At Christie’s NY: A Fresh look at World-Class Masters

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Jan Cornelisz. Vermeyen (Beverwijk, Circa 1500 -C. 1559 Brussels). Portrait of Joost Aemszoon van der Burch.

Top Picks from Christie’s Classic Week: April 8-15, 2016

Christie’s Classic Week overs an extraordinary look at some of the world’s top old masters – from Rubens masterpiece Lot and his Two Daughters which is in view for the first time in a century (the sale will take place at Christie’s London) to a fascinating exhibit named An Inquiring Mind: American Collecting of Japanese and Korean Art. The Classic Week goes from Antiquities, Sculpture, with a contrasting mix artists like Clyfford Still.

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Background: A Hendrik Frans Van Lint waiting. (Called LO STUDIO). Baccus and Ariadne on the Island of Naxos.
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Elisabeth-Louise Vigee Le Brun: Portrait of Marie Antoinette (1755-1793), bust-length, in a trompe l’oeil stone niche.
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A Kawari Kabuto (Exotic Helmet). Momoyama period (Late 16th century).
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A Roman sleeping beauty at Christie’s Classic Week.
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Foreground – Right: Elisabeth-Louise Vigee Le Brun (Paris 1755-1842). Maria Grigorievna Viazemskaia, Princess Golitsyna (1772-1865), seated three-quarter-lengh.
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Jean-Leon Gerome (Vesoul. Haute-Saone 1824-1904 Paris) Washington a cheval (‘Washington on his horse’). Bronze, dark brown patina.
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A tinted plaster bust of Napoleon Bonaparte as first consul by Joseph Chinard (Lyon 1756-1813), 1801.
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Domenikos Theotokopoulos, Called EL GRECO. (Crete 1541-1614) Toledo). The Entombment of Christ.
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A colossal Roman marble portrait head of the emperor Hadrian. Reign 117-138 A.D.
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An important large Roman inlaid bronze Bacchus. Circa 2nd Century A.D.
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Christie’s Classic Week: April 8-15, 2016
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A Roman marble Venus. Circa 1st Century B.C., 1st Century A.D.
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An important Egyptian wood figure of a lady. Middle kingdom. Early 12th dynasty. Circa 1981-1802 B.C.
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Foreground: An attic red-figured Nolan amphora, attributed to the Berlin painter, circa 470 B.C.
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Contemporary artwork by Clyfford Still mixed with Classic Week at Christie’s. 

All images by High End Weekly™. All rights reserved.

The Met Breuer Shows Off its Quirky Side

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Pablo Picasso, Spanish, Malaga 1881-1973 Mougins, France. Portrait of Olga, 1921. This work is one of several female heads that Picasso rendered during a summer stay in Fontainebleau with Olga and their newborn son.

Have you been to The Met? The Met Breuer, I mean.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s modern and contemporary art program have expanded their artful wings by including a new series of exhibitions, performances, artist commissions, residencies, and educational initiatives in a building designed by Marcel Breuer on Madison Avenue and 75th Street. The museum official opened to the public on March 18, 2016. However, High End Weekly™ was fortunate enough to attend the press preview on March 1st. The Met Breuer is a strikingly contemporary building that provides additional space to explore the art of the 20th and 21st centuries through the global breadth and historical reach of the Met’s unparalleled collection. Their exhibition Unfinished: Thoughts Left Visible opened on March 18th, and will end on September 4, 2016. With over 190 works dating from the Renaissance to the present—drawn mainly from the Museum’s collection, supplemented with major national and international loans—the exhibition demonstrates the type of groundbreaking show that can result when the Museum mines its vast collection and curatorial resources to present modern and contemporary art within a deep historical context.

Located on the 3rd and 4th floors, at Madison Avenue and 75th Street, this exhibition is undoubtedly one of the finest museum show I’ve seen so far this year. Other programs featured as part of the inaugural season of The Met Breuer include the largest exhibition to date dedicated to Indian modernist Nasreen Mohamedi; and a month-long performance installation, by Resident Artist Vijay Iyer. Upcoming exhibitions include a presentation of Diane Arbus’s rarely seen early photographic works (July 12-November 27, 2016), and the first museum retrospective dedicated to Kerry James Marshall (October 25, 2016-January 30, 2017).

