September 7, 2011

Willem de Kooning

Labor Day is behind us and I must confess that though I thoroughly enjoyed the long, sunny months of summer, I am excited for the fall to begin. Autumn is the time to put the lazy days behind us and get back to school, as it were. The fall is always chock-a-block full of inspiring new theatre and art shows and none is more exciting to me this season than the forthcoming restrospective of the works of Willem de Kooning at the MoMA. I am fortunate to have a few jobs in New York right now so will be a little more bi-coastal than usual and this show (opening September 19th) will be one of my first stops in the Big Apple.

I promise a full report from the show for those of you who can’t make it yourselves but in the meantime, I thought you might like a glimpse into the home of the artist himself. More studio than anything else, de Kooning designed his East Hampton house with soaring ceilings and ample sunlight. I don’t know if the house still exists in this incarnation since both Willem and his wife, Elaine have both passed away. I’d like to think that some appreciative patron of the arts bought it and kept is as is but with the property values in the Hamptons, I may be dreaming. Check out the interesting 1982 article from Architectural Digest for more and enjoy!

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June 22, 2011

The Met (Part Deux)

So I stumble out of the Alexander McQueen show in a daze, my mind full of feathers and strange headgear and perfect draping and total creativity and I end up lost. Lost in the Met. Maybe the best place in the world to get lost. As I was trying to get my bearings, I landed upon a wing I have never seen – didn’t even know existed, actually. As luck would have it, it was their 20th century collection and I was floored. Here I thought I needed to go to the MOMA or the Whitney to get my fix but voila, like a mirage, this incredible collection presented itself as a secret treat. The front room had two pieces that lured me in. The first was this enormous wall hanging by by the African sculptor, El Anatsui called Dusasa II made from thousands of aluminum caps and seals from liquor bottles. Dusasa means a “communal patchwork made by a team of townspeople”:

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November 15, 2010

Weekend Wrap-Up

This weekend I felt a renewed love for Los Angeles. I have been here for the past fourteen years but I’ve never been able to shake the feeling that LA is the flashy, immature cousin to New York’s urbane cool. I love my life here but I definitely have held a quiet but consistent judgement about Tinseltown and all that goes with it. I had two of my closest friends visiting from NYC and never do I look through that judgmental lens more. However, this weekend, Los Angeles shed her bimbo status became a lady in her own right – creative, innovative, beautiful and exciting. I was proud and happy to show my friends the many gems this city has to offer and proclaim my love unabashedly.

The weather was sublime – the perfect mix of crisp, clear, warm days and evenings with enough chill to merit a proper jacket. We drove along the Mulholland ridge and soaked in the exquisite views but inevitably, it always leads to eating and shopping. In the midst of it all were some real design gems. To wit:

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