Posts Tagged ‘New York’
Strong week of Asian art sales in NYC.
(Reuters) – A week of Asian art auctions yielded strong results at Christie’s and Sotheby’s as both houses said they exceeded their sales’ estimates, together taking in more than $90 million.
The totals highlighted the increasing importance of Asian art collecting as a driver in the global market, continuing strong activity seen over the last 18 months despite a lacklustre global economy.
Sotheby’s said in a statement that it saw a total of $46 million for its three sales over the course of the week, while Christie’s reported $44.7 million at five sales spread over four days. The auction rivals had each estimated total sales of about $30 million for the week.
“There was global participation,” Christie’s international head of Asian art Jonathan Stone said in a statement, adding that this reflected “a worldwide demand for the greatest objects of Asian art.”
Before the sales, Stone told Reuters that “the share of Christie’s sales turnover enjoyed by Asian art worldwide has more than doubled in the last five years,” and the results spoke to the sector’s ongoing strength. Indeed, Asian art has on occasion outpaced the once predominant Impressionist and modern categories.
Among highlights, a Ming Dynasty blue and white moonflask, which was used as a doorstop in a Long Island, New York home and only recently came to attention after its owners spotted a similar piece in a Sotheby’s advertisement, sold for $1.3 million at Sotheby’s, which had estimated it to sell for $600,000 to $900,000.
Also at Sotheby’s, an Imperial jade seal from the late 18th century estimated to fetch up to $1.2 million soared to $3.5 million at the Chinese ceramics and works of art sale. It was the top price of the week at either house.
Henry Howard Sneyd, vice chairman at Sotheby’s for Asian art, said that the $27 million sale, which easily beat its high estimate, was “a good indication of the continuing international demand for the very best Chinese art.”
Before the sales, Sneyd had spoken to Reuters of the strong growth in the Asian art market since 2006, especially in mainland China where a surge of new collectors has been shoring up more established Chinese art clientele from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Europe and the United States.
Christie’s top prices included the $3.2 million paid for an 18th century Joseon dynasty, blue and white porcelain dragon jar, more than half again the estimated price of about $2 million.
A rare bronze ritual wine vessel from China that is more than 3,000 years old fetched $1.4 million, or more than five times the presale estimate. And at Sotheby’s, an inked handscroll entitled “Seclusion Amid Mountains and Streams” soared to $3.2 million, or nearly five times the estimate.
The next major round of sales in New York come in November, when Christie’s, Sotheby’s and distant No. 3 auction house Phillips de Pury all hold their critical autumn auctions, including Impressionist, modern, postwar and contemporary art.
20
09 2012
The Metropolitan Museum of Art announcing “PUNK: Chaos to Couture” as spring 2013 exhibition. (organized by The Costume Institute)
The Costume Institute’s next exhibition swerves to the streets and clubs of New York and London, then to ateliers and runways with PUNK: Chaos to Couture. The exhibition will examine punk’s impact from the 1970s to its continuing influence on high fashion now.
“Since its origins, punk has had an incendiary influence on fashion,” says Andrew Bolton, Curator of The Costume Institute.
Featuring more than one hundred designs for men and women, the exhibition will include original punk garments from the mid-1970s juxtaposed with recent, directional fashion to illustrate how haute couture and ready-to-wear have borrowed punk’s visual symbols. Presented as an immersive multimedia, multisensory experience, the clothes will be animated with period music videos and soundscaping audio techniques.
PUNK: Chaos to Couture on view from May 9 – August 11, 2013
Punk’s “do-it-yourself” concepts will be contrasted with couture’s “made-to-measure” mindset. Visitors will see the materials and techniques of PUNK in an immersive multimedia gallery experience where the clothes will be animated with music videos and soundscaping.
The six gallery sections will include “Rebel Heroes” (think mid-seventies New York and London, with The Ramones, Sex Pistols, and The Clash), “Couturiers Situationists” (via Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood’s 430 King’s Road boutique), “Pavilions of Anarchy and Elegance” (punk versus haute couture hand craftsmanship), “Punk Couture” (haute hardware including studs, spikes, chains, zippers, padlocks, safety pins, and razor blades), “D.I.Y. Style” (recycled materials from trash culture), and “La Mode Destroy” (rip-it-to-shreds and deconstructionist fashion).
