Author: High End Weekly™

At Home with legendary textile designer, Jack Lenor Larsen



The Dream Weaver
There is nothing about textiles that Jack Lenor Larsen doesn’t know! His own fabrics are unique, original designs which are sometimes made from wire, plastics, synthetics and natural fibers. His construction of the fabric is always a surprise, and a delight to designers who get to work with them. Because of his originality and the depth of his understanding of textiles, he is a legend in the design industry, and beloved by so many of us, including myself. Jack Lenor Larsen is the son of Danish-Norwegian immigrants, and one of the most influential, respected, innovative textile designers of the past fifty years.

Jack Lenor Larsen’s apartment in Murray Hill, New York

Serene
The apartment is a testament to Jack Larsen’s global travels, and his extraordinary style …
… and genius as an artist and visionary designer
Photos courtesy Jeffrey Hirsch, via New York Social Diary
This wool and silk rug from Jack Larson is spell bounding and will make a visual impact in any style room,
Photo via One Kings Lane
A great read and a must for any library
Get it today on Amazon
Jack Lenor Larsen pictured inside his study
Photos courtesy Jeffrey Hirsch, via New York Social Diary
He not only made his name with Frank Lloyd Wright, who used his fabrics for the music room at Taliesin, or Marilyn Monroe who once shopped for his upholstery fabric whilst setting up her nest with Arthur Miller, Mr. Larsen was instrumental in opening up the huge world of textiles to the American public. He is a collector, artist, philanthropist, author, and world famous for his traditional and contemporary crafts. And above all that, I found him to be très gentil, a gentleman, and surprisingly humble, in all of my interactions with him. What a great example to us all.


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Fernand Léger: The Original Granddaddy of Pop Art

1 of 3 on our series of the legendary paintings of 
Fernand Léger 
With all the glory that later came as being a blue chip artist, Fernand Léger’s career spans from early investigations of painting as a means of capturing modern sensations in abstract and near abstract dynamic compositions to heroic images of common life in terms that admit their debt to the great tradition of French classicism and to folk art.

Adam and Eve, 1934, Fernand Léger. Image via ARTinvestment

His paintings affirmed contemporary life as well as art’s energies. After years of admiring the granddaddy of pop art, I was able to collect (via the power of Google, of course) dozens of his art work – the ones that spoke directly to me.

Fernand Léger
Fernand Léger
Composition, 1940 – 1942, oil on canvas – Fernand Léger
Image via 1artclub
Fernand Léger
Face and Hands, 1952, Ink on paper – Fernand Léger
Image via MOMA
Jazz, Fernand Léger
Tres mujeres, 1921, oil on canvas – Fernand Léger
Image via MOMA
Untitled, 1950, Lithograph – Fernand Léger
Image via Léger Prints
Cirque, Original Lithograph, Fernand Léger
Femme a genou “Pochoir”, 1929, Fernand Léger
Image via WearePrivate
 La Lecture, 1924, Fernand Léger
Image via Centre Pompidou

This is the first of three posts about Léger’s work. Fernand Léger (1881 – 1955) was a French painter, son of a Norman cattle-breeder. He was a trained architect who moved to Paris at the turn of the 20th Century. While living in the city of lights, he studied painting, moved in the social circle of the great artists at that time: Apollinaire, the Delaunays and the poet Cendras. His art was deeply influenced by Cézanne. After the showing of his first major paintings in 1911, he developed his form of Cubism, dominated contrasts of form and color, positive and negative, at times in abstract compositions.


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Google Doodle marks Robert Doisneau’s Centenary Birth Today

High End Weekly™ is proud to be on the No.1 Spot for Robert Doisneau’s GOOGLE DOODLE as the world remembers and celebrates the French street photographer’s playful brilliance!



Robert Doisneau, Le velo et les chaussures de patinage, Paris

Robert Doisneau, Les Freres, 1934

Robert Doisneau (1912-1994) would have been 100 years old today. The famous French photographer behind the Google Doodle today, Saturday, April 14, 2012. The beloved photographer documented the French people while living in the city of lights. His camera sought the surreal in everyday life; the amusing juxtaposition, the faibles of human nature, all captured by an artist who was charmed by his subjects.
Robert Doisneau, Le Basier de L’Hotel de Vilne, 1950
Robert Doisneau, Les Enfants de la Place Hebert, 1957
Robert Doisneau, Fernand Leger Dans Ses Ouevres, 1954
The world remembers this genius and the beautiful gift he left us – his inspiring legacy. Doisneau has been the subject of major retrospectives at the bibliotheque National in Paris, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the George Eastman House in Rochester, NY.NOTE: Please notify us directly, if you believe that certain images on this post are alleged to infringe upon the copyrights of others, according to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Thank you.

