The Curated Object

Subject-Object: Genius on Display. Regina M. Connell reviews The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition at San Francisco's de Young Museum. The Curated Object

Paolo Roversi, Tanel Bedrossiantz, 1992
Barbès collection
Women’s prêt-à-porter fall/winter 1984–1985
Digital print
© Paolo Roversi

 

Perou, Dita Von Teese Flaunt, 2003
Dada collection
Women’s prêt-à-porter spring/summer 1983
© Perou

 

Pedro Almodóvar, Victoria Abril and Jean Paul Gaultier for the opening of Kika, directed by Pedro Almodóvar, 1993
© DR/Archives Jean Paul Gaultier

 

Perou, Dita Von Teese Flaunt, 2003
Buttons collection, “Circé” ensemble
Haute couture spring/summer 2003
Black hat-gown of lace appliqué on fine straw and
black horsehair, jet pin; black lace bloomers; black fishnet tights
© Perou

 

Gaultier Paris lace label, for haute couture
© Jean Paul Gaultier

 

Jean Paul Gaultier. Cages collection, Calligraphie gown (detail)
haute couture fall/winter 2008-2009
© Patrice Stable/Jean Paul Gaultier

 

 

Jean Paul Gaultier. Fishnet tights, Parisiennes collection
haute couture fall/winter 2010-2011
© Patrice Stable/Jean Paul Gaultier

 

 

photo by Regina M. Connel, A Handful of Salt 

photo by Regina M. Connel, A Handful of Salt 

 
photo by Regina M. Connel, A Handful of Salt 

 

photo by Regina M. Connel, A Handful of Salt 

photo by Regina M. Connel, A Handful of Salt 

 

photo by Regina M. Connel, A Handful of Salt 

 

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk 

through Aug. 19, 2012

Review by Regina M. Connell, Editor & Founder of A Handful of Salt

Conical bras. Not what you think about, usually, on a Sunday morning.

But there I was, taking in an entire room of conical bras, corsets, and dresses. The scene was the De Young Museum in San Francisco, and more specifically, a retrospective of the work of the French enfant terrible of fashion, Jean Paul Gaultier.

Known for his embrace of fetish themes, gender-bending explorations, his collaboration with Madonna on her 1990 Blonde Ambition tour, and of course, those conical bras, Jean Paul Gaultier is one of those designers–like Alexander McQueen–whose designs, provocations and talent for spectacle overwhelm the amazing, exquisite, daring craftsmanship of his work.

Luckily, both spectacle and craft are on display–in abundance–in this unusual, exhilarating, satisfying exhibition, Including 120 haute couture and pret-a-porter designs between the 1970s and 2010, sketches, fashion photographs and video clips.  

Unsurprisingly, of course, it’s Gaultier’s love of and talent for spectacle and showmanship that overwhelms you the moment you walk into the first gallery.

Instead of empty-featured mannequins wearing the designer’s work as in so many other fashion exhibits, many mannequins (including one of JPG himself) had come to life (courtesy of the collaboration between Gaultier and Montreal-based theatre company Ubu Compagnie de Creation). They had faces; they spoke. Unnervingly, though, they lacked expression in a way reminiscent of certain over-Botoxed celebrities.

The effect was creepy and perhaps not best for the nightmare-prone.

And yet... those speaking mannequins–far more memorably than those tedious, hard-to-read descriptions usually found on walls–helped Gaultier tell his story and his motivations for his designs, and brought to life his deep humanity, his belief in tolerance and diversity. 

Also spectacular...the clothes themselves, of course. Exuberant, beautiful, provocative...they demonstrate his penchant for appropriating themes: street style, S&M, militarism, exoskeletons, tribes, religions (Catholicism in particular) and cultures.

And yet surprisingly, the more I looked at the works, I realized that Gaultier often managed to whisper–not bellow–his inspirations. Jean Paul Gaultier subtle? Yes, in this instance, at least. A favorite was a stunning tulle dress with a knitted overlay was from his Russian collection. No Cossack themes, no Russian Red: just a magical, yet restrained, combination of cream and a light mocha.

However, it was neither the mannequins nor the designs that took my breath away. It was the audacity of Gaultier and the curators to let us truly connect with the clothes, and the designer.

Unlike so many other fashion exhibits, the Gaultier exhibit does not separate you–by glass or space or velvet ropes–from the pieces: you can lean in so you are just a few inches away (but don’t touch please). 

And it’s only when you’re that close that you can fully appreciate the complexity, rich detail and craft–the soul–of the clothes.

Letting us get close to the clothes is the greatest gift the curators have given us, and the true brilliance of the exhibit. Without the ability to see the craft, the fine, layered detail, the meaning and metaphor, Gaultier’s work would just be exciting, titillating eye candy. By leaning in, you understand, you feel, you connect.

You also better appreciate a core aspect of Gaultier’s uniqueness: his love of and talent for using and combining unconventional materials… alligator with crochet, industrial-looking metal studs on silk, gold thread embroidery on plastic, woven palm leaves, even human hair. It’s this willingness to explore combinations that lets him avoid cliche, gives his work a profound sophistication, and keeps it vital.