The approximately fifty designers featured in the exhibition range from Miguel Adrover and Azzedine Alaïa to Yohji Yamamoto and Vivienne Westwood.
19
09 2012
Meet Lisa Crawley.
From curious stints in Japanese hotels, English pubs, Danish jazz clubs, and most recently a series of performances and music video shoot in New York, Lisa has travelled the world getting by on a song, quite literally. It’s little wonder that she has been hand picked to tour in New Zealand with artists as varied as John Mayer, Jools Holland, Nathan Haines, Julia Deans and Paul Weller, scoring rave reviews wherever she pops up.
The album was recorded and mixed over the past year at The Lab Studios in Auckland by ‘Engineer of The Year’ Oliver Harmer. Lisa has self-produced the majority of the album, with assistance from the talented Jol Mulholland, Wayne Bell, and Andrew Keoghan (who features on the haunting duet ‘We Are Wolves’).
With playful, clever, and heartfelt lyrics, the combination of a truly beautiful voice to match her unique musical talents (expect piano, guitar, clarinet, omnichord and more), the album is complemented by an array of friends and musicians from bands such as The Ruby Suns, Bannerman, The Checks, Artisan Guns and Tiny Ruins, to name a few.
Lisa is one of New Zealand’s songwriters to watch, already having won the international ‘Pacific Songwriting Competition’ and has recently been nominated for a Silver Scroll award for the catchy single “Leaving”.
The album tackles ordinarily tender topics all from the perspective of a young woman and shimmering rising star who would love to share… Everything That I Have Seen
MORE ABOUT SINGER/SONGWRITER LISA CRAWLEY HERE
http://lisacrawley.com/
https://www.facebook.com/lisacrawleymusic
https://twitter.com/lisacrawley
13
09 2012
Wanderlust Yoga In The City – Sunday, September 9, 2012
Remember the excitement and promise that came with going back to school? Well, as summer winds down, we have that same feeling about our Wanderlust Yoga In The City events in New York and Los Angeles this weekend! If you haven’t registered for these free events on Sunday, September 9, don’t hesitate! Where else can you practice both seva and asana with the likes of Elena Brower & Schuyler Grant or Seane Corn & Tommy Rosen? Oh, did we mention the special appearances from Marianne Williamson, Garth Stevenson and Mastin Kipp of The Daily Love?
Since promise of a new school year always brings new resolve to achieve, we hope you’ll also participate in the the Yoga Aid challenge when registering. Yoga Aid allows you to select one of five worthy yoga charities to raise money for, and makes it easy to collect donations from friends & family. We hope each participant can raise $50 — a modest contribution if you consider what a workshop with teachers of this caliber would normally cost. 100% of your fundraising proceeds go to the charity of your choice, plus we are giving away a pair of Sage passes ($950 value) to a 2013 Wanderlust Festival to the top fundraiser in each city. Karma in the form of more yoga — namast-yay! Spread the word by RSVP’ing for LA or NYC, and tweet with hashtag #WLYITC!
Free With Registration At http://nyc.wanderlustfestival.com/
Wanderlust Yoga In The City, NYC takes place at Hudson River Park located on the west side of Manhattan right off 24th Street.
By Subway: Take the A, C, or E line to 23rd street and walk west towards the Hudson River.
By Car: Hudson River Park is easily accessible from the West Side Highway.
Please note this event is rain or shine!
Wanderlust Festival is a producer of large-scale lifestyle festival events focusing on yoga, music and wellness. Its first festival launched in California in 2009 and has since become the largest multi-day yoga event in the world as well as a significant player in the larger US festival market. Wanderlust is a one-of-a-kind festival bringing together the world’s leading yoga teachers, top musical acts and DJs, renowned speakers, top chefs and winemakers, and much, much more — all in a setting of breathtaking natural beauty; it’s an all-out ecstatic celebration in the most awe-inspiring locations in the world.