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Opening remarks from Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum during The Met Breuer Press Preview
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An unfinished Pablo Picasso painting showcased at Marcel Breuer’s iconic building on Madison Avenue.
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Press day at Marcel Breuer’s iconic building on Madison Avenue which now housed The Met Breuer.
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Urs Fischer, Swiss, born Zurich, 1973. Cast bronze, oil paint, palladium leaf, clay bole, chalk gesso, rabbit-skin glue. “Many of Fischer’s works court the tension between permanence and impermanence. Some are designed to self-destruct, while others only appear to be disintegrating; 2, 2014 falls into the latter category.”
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Pablo Picasso, Spanish, Malaga 1881-1973 Mougins, France. Harlequin, 1923.

“Unfinished is a cornerstone of The Met Breuer’s inaugural program and a great example of the Met’s approach to presenting the art of today. Stretching across history and geography, the exhibition is the result of a cross-departmental collaboration, drawing on the expertise of the Met’s outstanding faculty of curators. We hope the exhibition will inspire audiences to reconsider the artistic process as they connect to experiences shared by artists over centuries.” Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum. 

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A collection of unfinished old masters are now in view at The Met Breuer until September 4, 2016.
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Leonardo da Vinci, Italian, Vinci, ca 1452-1519 Amoise. Head and Shoulders of a Woman (La Scapigliata), ca. 1500-1505. Oil, earth, and white lead pigments on poplar.
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Portrait of Mariana de Silva y Sarmiento, Duquesa de Huescar (1740-1784), 1775 by Anton Raphael Mengs.
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Kerry James Marshall speaking to the audience during Press Day at The Met Breuer. The artist uses painting, sculptural installations and photography to comment on the history of black identity in the US.
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An utterly striking, yet unfinished work by Alabama-born artist Kerry James Marshal. In Marshall’s powerful allegory of painting, an artist sits holding her oversize palette, turned away from an unfinished self-portrait on her easel. The painting within a painting – or, more precisely, the painting about painting – is a time-honored motif taken up by many of the greatest artists in the Western tradition to which Marshall now contributes.
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George Romney, British, Beckside, Lancashire 1734-1802 Kendal, Cumbria. George Romney, 1784. Oil on canvas. This unfinished self-portrait was begun for the artist’s friend and biographer William Hayley during a trip that Romney and the artist John Flaxman made to Hayley’s villa. The painting was both praised for its vivacity and questioned for its incomplete state by those who knew the story of its making.
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Sir Joshua Reynolds, British, Plympton 1723-1792 London. A Young Man, ca. 1770. The sitter may be a man who worked for the artist and appeared in other paintings by him, but precise identification is difficult.
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Alice Neel, American, James Hunter Black Draftee, 1965. Oil on canvas.
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Vincent van Gogh, Street in Auvers-sur-Oise, 1890.
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Gustav Klimt, Posthumous Portrait of Ria Munk III, 1917-18. Oil on Canvas. Death stands at the beginning and at the end of this work’s history. The young woman, Maria (“Ria”) Munk, committed suicide on December 28, 1911, after the writer Hanns Heinz Ewers called off their engagement. Klimt, the most sought-after portraitist in Vienna at the time, was commissioned to paint her posthumous portrait. He struggled with the task ,and the first two portraits did not meet the family’s approval. While still working on this third portrait of Ria, Klimt himself died.

Editor’s Top Picks from The 2016 Winter Antiques Show

In our opinion, The Winter Antiques Show is the one fair that you need to attend this season. The fair stands as an indication of the Antiques Season. The much-anticipated show consequently runs from Friday, January 22 – 31, 2016 at The Park Avenue Armory.

The grand opening night takes place on Thursday, January 21st, and the Young Collectors Night is on the following week, Thursday, January 28th. This year, High End Weekly™ been asked to choose a few of our favorite pieces for the show before it opens to the public. And of course, we were delighted with this fine prospect.

The Winter Antiques Show marks its 62nd year in 2016 as the most prestigious art, antiques and design fair in America, featuring the “best of the best” from antiquities through modern times. Held at the historic Park Avenue Armory in New York City, the show provides curators, established collectors, dealers, design professionals and first-time buyers with opportunities to view and purchase exceptional objects showcased by more than 70 exhibitors.