Another curatorial gift: signs by select pieces indicated how long that piece took to make. One of the ruffled tulle ball gowns (worn, the sign noted, by Sarah Jessica Parker at the 2000 MTV Movie Awards) took 312 hours.

When he first started designing, Gaultier couldn’t afford to buy from more established suppliers, so he sourced his work from Parisian flea markets. That love of combining materials, cultures and craft traditions is one of his hallmark styles, and infuses his work the energy and exhilaration that’s allowed him to stay a force in design for over 35 years. (The title of the show, From Sidewalk to Catwalk, clearly embraces not just style, but materials as well.)

In many ways, it’s this willingness to see beauty in all things–and people–that’s his greatest gift, and his lasting contribution.  "I'd like them to understand that beauty can be found everywhere; even in the least expected places and that there is not one kind of beauty, but many kinds," he wrote for the retrospective. "I think this has been my guiding thought all these years."

For more information please visit. M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco. deyoung.famsf.org and A Handful of Salt to read more features, reviews and insights from Regina and her team!

 

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Conical bras. Not what you think about, usually, on a Sunday morning.

 

But there I was, taking in an entire room of conical bras, corsets, and dresses. The scene was the De Young Museum in San Francisco, and more specifically, a retrospective of the work of the French enfant terrible of fashion, Jean Paul Gaultier.

 

Known for his embrace of fetish themes, gender-bending explorations, his collaboration with Madonna on her 1990 Blonde Ambition tour, and of course, those conical bras, Jean Paul Gaultier is one of those designers–like Alexander McQueen–whose designs, provocations and talent for spectacle overwhelm the amazing, exquisite, daring craftsmanship of his work.

 

Luckily, both spectacle and craft are on display–in abundance–in this unusual, exhilarating, satisfying exhibition.

 

Unsurprisingly, of course, it’s Gaultier’s love of and talent for spectacle and showmanship that overwhelms you the moment you walk into the first gallery.

 

Instead of empty-featured mannequins wearing the designer’s work as in so many other fashion exhibits, many mannequins (including one of JPG himself) had come to life (courtesy of the collaboration between Gaultier and Montreal-based theatre company Ubu Compagnie de Creation). They had faces; they spoke. Unnervingly, though, they lacked expression in a way reminiscent of certain over-Botoxed celebrities.

 

The effect was creepy and perhaps not best for the nightmare-prone.

 

And yet... those speaking mannequins–far more memorably than those tedious, hard-to-read descriptions usually found on walls–helped Gaultier tell his story and his motivations for his designs, and brought to life his deep humanity, his belief in tolerance and diversity. 

 

Also spectacular...the clothes themselves, of course. Exuberant, beautiful, provocative...they demonstrate his penchant for appropriating themes: street style, S&M, militarism, exoskeletons, tribes, religions (Catholicism in particular) and cultures.

 

And yet surprisingly, the more I looked at the works, I realized that Gaultier often managed to whisper–not bellow–his inspirations. Jean Paul Gaultier subtle? Yes, in this instance, at least. A favorite was a stunning tulle dress with a knitted overlay was from his Russian collection. No Cossack themes, no Russian Red: just a magical, yet restrained, combination of cream and a light mocha.

 

However, it was neither the mannequins nor the designs that took my breath away. It was the audacity of Gaultier and the curators to let us truly connect with the clothes, and the designer.

 

Unlike so many other fashion exhibits, the Gaultier exhibit does not separate you–by glass or space or velvet ropes–from the pieces: you can lean in so you are just a few inches away (but don’t touch please). 

 

And it’s only when you’re that close that you can fully appreciate the complexity, rich detail and craft–the soul–of the clothes.

 

Letting us get close to the clothes is the greatest gift the curators have given us, and the true brilliance of the exhibit. Without the ability to see the craft, the fine, layered detail, the meaning and metaphor, Gaultier’s work would just be exciting, titillating eye candy. By leaning in, you understand, you feel, you connect.

 

You also better appreciate a core aspect of Gaultier’s uniqueness: his love of and talent for using and combining unconventional materials… alligator with crochet, industrial-looking metal studs on silk, gold thread embroidery on plastic, woven palm leaves, even human hair. It’s this willingness to explore combinations that lets him avoid cliche, gives his work a profound sophistication, and keeps it vital.

 

Another curatorial gift: signs by select pieces indicated how long that piece took to make. One of the ruffled tulle ball gowns (worn, the sign noted, by Sarah Jessica Parker at the 2000 MTV Movie Awards) took 312 hours.

 

When he first started designing, Gaultier couldn’t afford to buy from more established suppliers, so he sourced his work from Parisian flea markets. That love of combining materials, cultures and craft traditions is one of his hallmark styles, and infuses his work the energy and exhilaration that’s allowed him to stay a force in design for over 35 years. (The title of the show, From Sidewalk to Catwalk, clearly embraces not just style, but materials as well.)