07
09 2012
Walk In My Ladyboots.
Actress Marsha Thomason sure knows a thing or two about fashion. A British actress living between Los Angeles and New York, she’s also a wife and a Capricorn. (Something which is always astrologically fun to find out about people.) Fashion, food, literature, art and design are things we share in common, and that’s why reading her blog is so fun.
Visit http://walkinmyladyboots.blogspot.com as Marsha shares her personal encounters with all those things with you. With such an interesting and eclectic mix of lifestyle features, checking back on her posts regularly is a must.
28
08 2012
Chíché (pronounced: “she-shay”) – A French Form of Expression Meaning “I Dare You”
A modern lifestyle brand for a new generation, Chíché bridges the gap between high fashion and accessibility. The Chíché collection offers stylish and super-cute sportswear separates that allow the ladies wearing them to celebrate their love and life with fashion.
An expressive mix of trend-conscious pieces and must have staples. Chíché is about an exploration of style, mixing and matching, trying new looks, and taking new risks. Their collections consist of pieces that are designed and meant to inspire you in all aspects of your evolving lifestyle.
Developed by Verge Apparel LLC, based in Los Angeles and designed by New York veteran designer Jackie Phandanouvong. She designs a collection that derives from every woman’s nostalgic beginnings in fashion. Clothing that is fun yet personal, on trend yet accessible, it is a collection meant to revitalize your interests in the way you dress and to have fun while doing it.
- EASY TO WEAR CLOTHING – low maintenance pieces that are meant to be worn effortlessly; no fuss, a versatility that is able to translate not only from day to night, but in your evolution in life. Each piece can stand on it’s own or worn together collectively
- ATTENTION TO DETAILS – little touches of detailing that are whimsical, endearing and brings a sweet subtle surprise to each garment.
- FUN – inspired by what clothing and fashion should be about! Silhouettes that make you automatically smile, color that draws acknowledgement and a collage of solids, prints, pattern and textures that sit harmoniously together.
- NO RULES – Chíché is about the reality of how real women are dressing these days. It is about self-expression; mixing vintage, high end and low end. A menagerie of dressing, with no rules
- AFFORDABLE BUT NOT DISPOSABLE – allowing the consumer to try new items when it is offered at a great price point. Finding your style, at your own pace, at your comfort zone and at your budget.
Chiché can be found in specialty boutiques nationwide for more information on the brand, visit website: http://www.chicheonline.com/
(photo credits by Asami photography)
01
06 2012
“The Scream” is Auctioned for a Record $119.9 Million
The work, a pastel on board, is one of four versions created by Edvard Munch; the other three are in museums in Norway. The buyer bid over the telephone.
It took 12 nail-biting minutes and five eager bidders for Edvard Munch’s famed 1895 pastel of “The Scream” to sell for $119.9 million, becoming the world’s most expensive work of art ever to sell at auction.
Bidders could be heard speaking Chinese and English (and, some said, Norwegian), but the mystery winner bid over the phone, through Charles Moffett, Sotheby’s executive vice president and vice chairman of its worldwide Impressionist, modern and contemporary art department. Gasps could be heard as the bidding climbed higher and higher, until there was a pause at $99 million, prompting Tobias Meyer, the evening’s auctioneer, to smile and say, “I have all the time in the world.” When $100 million was bid, the audience began to applaud.
The price eclipsed the previous record, made two years ago at Christie’s in New York when Picasso’s “Nude, Green Leaves and Bust” brought $106.5 million.
Munch made four versions of “The Scream.” Three are now in Norwegian museums; the one that sold on Wednesday, a pastel on board from 1895, was the only one still in private hands. It was sold by Petter Olsen, a Norwegian businessman and shipping heir whose father was a friend, neighbor and patron of the artist.
The image has been reproduced endlessly in popular culture in recent decades, becoming a universal symbol of angst and existential dread and nearly as famous as the Mona Lisa.