The Winter Antiques Show is an annual benefit for the East Side House Settlement (celebrating its 125th anniversary this year), a community resource in the South Bronx. East Side House’s programs focus on education and technology as gateways out of poverty and as the keys to economic opportunity. All revenue from the show’s general admissions and the net proceeds from the preview parties go to East Side House and contribute substantially to its private philanthropic budget.

In honor the 125th anniversary of the East Side House Settlement, High End Weekly™ is having a giveaway. We are offering one very fortunate reader and a guest, tickets to the Young Collectors Night. Tweet Us, Facebook, and/or Instagram Us your comments for a chance to attend The Winter Antique Show on its 62nd year anniversary.

The Suite Life: Editor’s Top Picks of The Year – Part III of III

THE KNICKERBOCKER

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The Caruso Suite at The Knickerbocker Hotel, Times Squares: As dramatic and glamorous as the maestro himself, this suite boasts unrivaled views of Times Square from its spectacular top-floor perch. Its bedroom, expansive living room, and spacious bathroom are grand stages themselves, with an option to convert the suite to include a second, en-suite bedroom, expanding the size to 1,200 square feet.

Design firm Gabellini Sheppard emerged as top talents in view of their recent work at the $250 million renovation of The Knickerbocker HotelThe dynamic duo designed a number of luxurious suites, rightly titled after Caruso, Cohan, Martini and Parrish, all legends, and major figures in New York’s cultural scenes. The history of The Knickerbocker Hotel reads like a glittering history of New York itself. Originally opened in 1906 by financier John Jacob Astor IV, it quickly became home to art and music royalty including American painter and illustrator Maxfield Parrish and world-famous tenor Enrico Caruso.

“We looked to classic materials like oak, steel, and leather to give each of these suites its own unique personality and each as big as the people that inspired them …. At the same time, we chose finishes, colors, and lighting that very much convey a contemporary sense of what New York luxury means today.” Michael Gabellini, partner at Gabellini Sheppard

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The Martini Suite at The Knickerbocker Hotel, Times Squares: Legend has it that the original martini was invented in 1912 by a Knickerbocker bartender, Martini di Arma di Taggia, for tycoon John D. Rockefeller, a frequent guest. With rich textures and tones, its namesake suite carries the same air of cosmopolitan glamour.

WHY WE PICKED IT

All seven hotels were picked for their unique designs. Each one represents what a luxury hotel ought to be: elegant, charming, comfortable, able to exude a sense of contentment, and sooth the occasional, if not constant fastidious guest. The Surrey Hotel, The Mark, The St. Regis in the Upper East Side, The Morgans, The Knickerbocker and The Soho Grand, these hotels have an abundance of charm that embodies “home away from home”. A chic one, that is.

GRAMERCY PARK HOTEL

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Gramercy Suite at The Gramercy Park Hotel
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Park View Premier Suite at The Gramercy Park Hotel
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Park View Luxury Suite at The Gramercy Park Hotel
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The Penthouse Suite at The Gramercy Park Hotel

MORGANS HOTEL NEW YORK

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The Loft at The Morgans New York
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At The Morgans New York: Black and white signature tiles in one of the bathroom suite designed by the grande dame of luxury boutique hotels, the late Andrée Putman

THE ST. REGIS NEW YORK

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The irresistable Dior Suite at The St. Regis
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What a welcome! Black and White Floors at The St. Regis 5th Avenue Suite Entrance
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The St. Regis New York Bentley Suite Dining Room

THE MARK HOTEL

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Mark Hotel Five Bedroom Terrace Suite
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The Kitchen of The Mark’s Three Bedroom Suite designed by Jacques Grange
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Partial Views of The Bathroom, and Hallway of The Mark’s Three Bedroom Suite designed by Jacques Grange

SOHO GRAND HOTEL

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Loft South at The Soho Grand Hotel
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An artful urban terrace garden at The Loft North Suite of The Soho Grand

THE SURREY HOTEL

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The Surrey Ultra Deluxe Suite
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A very monochromatic theme at The Penthouse Suite of The Surrey Hotel
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The Presidential Suite of The Surrey Hotel New York

Editor’s Top Picks of The Year: Part II of III

ARTFUL OBJECTS FOR THE HOME

The LED Effect: This giant light sculpture is from Niamh Barry, and is sold at Todd Merrill Studio. The impressive light fixture is unique, handmade and powered by dimmable LEDs. The artist uses CAD/ floor plans and images of the interior to take into consideration every aspect of the room in which the piece will be exhibited.

