A New Artist

Dear friends,

A very good artist friend who I know as Michale has launched his website today (http://protagonisto.blogspot.com/).  I found his first painting to be intense, crazy, enigmatic (even somewhat sensual in a weird way).  I look forward to seeing how his work progresses and, who knows, you might see one of his pieces in my store in the future.  I wanted to send this message of support in the hopes that he gains an audience of like-minded aesthetes. And this gives me the best opportunity to let my readers know that I will return to posting more frequently.  It's been too long!

Warm regards,

Antony

God is in the Detail: Scaling Memory

It had been five years since my last visit to Berlin and before that, 31 years.  That latter visit was so memorable because 1979 were those steely Iron Curtain days when West Berlin was an "island" of the country.  A mysterious and surreptitious air surrounded the visit: the gloomy and somewhat uncomfortable Checkpoint Charlie and, although the Unter den Linden was beautifully spruced up to give foreigners the impression that all was well in the East, occasionally, a small black car passed the desolate wide streets.  My godmother and I were the only visitors to the Pergamon Museum that day.  Our only other companions were the sound of her heels clicking on the marble floors in those giant pantheonic rooms and the tired but nonetheless "at attention" guards, watching over the enormous installations.

My recent visit was a vast contrast to my first.  This time it seemed as though all was in technicolor: lines of people buying entrance tickets, bus loads of tourists decamping, headsets, and racks of vibrant postcards.  And although part of the museum is under restoration and there were hundreds of people scaling the Pergamon temple and crowding the surrounding rooms, my past memories were wonderfully renewed, and it was nice to relive that cherished and exciting moment from my childhood.


  

The temple of Pergamon, built in 250 BC as a gift to the gods after
the assassination attempt of King Pergamon failed.

processional gate of Babylon (560BC)...glazed terracotta
tiles cover the entire structure

 

fragments from colossal emperor statues

A model of the original temple



Thomas Fourgeirol



Photograph by Matthew Rose

I bought my first Fourgeirol in Paris ten years ago after seeing one of his paintings in the very stylish L'Eclaireur.  I made my way to his gallerist who in turn organized a visit with the artist in Irvy sur Seine, on the fringe of Paris.  Thomas Fourgeirol still lives there, with his beautiful and talented wife (who's also an artist) and his now grown-up children.  I was most impressed wandering through that beautiful compound, a modernist airplane hangar type space, as we spent hours together pulling canvas after canvas, some the size of a bus.  His work is mostly about texture and the layering of paints, sometimes initially shocking; however, no matter the subject of his work, they all tend to be very soothing and calm after having studied them.  I particularly like that about his work: the relationship that builds from being with the painting.  Thomas also has a studio in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and during my recent stay in New York I visited him to catch up and see some of his new works.

God is in the Detail: Hotel Bauer

I'm raising a glass to my favorite place to rest whilst in Venice, the Hotel Bauer.  Its combination of old Venetian palazzo and fantastic Gothic architecture (designed by the 16th Century architect Andrea Palladio), combined with a mixture of opulent details, including eclectic doses of Art Deco, makes for a dazzling spectacle for the eyes.

Market Stock

The French writer François de La Rochefoucauld said, "To eat is a necessity but to eat intelligently is an art."  I think, especially presently, this quotation holds great weight.  One doesn't have to be Top Chef to cook fantastic dishes.  The most important aspect in cooking is using the freshest ingredients, preferably organic.  And there are hundreds of farmers markets across the United States (this website is a great resource for locating one) in which to find those fresh ingredients.  One of my favorite New York activities is quite simple . . . go to the Farmer's Market in Union Square, which is close to my office and store, and not only buy the freshest produce, cheese, meat, and bread, but also get inspired by all the wonderful colors, textures, and shapes.  Sometimes a stroll through the market makes me quite envious of visual artists.  Before coming back to Turkey, I had a day in the market and wanted to share some photos with you.  Enjoy them, and then take some time to find a market that supports local farmers.  Your body, the environment, and, quite possibly, your creativity with love you for it.

Inhabited Sculpture

Since being back in New York after Istancool, I relish being in my store.  It's really like coming home after a long journey.  We held an event here last Wednesday, and I found myself proud of the objects and furniture meshing with the beautiful crowd, especially Chuck Pryce's sculptures, which people couldn't help but pick up and touch.  I'm very lucky to have been introduced by a close friend to Chuck, and since then he and I have become good friends and colleagues (just recently in fact he sent me those amazing eggs from his Hamptons farm).  His pieces are sensual yet, because of their weight, masculine and sturdy.  One can appreciate the substantial quality of the objects, especially because, I think, they invoke a presence, which seems to vibrate with joy, either when resting or whilst being held  My first and favorite that I fell in love with is the wishbone, available in so many sizes and colors, but there are many other shapes to have and hold.  I'd love for you to stop by the store and experience the magic of Chuck's sculptures for yourselves.

Being with You

Earlier I posted some images of Karaköy, where the welcome dinner for Istancool took place.  My hope was to share some photos from that night, but because of lack of time that day, I was unable to photograph anything decent to post.  Instead, you can visit the Billy Farrell Agency website and see some pics from the dinner, which was super relaxed.  We wanted to keep it simple and low key for all the celebrities who would be participating in the weekend's exhilarating activities.  It was a perfect spot to eat and relax after a buzzing art opening for the charming and serene Sandro Kopp, who my friend, photographer Daniela Federici, and I had the opportunity to meet.  I look forward to seeing more from this very talented man.

Karakool

The first dinner I'm designing for Istancool 2011 is in Karaköy, a mostly commercial quarter on the Bosphorus, which was originally the meeting place for banks and insurance companies in the 19th Century, but today is home to mechanical, plumbing, and electronic parts suppliers. The area is gritty but has a beauty and energy to it that is quite intoxicating.  In modern Turkish, "kara" means "black" or "dark" and "köy" means village.  It's the perfect place to host a dinner with the inimitable Tilda Swinton and her boyfriend Sandro Kopp, who is holding an exhibition of portraits he painted whilst on Skype.  The only portrait I've seen so far is the one you'll see below of Tilda herself.  The mood, complete with pixelations, I think, meshes well with the location and the atmosphere of the approaching evening.  I'm looking forward to Thursday and excited to share "after" photos from the party very soon.

 



A portrait of Tilda Swinton by Sandro Kopp