Out and About: The NYC20 Art + Design Fair Preview Party

Not surprising for 1stDibs, since they are the trendsetter in the design community. I enjoyed being at the party, meeting new and old friends, colleagues, savoring the delicious food, as well as sourcing furniture and glassware for some of my clients. The 2012 New York 20th Century Art and Design Fair officially opens today, and ends on Sunday, May 15th.

Pictured: Louise Devenish, Vyna St Phard
Photos courtesy High End Weekly™

Dragonette Ltd
Patrick Dragonette, Charles Tucker
Mario Buatta, Vyna St Phard
Steve Newman Fine Arts
 Steve Newman Fine Arts
Steve Newman
The NYC20 Art + Design Fair officially kicked off last night at The Tent at Lincoln Center in Damrosch Park. Thirty five top dealers gathered together to showcase some of the finest decorative and fine arts from the mid twentieth century. Michael Bruno, founder of 1stDibs, indicated on his open letter that the fair represented two exciting firsts: a first all-1stdibs-dealers show, and a first design show at Lincoln Center.
Serina Tufo, Michael Bruno, Alexander Jakowec, and Francesca Stanfill
Vyna St Phard, Craig Warfield
The Designer Forum kickoff party
 Lost City Arts
James Elkind
 R.20th Century
Evan Snyderman, Zesty Meyers

Vyna St Phard, Richard Rabel from The Modern Sybarite™
Reform
Gerad O’Brien
 Reform
Gerad O’Brien
Vyna St Phard, Natacha Charles
Atmosphere
 Vyna St Phard, Grace Feng
 My dear friend and cousin, Nathacha Charles

Photos courtesy High End Weekly™

Stirring Up Fashion!



Life on the Ranch
I often see myself as a cowgirl living in the city, eventhough I did not grow up on a ranch. Early memories of childhood take me down on the path of a narrow country road in Leogane, Haiti, riding my horse with my mother and her sister, Jeanine by our sides. I look to the day when I get to have my own private ranch (perhaps in Aspen? Why not?
It’s good to dream big. Or to take a more realistically approach and dwell in Connecticut where I’ll get to ride most days dressed in these chic outfits and accessories from Ariat.
The Equestrian Lifestyle

Performer Full Seat Front Zip Breaches

   
Fall 2012 Belts from the Ariat Collection

 
Left: Ariat’s Chap, and tan boot

Images courtesy Ariat


It’s good to see that after all these years, the company is still dominant in the Englishmarket and remains a real force in the Western market too. I like most of their Fall 2012 collection – from their comfortable and sleek leathers, to their elegant, and beautiful breaches. What’s different about this brand is that they have so many years of heritage, authenticity and craftsmanship. They’re utilising what they know of the English and Western market and infusing it into a lifestyle collection that is both fashionable and comfortable yet still maintains their Equestrian heritage.

Luxury Redefined: Salvatore Ferragamo’s Renovated Flagship Store

UBER LUXURY
The reopening of the brand new renovated Salvatore Ferragamo store on 5th Avenue, this week, is one of the most exciting fashion news for April. With an area of approximately 20,000 square feet, the New York store is now the Italian Maison’s largest mono-brand store in the world!

Ferragamo 5th Avenue Store in New York City

Fashionistas would be pleased to know that the exhibition area extends over two levels, and offers the complete range of Salvatore Ferragamo collections. The ground floor is dedicated to women, as they shop for  handbags, shoes, accessories, silk , RTW and Creations. The fun continues on the ground floor, where they will find an exquisite jewelry collection – launched by Salvatore Ferragamo last fall – and exotic leathers, with a display designed to enhance and emphasize the preciousness of these products. To reduce the ecological impact, all the lighting of the store has been designed using LED technology.

 The interior of the store elicits characteristics of luxury and elegance, hallmarks of the Ferragamo style, offering a sober and refined atmosphere that reflects the concept of
Salvatore Ferragamo stores worldwide and that has been enhanced with special touches. 
Walnut wood, Alcantara, jute and stone in cream shades, white Venetian plaster, and dark oak, are the materials that characterize the walls and floors. The impressive central staircase that connects the two sales floors is made of walnut and stone with precious details in polished steel.
 The spring collection is not for the color shy consumer.
It’s all about self expression, rebirth, and vitality!
 The well appointment wardrobe. Another shot of the exhibition area, on the 2nd Floor
 The upper floor is devoted entirely to men and to collections including apparel, shoes, accessories, silk and fragrances for men, with an area reserved for custom made formal wear. 
“The store on 5th Avenue is a very important showcase for our brand, both for the American market as well as international customers, because it is located in a strategic position within one of the most important cities in the world.”
Michele Norsa, CEO of Salvatore Ferragamo
Also of note, the Italian luxury fashion house will open the first boutique in San Diego, California at the prestigious Fashion Valley, this month. An impressive boutique design is set to provide the luxurious Ferragamo shopping experience to San Diego’s Salvatore Ferragamo customer. The store will showcase the brand’s premier ready to wear collections: men and women’s shoes, handbags, luggage, belts, bijoux, silks, perfumes, eyewear, and small leather goods. This would mark the first time that the runway Ready-to-Wear collection designed by new Creative Director, Massimiliano Giornetti, will be available in San Diego. His new and exciting take on the Ferragamo history and DNA continues with the Spring Summer 2012 collections that will be highlighted in this boutique.