Niamh Barry, Walking. Todd Merrill Studio
Niamh Barry at Todd Merrill Studio.
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This fabulous and intricate iron daybed from interior designer Sandra Espinet has a strong and global appeal which suggest a taste for adventure and abundant flair.
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Cynthia Murphy has a keen eye for beauty. The New York-based designer creates her luxury pillows by selecting rich, intricate, 18th and 19th century embroideries and brocades from France, England and Italy. Her special interest in Art Deco and Arts & Crafts design expanded the scope of her entire glamorous online collection.
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Every home should have these Chocolate Quartz and Gold Lumino Coasters from Global Home. Edged in 24K gold and silver, they serve as a perfect way to upgrade the level of entertaining your guests!
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The Tabla End Table from Farrago Design is inspired by Tabla – an Indian percussion drum, it is individually handcrafted with wood and on-laid with bone chips to create a tone-on-tone pattern. The “purest” approach and details transform it to a true work of art.

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High End Weekly™ discovered these beautiful chairs at Collective Design last year, and later on this year at The Salon fair at The Park Avenue Armory. The decorative chairs are from the Wexler Gallery, and they were designed by Sharon Sides. The Flor Chair, Edition 10 of 12, 2015 is made of Bronze, and brass.

Editor’s Top Picks of The Year: Part I of III

FOR THE HOME

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Highly curated items for the kitchen, pantry, table, as well as kitchen design services from the San Francisco-based store MARCH.
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The Axor 240 2-Jet Showerhead and Axor 1-Jet Handshower by Front were inspired by the hidden aesthetics of technology, turning the typical hardware, such as pipes, joints, valves and funnels, into charming design objects. Axor’s designs with Front are currently part of the critically acclaimed Pathmakers: Women in Art, Craft and Design, Midcentury and Today exhibit, which just opened at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in Washington, D.C. “Pathmakers,” which explores and celebrates the contributions of women in design and art, comes to D.C. after a successful six-month run at the Museum of Arts and Design in NYC (MAD museum).

THE WATCH HOUNDS

“_To mark its 85th birthday, we wished to offer a new vision of the Reverso, so that each individual can immediately recognise the collection that matches their own character and the model destined to become theirs.” Daniel Riedo, CEO Jaeger-LeCoultre.

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REVERSO Tribute Duo, Front Dial from Jaeger-LeCoultre. Since 1931, the year the Reverso watch was created, its emotional impact has remained as powerful as ever. This undisputed style icon elicits the same wonderment decade after decade. The strength of its pure, almost discreet lines makes the Reverso timepiece the epitome of elegance.
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An Important Gold Split Seconds Stop Watch sold at Sotheby’s from Abraham Louis Breguet/Photo credit Sotheby’s

THE ART LOVERS

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The African-American Art Sale at Swann Galleries: RICHMOND BARTHÉ (1901 – 1989) Head of a Dancer. Cast bronze, with a brown patina, mounted on a white stone base.
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Frank Horvat, Givenchy Hat , 1958, Winter Antiques Show 2016 (Peter Fetterman Gallery)

Texture and Originality at the 2015 Print Fair

Highlights from the 2015 Print Fair at the Park Avenue Armory. Rare and exceptional prints can be found in all price ranges, including exciting new projects from today’s leading and emerging artists. The IFPDA is the ideal fair for museum curators, major collectors, interior designers, decorators and of course, art lovers.

November 4 – 8, 2015

 

Photo credit High End Weekly™ – All rights reserved

TILT! Walker Zanger’s NEW Collection

Walker Zanger, the world’s most comprehensive stone and tile company, has invigorated its Tilt Collection with an all-new line of mosaic color blends. Tilt is an eclectic new collection of stoneware mosaic patterns in an exciting variety of shapes and textures, bringing a colorful and geometric element to any application or design.

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Tilt, Alexander Oval Mosaic, Blue Note Blend by Walker Zanger

“The addition of colors to the once all-white Tilt collection will continue to make a fashionable yet functional statement in any application and bring a decorative element to any design,” said Walker Zanger Vice President of Design

“We reimagined our monochromatic Tilt collection to present a superior selection of possibilities for designers and homeowners,” said Becker. “With new eye-catching colors and a classic retro attitude, Tilt is jewelry for your walls.” Indeed it is!

