This summer, we had the chance to spend time at Château de Pont-Rilly, in Normandy, France.
The chateau de Pont-Rilly is situated at the end of a magnificent mile long paved avenue. Designed in 1765, by the architect Pierre-Raphaël de Lozon for the Marquis dʼOurville, it is one of the most impressive stately homes in Normandy. The extensive lawns on which donkeys & sheep graze are divided by small canals providing an ideal space for numerous black swans & ducks. Peacocks roam in the gardens where attractive mixed borders blend into the surrounding greenery. The interior of the chateau has remained unchanged since the 18th century : Versailles parquet, exquisite wooden panelling & rare marble fireplaces, in each room, are the perfect setting for antique furniture.
An exhibition curated by MUDAC Lausanne. “The Bird Hat” & “The Bones”, two pieces by Naomi Goodsir feature in the exhibition, among pieces by designers Marteen Baas, Studio Drift, Verhoeven Twins, Studio Job, Vincent Dubourg, Campana Brothers, Nendo & artist Mona Hatoum.
À fleur de peau. Vienne 1900 (Under the Skin. Vienna 1900) adopts a novel approach to this capital period. Offering to go beyond the classic contrasts – Gustav Klimt’s generation versus Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka’s, symbolism versus expressionism in drawing and painting, or floral versus abstract ornamentation in the applied arts – the show traces the emergence of a new sensibility that found expression in artistic practices that focused on the skin. By exploring the mysteries of this sensitive surface, Vienna’s modernists would redefine the connections between humans and the world, everyday objects and their environment, buildings and streets.
The MUDAC - Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts, Lausanne (Switzerland), pays tribute to the maison Gaudard by offering for three months, a rich selection of objects and creations EXTRA-ORDINARY and (almost functional). Excessive, tiny, playful, bestial, vegetable, subtle, disturbing or even wonderful pieces from contemporary designers, artists and creators. We are honoured to have two pieces featuring in this exhibition.
The Palais Galliera presents "Back Side / Fashion from Behind", an off-site exhibition at the Musée Bourdelle which focuses on clothing seen from behind.
In a society that is obsessed with people’s faces, "Back Side / Fashion from Behind" is an original and unexpected theme. By addressing our body’s relationship to clothing from a social and psychological point of view, the exhibition questions the perception we have of our own and other people’s backs.
Rick Owens
Alaia
Antoine Bourdelle atelier
Comme des Garçons
Alexander McQueen
by Antoine Bourdelle
Martine Sitbon
Scale model of the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées by Antoine Bourdelle
With Bourdelle's 19th century studios and Christian de Portzamparc's modern extension from 1992, the Musée Bourdelle offers to its visitors a unique range of exhibition areas, along with welcoming gardens that are ideal for a relaxing stroll at the heart of the Montparnasse district.
From the intimacy of Bourdelle's apartment, where the artist worked, to the immensity of the Great Hall full of plaster casts bathed in soft light, visitors are free to follow their own path among the sculptor's work.
With Rodin and the sculptor Desbois, Antoine Bourdelle founded a free sculpture school in Montparnasse. In his attempt to find his own way, Bourdelle freed himself from the style of Rodin. His Tête d'Apollon (Head of Apollo) which he began that year, shows a different way of thinking : "I broke away from the accidental, in search of the permanent plane" (Bourdelle, Ecrits sur l'art et sur la vie - Writings on Art and Life).
The decade of 1919-1929 proved a time of great official commissions : La Vierge à l'offrande (The Virgin of the offering) (1919-1923) erected in Alsace and La France (France) (1925) in front of the Grand Palais for the Decorative Arts Exhibition. The Monument au général Alvéar (Monument to general Alvear) was inaugurated in Buenos Aires in 1926, and the Monument à Adam Mickiewic (Monument to Adam Mickiewic) in Paris, on 28 April 1929.