The Genius of Leleu

This particular cabinet illustrates how Jules Leleu adapted rather than absorbed the modernist ideas that was so prevalent during his time. Born from a business oriented father in 1883, Leleu boldly opened his own studio in Paris in 1922, while he was in his mid twenties. He exhibited at the historical Exposition Industrielle et Arts Decoratifs in 1925. By the way, he won the coveted grand prize at that exposition. When most people thank about art deco, they naturally think of french art deco because of that grand 1925 exhibition in the city of lights.

Jules Leleu’s walnut cabinet

Rare and important walnut four door cabinet from Leleu
Details of the cabinet
For many, the furniture of Jacques-Emile Ruhlman will forever remain the epitome of Art Deco. He gets high praises for the elegant contours of the exotic woods that he used, most of them inlaid with mother of pearls. And if you’re fortunate enough to own one or two pieces of his work, I’d say you are well and truly in a higher league than most. Having a Jules Leuleu piece of furniture grace your home is not too shabby either. His furniture is aggressively pursued by art deco lovers, museums, and interior designers with big budget clients. Today, I’m featuring this exquisite and extremely rare walnut cabinet, which I first came across earlier this year, while I attended the Winter and Antiques Show at the Park Avenue Armory. This cabinet, from Maison Gerard, stopped me dead in my tracks because it had so much presence. And although it can be the most assertive piece of furniture in a room, somehow because of its elegance, it manages to look a bit understated. Understated elegance goes a long way, trust me. 

Cover Image
Photos courtesy Maison Gerard
Leleu was an illustrious furniture designer who adroitly used some of the following materials in his decorative pieces, iribe rose together with blond shagreen, and walnut. You will often find that Art Deco furniture of the 1920s and earlier often featured shagreen, mother of pearl, eggshell, ivory, tortoiseshell, ormulu, painted parchment, snakeskin, exotic animal hides and silver and gold leaf.

The Mini Cooper: Luxury Redux

On April 4th, the MINI John Cooper Works Countryman made its first appearance at the New York International Show. With the updated John Cooper Works powertrain that now includes Valvetronic and the first-ever optional automatic transmission in a John Cooper Works vehicle, this Countryman is proven to be an impressively efficient choice for anyone looking for an equal balance of excitement and practicality.


MINI Convertible Highgate


MINI COOPER: A DECADE OF SUCCESS STORIES
Over the weekend, my husband Michael was reading the March 2012 Robb Report on 12 of the best luxury cars. Included in this elite class were the usual suspects: Aston Martin with it’s V-12 engine 510 hp, etc, the Lotus Evora S, the Mercedes-Benz… I wasn’t too surprised at his interest in those types of cars even through his first love is British Classic Motorcycles. I was challenged to name my number one car, and the reason(s) behind that choice, even though he already knew the answer. Of course, the Mini Cooper S type came into the conversation. This small bundle of extreme horse power, I suspect, will always be my choice. Not only is the mini cooper one of the most beautifully designed car, in 1999 it was voted the second most influential car of the 20th century, behind the Ford Model T. Not to be overlooked is the fact that a few years ago, Mini Cooper challenged Porsche to a racing match, and lost by just 2 seconds!
The history of the mini, is a long and illustrious one. This distinctive two-door car was designed for BMC by Sir Alec Issigonis of England.