Asia Week Guide

The Art of Collection Asian Vessels: 

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Wei Asian Arts

Whether you have an interest in the Song Dynasty ceramics, a period between the 10th and 13th centuries that was the highpoint of Asian art history, where the esthetics were driven by the Chan Buddhist influenced literati, who held sway over the Imperial Courts, or you like to collect modern to contemporary ceramics from Japan, a country that leads the world in the important field of contemporary clay art, Asia Week New York (the week-long art extravaganza which is celebrating a 6th year anniversary), is the perfect time to explore ancient to contemporary Asian art, as well as extending your knowledge, collection, and discover new and long standing galleries that specialize in Indian, Southeast Asian, Chinese, and Japanese art to name a few . For this year’s post on Asia Week New York, I’ve gathered a number of exquisite Asian vessels from ancient China to modern Japan, but it’s important to note that all sorts of important Asian works, spanning over four millennia will be shown throughout the city by Asian art specialists, museums, and galleries. Tours and lectures in Asian art will be conducted from March 13 through the 21st. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is celebrating the centennial of its world-renowned department of Asian Art. On Monday, March 16, I will be attending a breakfast meeting at the Met Museum, where Thomas P. Campbell, the director and CEO of the museum will announce the launch of a capital campaign and year-long exhibition programming celebrating the centennial of the Museum Department of Asian Art.

Here’s what you can expect from over 100 top-tier Asian art museums, and galleries world-wide: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from Nayeff Homsi, Prahlad Bubbar, Carlo Cristi, Kapoor galleries, Susan Ollemans. Ancient and Contemporary Chinese Art from Andrew Kahane, Asian Art Studio, Ralph M. Chait Galleries, China 2000 Fine Art, The Chinese Porcelain Company, Gisele Croes, Michael Hughes, Kaidodo, J. J. Lally & Co., and Zetterquist Gallery. As for Ancient and Contemporary Japanese Art, visit Dai Ichi Art, Joan B. Mirviss, the Onishi Gallery, Scholten Japanese Art. Finally, if you have a desire to acquire Ancient and contemporary Korean arts, Koo New York is offering an array of extraordinary Asian art treasure at the Tambaran Gallery, located near the Metropolitan Museum.

For more information on Asia Week New York, visit: www.asiaweekny.com. More images of High End Weekly’s coverage on the 2015 week-long exhibitions can be found on our Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/highendweekly.

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Spring Snow, 2011, Glazed stoneware
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Left: Suzuki Sansei, Seiji tsubo; Celadon-gladed vessel, 1988,  stoneware with celadon glaze
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Okabe Mineo, Shino Mineo; Shino Vessel by Mineo, 1954, Glazed stoneware
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Koo New York
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Koo New York

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Joan Mirviss Gallery
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Joan Mirviss Gallery
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2000 Year Old Chinese Pottery from Gisèle Croës
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Japanese ceramics from NAGAE Shigekazu, Dai Ichi Arts

 

 

Dai Ichi Arts

Instant Serenity at Play

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Blush bedding collection

How do you like your home décor? Elegant, quietly understated, serene, seamless? If that is the case, then the Calvin Klein Home spring collection is perfectly suited for your home. While previewing their latest arrivals, (the minimalistic designed flagship store is on Madison Avenue), I experienced the venerable brand true meaning of what it takes to indulged in home decor that is visually stimulating, relaxing, comfortable and sublime. Here are some of the items that caught my eye.

(Left: A modern take on a traditional floral; layers of slipper pink, blossom, and thistle are printed underneath a striated pigment texture. Reminiscent of a vintage botanical print of dahlia flowers and paired with delicate Gossomer Sheeting in 100% pure combed cotton percale with softly etched waves in a rose tint on an ecru ground. )

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Reverse twill matelassé
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Vintage indigo body pillow, one size, hand sewn, limited edition
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The maya overdye collection – labradorite hematite rug
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Silver vine bedding collection
Cambium Lines Oak Bowls,Ebonized Oak painted white
Cambium Lines Oak Bowls,Ebonized Oak painted white