After the exhibitions showcasing Marcel Duchamp, René Magritte, André Derain and Henri Matisse, the Centre Pompidou continues its re-examination of key 20th century works by devoting a major exhibition to Francis Bacon. The last major French exhibition of this artist’s work was held in 1996 at the Centre Pompidou. More than twenty years later, Francis Bacon: Books and Painting presents paintings dating from 1971, the year of the retrospective event at the national galleries of the Grand Palais, to his final works in 1992. Didier Ottinger is the curator of this innovative exploration of the influence of literature in Francis Bacon’s painting.
MOPA (Museum of Perfume Art) by Crème de la Crème - Haute Parfumerie, exhibition “Forbidden Ingredients” during ARTVILNIUS’19 - International Contemporary Art Fair in Vilnius, Lithuania.
“Choker” fashion accessory by Naomi Goodsir.Photos by Donatas Zazirkas.
We are happy to announce our participation in ARTVILNIUS’19, Baltic International Contemporary Art Fair from May 30th to June 2nd, 2019 at Exhibition and Congress Centre Litexpo, Vilnius, Lithuania, in partnership with CRÈME DE LA CRÈME - Haute Parfumerie.
ArtVilnius is the only contemporary art fair in Lithuania and the largest art fair in the Eastern Europe region. ArtVilnius, which had its start in 2009, was one of the most important events in the Vilnius – European Capital of Culture project. Over the last eight years the art fair has expanded and become firmly established on the local and international art scene, as well as on the list of must-visit events for art lovers.
This is also confirmed by the statistics. Every year ArtVilnius has over 20,000 visitors, with about 60 art galleries from a dozen or so countries participating ((Belgium, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, the Netherlands, Russia, Italy, and France). The applications of galleries wishing to participate in the art fair are reviewed and selected by a jury made up of art critics and art market experts, thereby ensuring the professionalism of the galleries at the fair.
As the only art fair of its type in the region, it aims to be universally democratic. For this reason, the main objectives of ArtVilnius are not limited to stimulating the art market in the Eastern and Northern Europe region, as well as the presentation of a representative panorama of contemporary art galleries. The fair’s organisers have integrated Vilnius into the system of the most significant centres of contemporary art in Europe and have helped it become a bridge between East and West. The ArtVilnius team has established and continues to develop international contacts with contemporary art museums, institutions, curators, collectors, and journalists.
“TIMELINE” at the Galerie des Ponchettes in Nice (France), the artist creates an immersive environmental installation like a garden of delights, in which frescoes, ruins ans spontaneous vegetation offer an experience of time. The landscape dreamed up by Michel Blazy reveals what appear to be ancestral frescoes. Dotted with everyday objects - a hard disc, a brick, a pipe, a coat, a bottle - overrun with prolific vegetation, the space appears to belong to another time, like a forgotten ruin. In the center, a heap of coal is overgrown with vegetation, reborn from its ashes. A landscape drawn on an architectural scale like a post-romantic garden of meditation.
“TIMELINE” at The Galerie des Ponchettes / MAMAC, Hors des Murs. July 7th /November 4th 2018. 7, Quai des Etats-Unis, Nice - France. www.mamac-nice.org
" This extensive volume delves into the world of fragrances - the iconic brands and the creative minds behind the most fabulous perfumes. Fascinating interviews with perfumers reveal their inspiration and explore topics such as signature scents. Try to describe a smell without thinking back to a place and time and it's impossible not o have all five senses come into play. Scent is immersed in our lives. It conjures up memories of travels and temperatures, feelings about people and things. Fragrance transports you and can make your heart skip a beat" .
A Scented World by author and design journalist Claire Bingham, we step inside the cradle of haute parfumerie and meet the talented aesthetes of the industry who are creating the most soothing and tantalizing scents for our olfactory receptors. Where does the future of fragrance lie? How does the creation of a new scent begin? How do you capture the essence of a moment and release it upon a person's skin? Combining art and science, a perfumer's philosophy is built on a passion for naturals and intuition. These fragrance heroes have the talent to take something every day and with a unique blend of ingredients, craft it into something exquisite. This book steps into the lives of the modern perfume elite and explores the environments where the magic takes place.