 MINI Baker Street
MINI Bayswater
Photos Courtesy Mini Cooper
MINI John Cooper Works Countryman Interiors
MINI John Cooper Works Countryman
Photos Courtesy Mini Cooper

Despite its utilitarian origins, the classic Mini shape had become so well known that by the 1990s, Rover Group —the heirs to BMC—were able to register its design as a trade mark in its own right.”Number One Classic Car of All Time” (Classic & Sports Car magazine 1996) and “European Car of the Century” in a worldwide Internet poll run by the prestigious Global Automotive Elections Foundation in 1999. The original Mini achieved second place for “Global Car of the Century” in the same poll (behind the Model T Ford). In April 2010 Kelly Blue Book included the Mini Cooper as one of its Top 10 Green Cars for 2010. Earlier this year, Motor Trend magazine tested the Honda CR-Z, Valkswagen Beetle, Hyundai Veloster, Fiat 500, Scion tC, Mini Cooper, which of these “Kings of Quirky” do you think made the grade, and had the best value? The Mini Cooper, of course. The Pulitzer Prize-winning automotive journalist Dan Neil has suggested that, with the introduction of the Countryman, Mini had pushed the marque beyond relevance by making a car so long, wide and tall it forsook the inner logic of the brand: excellent handling in a tiny size.

Mid-20th-Century Style



Modern Love
Throughout the 20th century, the products, styles, theories and philosophies of design have become evermore diverse. No doubt this was due to the growing complexity of the design process, and the changing taste of the costumer. In the last century, design has existed as a major feature of culture and everyday life. It was seen as an instrument for improving the quality of life. I have a special fondness for decorative arts from the 1950s because it was a period of renewal and optimism in America.



Jacaranda Lounge Chairs from Brazil, circa 1970s
from R20th


Designers and artists were creating some of the most memorable art and objects. New materials such as plastic laminates, latex foam, fiberglass shaped the look of the mid 20th century. Designers were appealing to consumers’ growing aspirations by producing streamlined and forward-looking products that were the embodiment of the American Dream. The home became the very focus of that dream, and designers helped to shape it.

Alexander Calder Tapestry, France, circa 1970’s
“Le Lezard et le Tetard”, Woven at Ateliers Pinton – Aubusson
from Vojtech Blau
 
Left: Malatesta and Mason, Armchair, Leather and Walnut, circa 1960. 
Right: Kaiva textile for Marimekko, c. 1964

Duilio Barnabé, Portrait, circa 1961
Coffee table with glass top on a light grey mahogany base by Irina A. Klepper, circa 1950s
Jumo Bakelite streamlined lamp for Jumo Brevette, Paris, circa 1945
Maurice Calka, Boomerang desk for Leuleu-Deshays, 1970
Today a new generation is discovering and appreciating mid-20th-century art and design. Worldwide, this trend can be found in some of the most diverse spaces. I am quite partial to it since it was so glamorous, so stream-lined, so chic! If you share the same sentiment, then there is no better place to be than at the inaugural New York 20th Century Art and Design fair by 1stDibs. This event will take place under the tent at Lincoln Center in Damrosch Park from Friday, April 13th until Sunday, the 15th. There will be an early buying preview party on Thursday, April 12th. 1stDibs plan on showcasing 20th century art and design at its best. On view will be a highly curated selection of furniture, lighting, sculpture, paintings, jewelry, silver, glass, ceramics, photography, textiles, tapestries, prints, vintage clothing and accessories. It’ is time to fall for modern love.

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Why does Tamara de Lempicka still matters?


Her avant-garde paintings have been collected by celebrities like Madonna, and Barbara Streisand. It could be because both of these alpha females are well known for their progressive thinking, and at times, been viewed as feminists. Tamara de Lempicka was certainly a pioneering artist whom such women (and men) would be attracted to. Her work occupied an important position in the “Roaring Twenties” Paris. Her aesthetic embodied the spirit of the Art Deco era and its sense of style and modernity. When she completed the Nu adossé I in 1925, she was just establishing herself as a painter of serious consideration. On the evening of May 2nd 2012, Sotheby’s New York will be auctioning Nu adossé I, a work which most art historians have thought to be lost since the 1920s. The last time anyone have seen this painting in public was more than 85 years ago!

Striking Beauty
Tamara de Lempicka, Nu adossé I, Painted in 1925
Est. $3/5 million

Photo of 1925 Exhibition
Alain Blondel, Tamara de Lempicka, Catalogue raisonné 1921-1979, Lausanne, 1999,
no. 73, illustrated p. 26

Photos courtesy Sotheby’s

It is a classic example of the artist’s elegant and sensuous aesthetic and was included in her groundbreaking solo exhibition at Milan’s Bottega di Poesia gallery in 1925, the same year it was painted. Following that exhibition, the painting effectively disappeared from view until Sotheby’s was contacted by the owner late last year. The work will be shown in London, prior to exhibition and sale in New York this spring. The whereabouts of Nu adossé I have been unknown for most of its recorded history. The catalogue raisonné for the artist, published in 1999, included an image of the present work (pictured above) taken at the Milan exhibition in 1925, and listed it as “location unknown.” In an era of modernity, de Lempicka still matters, and Nu adossé I was an exciting discovery, which fills an important art historical gap in the artist’s work.