Louise Bourgeois. The Fabric Works" will be the last show of her work that she was actively involved in.

The exhibit was curated by Germano Celant in collaboration with Jerry Gorovoy of the Louise Bourgeois Studio, New York. The works are montages, collages and assemblages of pieces of her own clothes and linen and one of her famous large steel sculptures Crouching Spider, 2003, presides over exhibition in Venice. Pieces include her Fabric Drawings created between 2002 and 2008. Check out a few images from the exhibit at the Fondazione Vedova website

[via Art Daily]

Yves Saint Laurent's Legacy Explored In Paris

Filed under: Apparel


The legacy of Yves Saint Laurent gets a deep exploration in an exhibition currently at the Petit Palais in Paris. The show is the first in Paris since the designer's death in 2008 and explores the full measure of Saint Laurent's considerable influence on fashion. The LA Times reports that the show is nearly three times the size of the 2008 exhibition at the De Young Museum in San Francisco, California. It includes 307 haute couture and ready-to-wear garments, together with photographs, drawings and films.

Celebrity Guest Curators Celebrate The Shaker Legacy

Filed under: Events, Art


The Hancock Shaker Village, a living history museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts celebrates 50 years as a museum this year. The site served as a Shaker community from 1790 to 1960 and is now a National Historic Landmark with acres of farm and woods as well as housing a collection of original Shaker furniture, art, objects, tools, textiles and other artifacts. The Village has 18 significant historic buildings including the Round Stone Barn as well as a modern Visitor Center. As you wander through the village you can view pieces of Shaker design, check out demonstrations of Shaker craft, visit the gardens and learn about the Shaker way of life.


To celebrate 50 years the museum asked celebrities and other influential types to serve as guest curators answering the question: "If you could pick any Shaker creation that for you, best illustrates the Shakers' enduring influence, what would it be and why?" Guest curators include designer Michael Graves, television host Al Roker, furniture maker Thomas Moser, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and filmmaker Ken Burns. The exhibit runs now through October 31.Tickets are $17 for adults.

[via ArtFix Daily]

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