About the author - Claire Bingham is an interiors journalist who writes about design, travel, and style for several publications worldwide. Before becoming an author, including the teNeues books Modern Living and A beautiful Mess, she was the Home Editor for Elle Decoration U.K. and her insightful work has been featured in international glossies, including Vogue Living and Architectural Digest. Scouring the globe for inspiring interiors and discovering the talents behind the scenes, she ultimately writes about homes full of character-be it modern-day glamour or old world, disheveled charm.
A dear friend & textile artisan took me to an exhibition in Paris at The Chapelle Expiatoire. It was amazing to discover such a talented textile artist as Simone Pheulpin.
Born in 1941, Simone Pheulpin is a French textile sculptor who lives and works in the Vosges. Her works are the result of an instinctive expression that uses both the suppleness and firmness of an untreated, natural material, a simple non-bleached cotton. From her fabric strips and thousands of pins, a veritable vocabulary of forms and shapes with an organic allure, a supernatural world where surprising rocks and the seabed take form, sprung from her spirit and guided by her hands.
Simone Pheulpin was selected for Craft Prize 2018 of the Foundation Loewe.She's the only french artist on the list of 30 finalists from 86 countries on 5 continents.
Within the Independent category, Nuit de Bakélite was awarded a Golden Pear.
With just seven awards handed out a year, The Art and Olfaction Award is designed to raise interest and awareness for independent perfumers, artisan perfumers, and experimental practitioners with scent on an international scale. By shining a spotlight on perfumery’s most outstanding creators, we hope to help generate support for independent practices in perfumery as a whole.
The Golden Pears are a program of The Institute for Art and Olfaction a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Los Angeles, USA.
Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo (1871-1949) was the son of the Spanish painter Mariano Fortuny y Marsal (1838-1874) and, like his father, he started out as a painter. He moved to Venice in 1888 and his name has always been associated with that city. His highly eclectic tastes encompassed engraving, photography, furniture and lighting design, as well as stage design and stage lighting. In 1906, he turned his attentions to fabrics, with his “Knossos scarf” made of silk, printed with motifs inspired by Kamares pottery from the Minoan period. His dress designs liberated the female form. He reinterpreted the styles and motifs of Ancient Greece, the Middle-Ages and the Renaissance, and he created timeless, unwaisted pieces with soft, straight-hanging lines.
Louise Bourgeois: An Unfolding Portrait explores the prints, books, and creative process of the celebrated sculptor Louise Bourgeois (1911–2010). Bourgeois’s printed oeuvre, a little-known aspect of her work, is vast in scope and comprises some 1,200 printed compositions, created primarily in the last two decades of her life but also at the beginning of her career, in the 1940s. The Museum of Modern Art has a prized archive of this material, and the exhibition will highlight works from the collection along with rarely seen loans. A special installation will fill the Museum’s Marron Atrium.
Exhibition "An Unfolding Portrait" through January 28th, 2018 at the Museum of Modern Art https://www.moma.org/
A kind of "trompe-l'oeil". Naomi's favorite crocodile bowler hat perched on her trusty riding boot. 1930's mannequin head. Studio montage. Photo by Mr R.
Opened in 1885, Les Bains Douches, built and operated by the Guerbois family, became the first and the most renowned bathhouse of the capital. It was a temple; a space sanctified to massages and delights of Japanese, Russian, Turkish and sulphur baths. Customers could choose to swim in the pool or take a bath as they would at home. Marcel Proust loved to come and take steam baths, while the workers from the nearby Les Halles food market came at dawn to shower and drink coffee and calvados after their night’s labours.
In 1978, this unique place transformed clubbing into an art and rapidly became a cultural phenomenon; a temple of the Parisian night. It was a centre of gravity, the eye of the storm, a crossroads of fashion, media, show business and arts. Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Yves Saint Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Bono, Prince, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, etc. The list is endless.
In 2011, to reinvent and save this icon of Parisian nightlife, La Société des Bains was born under the leadership of Jean-Pierre Marois... This, then, is the very first page of the new history of Les Bains.