Outside of Sotheby’s, there was excitement of a different kind, as demonstrators protesting the company’s longtime lockout of art handlers waved placards with the image of “The Scream” along with the motto, “Sotheby’s: Bad for Art.” Many in the group — a mix of union members and Occupy Wall Street protesters — even screamed themselves when the Munch went on the block. (Munch’s work was an apt focus for the group, said one protester, Yates McKee: “It exemplifies the ways in which objects of artistic creativity become the exclusive province of the 1 percent.”)
Inside, the atmosphere generated by the Munch’s record price carried through the rest of the auction, which saw high prices for everything from Picasso paintings to sculptures by Giacometti and Brancusi.
Of the 76 lots on offer, 15 failed to sell. The evening’s total was $330.56 million, close to its high estimate of $323 million. (Final prices include the buyer’s commission to Sotheby’s: 25 percent of the first $50,000; 20 percent of the next $50,000 to $1 million and 12 percent of the rest. Estimates do not reflect commissions.)
As is often true of auctions with star attractions, having “The Scream” for sale helped win other business. Its inclusion was a draw, for example, for the estate of Theodore J. Forstmann, the Manhattan financier, who died in November. The top work in his collection was Picasso’s “Femme Assise Dans un Fauteuil,” a 1941 portrait of Dora Maar, the artist’s muse and lover, posed in a chair. The painting went for $26 million, or $29.2 million with fees, within its estimated $20 million to $30 million.
In 2004, Mr. Forstmann bought Soutine’s “Le Chasseur de chez Maxim’s,” a 1925 portrait of an employee at the celebrated French restaurant, for $6.7 million at a Sotheby’s auction. It had belonged to Wendell Cherry, vice chairman of the Louisville-based health care company Humana, who died in 1991, and his wife, Dorothy. On Wednesday night the painting was up for sale again, this time with a $10 million to $15 million estimate, which turned out to be optimistic. Two bidders went for the Soutine, which ended up selling to a telephone bidder, working through Mr. Moffett, for $8.3 million, or $9.3 million with fees.
More popular, however, was an 1892 Gauguin landscape, “Cabane Sous les Arbres,” which Mr. Forstmann had bought at Christie’s in 2002 for $4.6 million. On Wednesday night it was estimated to sell for $5 million to $7 million, but there were four bidders for the canvas, and it sold for $8.4 million.
Surrealism has been the rage recently, and Sotheby’s had many examples to sell. Among the best was Dalí’s “Printemps Nécrophilique,” a 1936 painting that once belonged to Elsa Schiaparelli, the Paris couturier closely associated with the Surrealist movement who collaborated on designs with Dalí. Six bidders fought over the painting, which went for $16.3 million, well above its $12 million high estimate.
Another popular Surrealist image was Ernst’s “Leonora in the Morning Light,” a 1940 painting that depicts his lover, Leonora Carrington, a Mexican artist of English birth, emerging from a lush jungle. It brought $7.9 million, above its $5 million high estimate.
A gilded bronze head that Brancusi conceived and cast in 1911 was another of the evening’s top sellers, bringing $12.6 million, well above its $6 million to $8 million estimate.
But it was the record price for “The Scream” that captured everyone’s imagination. As soon as the hammer fell, rumors began circulating about who the buyer could be. Among the names floated were the financier Leonard Blavatnik, the Microsoft tycoon Paul Allen and members of the Qatari royal family.
While some were surprised at the price, one Munch enthusiast was not: “It’s nice to see the centrality of Norway in the mainstream of western culture,” said Ivor Braka, a London dealer. “The scream is more than a painting, it’s a symbol of psychology as it anticipates the 20th-century traumas of mankind.”
03
05 2012
Art + Words = Change + Power in Harlem
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 20 percent of New Yorkers live below the federal poverty line of $10,830 per year. Forty percent of New Yorkers live below 200 percent of the federal poverty line, making $21,660 per year or less. To anyone who has lived in or even visited New York City, it is obvious that these are not livable wages. For so many of our families and our children, the challenges of living in this wonderful city are not subway delays or long lines at Starbucks, but putting food on the table. Driving down the Henry Hudson, FDR Drive, or the BQE, we pass by so many of the affordable housing developments that house thousands of low-income families each year. One such community is the Polo Grounds.
Located at 155th Street and Eighth Avenue in Harlem, the Polo Grounds is a multi-tower affordable housing facility. At the base of one of the towers in an unassuming community center, the Children’s Village provides a supportive and vibrant safe space where passionate mentors and volunteers coordinate family game nights, summer camps, after school teen programs and community celebrations. The Polo Grounds is situated in Central Harlem, where according to the Census, 28 percent of families fall below the federal poverty line, a number much higher than New York City’s average. This number climbs to almost thirty five percent when focusing on children under the age of eighteen. Home to several LitWorld Boys and Girls LitClubs, the center is a haven for families and children who hope to pave a better life for their future.
As you walk into the center, past blooming trees and the laughing sounds of children playing on the playground that sign the thawing of winter and beginning of spring, you pass a beautiful mural. All of this past summer and fall, artist Tova Snyder worked with children and teens from the center, as well as volunteers from CITYarts, to create a mural that captures the great hope in this community, despite the odds. Since its founding in 1968, CITYarts has organized more than 284 projects — among them murals, playgrounds, mosaics, sculptures, and gardens — that have empowered youth through collaboration with professional artists on public works of art that revitalize and beautify local neighborhoods. Says Tsipi Ben-Haim, executive and artistic director, “When kids create, they do not destroy.”
Within the mural, amongst images of Peace and Kindness, is a poem crafted by teens from our LitWorld Girls LitClub at the Polo Grounds. These girls, despite the innumerable challenges and hardships they have faced through their lives, created a work that captures the incredible love and spirit of the families that reside within the surrounding towers, and which the community center fosters:
When we unite
We remember we are equal
We unite through our dreams
Unity is the key to our success
Changing worlds, changing people.
The girls who wrote this poem are now preparing for college, and giving back to the community that nourished them. Why? Because of this spirit of collaboration, because of the idea that if we come together to achieve our dreams, our chances for success only grow. This is a powerful message for all of us in the 21st century — to look to our commonalities instead of focusing on our differences.
All children around the world deserve to be afforded the same opportunities and to have the chance to learn and grow. Unfortunately, that is not the reality. Yet, organizations such as Children’s Village and CITYarts who so value the dignity of children and cultivate young people into empowered leaders in their communities, are changing this reality for many who society has overlooked.
Despite all the odds, there is hope. Just as winter always ends and spring always blooms, so too are challenges faced and bridges of strength built to usher children to their dreams. Their organizations may not be able to remove every challenge our children will face, but they are there to stand with them as they face their obstacles. They are proud of the incredible children and families they work with at the Polo Grounds. They are proud of their voices and their determination and their love. And they are proud to be part of such an incredible project that empowers youth to transform their community.
17
04 2012
Meisel and His Muses
I’m sure some of you have seen the profile in May Vogue of Steven Meisel. If not, I encourage everyone to read it. Jonathan Van Meter, the writer of the piece, spends too much time at the start discussing Meisel’s reclusive nature. Ultimately it doesn’t matter if he is shy or mysterious or a chameleon; he has become an influential photographer with specific ideas about the work. I’ve done a couple of interviews with Meisel over the past decade and a half, and, as Van Meter notes, he is actually very forthcoming. What I like most about this profile are the details about Meisel’s family, especially his parents, and how he started his career. Already a fashion illustrator at Women’s Wear, he met Valerie Cates, the sister of Phoebe Cates, while she was shopping, and began taking pictures of the sisters on weekends. Then he was asked by Elite to take test shots of new models. He did the hair, makeup and styling himself, he told Van Meter. “I didn’t know any different,” he said. Anyway, there’s a lot of fascinating stuff here—about Meisel, New York, and of course the supers. The profile features a self-portrait taken in a barber shop in the West Village, with Meisel surrounded by the models whose careers he helped launch. The issue, timed for the opening of the Costume Institute’s “The Model as Muse” exhibit in early May, also includes an interesting piece (by Hamish Bowles) about Marc Jacobs.
See the original article here:
Meisel and His Muses
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