 

In many ways, it’s this willingness to see beauty in all things–and people–that’s his greatest gift, and his lasting contribution.  "I'd like them to understand that beauty can be found everywhere; even in the least expected places and that there is not one kind of beauty, but many kinds," he wrote for the retrospective. "I think this has been my guiding thought all these years."

 

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk: The show Includes 120 haute couture and pret-a-porter designs between the 1970s and 2010, sketches, fashion photographs and video clips. Runs through Aug. 19. M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco. deyoung.famsf.org

 

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Exhibitions San Francisco & NYC. Balenciaga: Spanish Master. The de Young Museum of Art & The Queen Sofia Spanish Institute. The Curated Object

Balenciaga evening ensemble, 1967. Courtesy of Balenciaga Archives, Paris.

 

Balenciaga evening dress and stole, 1952. Frances McLaughlin-Gill / Vogue; Copyright © Condé Nast.

 

Balenciaga evening ensemble with toreador bolero, 1946. Christian Bérard / Vogue; Copyright © Condé Nast.

Balenciaga evening dress, 1964. Courtesy of Balenciaga Archives, Paris.

 

Balenciaga flamenco-inspired evening dress, 1951. Henry Clarke / Vogue; Copyright © Condé Nast.

 

Balenciaga “Infanta” evening dress, 1939. Copyright, R.J. Horst—Courtesy Staley/Wise Gallery, NYC.

 

Balenciaga: Spanish Master

By Cappi Williamson

A cool Spanish breeze is blowing down Park Avenue in the form of the Balenciaga: Spanish Master exhibition at the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute. Shocking pink, plush carpets usher patrons in from the icy outdoors and welcome them to a world created by couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga: a world of monarchs and monks, bullfighters and beauty.  The idea for the exhibit originated with Oscar de la Renta, Chairman of the Institute’s Board, and is curated by Vogue European Editor at Large Hamish Bowles. Bowles showcases Balenciaga’s unmatched talent and Spain’s rich regional history in equal measure.

On the first level of the Institute, a small selection of showstoppers lines a dimly lit room where Spanish guitar plays, creating the feeling of sultry Catalan night. At the sight of a 1954 red velvet evening coat inspired by a cardinal’s robes, one woman whispers, “…the stitching, the stitching,” as a nearby design student sketches a fanciful hat (on loan from Bowles’s personal collection) in her tiny notebook (a note to students: pencils only in the Institute).

The pink carpet winds downstairs to a larger room of creations: an evening gown takes its cue from a mantón de Manila, fringed silk shawls embroidered with brilliant floral motifs. Another gown was designed with a short jacket, edged in silk balls in homage to the bullfighter’s costume, but Bowles doesn’t shy away from showing interpretations of the master’s work. Rather than exhibiting Balenciaga’s original look, Bowles chooses1960s socialite Pauline de Rothschild’s interpretation of it: she paired the jacket with pantalets for a bold evening look that more closely mirrors the matador’s attire.

Many of Balenciaga’s creations are displayed with their artistic inceptions: Velázquez's portraits of courtiers and royalty, or a note about the deep, midnight blacks so prevalent in the Spanish mourning tradition. The incredible 1939 “Infanta” dress stands beside Velázquez’s “Portrait of the Infanta Maria-Margarita daughter of Felipe IV, King of Spain” and a gilded, chain-linked cocktail dress stands next to images of Spanish nobility dressed in armor. 

But the designer’s influences were not restricted to courtiers, the religious élite, or bullfighting showmen of his native land. The famous sack dress takes its shape from a fisherman's smock and a peasant’s apron became a white ottoman-cotton short dress, so precise in its cut and angle, in Balenciaga’s supple imagination. “Balenciaga revolutionized fashion by referencing the sturdy, utilitarian garments worn by the Spanish laboring classes—as well as the attitude and philosophy that shaped them—to create a new paradigm of mid-century elegance,” explains Bowles.

While the exhibit will soon be leaving New York, West Coasters will have the opportunity to experience Balenciaga’s Spain when the show travels to the de Young Musuem in San Francisco on March 26th. The de Young show will include an extra fifty or so objects not seen in New York.

A symposium on the influence of Spanish culture on the work of Balenciaga will take place at the de Young on opening day and features speakers Hamish Bowles; Pamela Golbin, chief curator of the Musée de la Mode et du Textile at the Louvre; Miren Arzalluz, curator of the Balenciaga Foundation and author of Cristóbal Balenciaga: La forja del Maestro (1895–1936); and Lourdes Font, associate professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Tickets are $24.

Due to the success of the show, the Institute has been obliged to keep its galleries open until 8 P.M. from Wednesday through Saturday until the exhibit’s close on February 19^th. The show creates a dramatic narrative that captures its audience: it’s Balenciaga’s own story – the story of a devout Catholic boy from a Basque fishing village – seen through the lens of Spain’s historical splendor and high drama. 

 For more information please visit: The Queen Sofia Spanish Institute and the de Young Museum

Exhibitions San Franciscio & Mosiac Art NOW. A Divine Display: Curating Contemporary Mosaic Art NOW & An Interview with the Inimitable Ellen Blakeley. The Curated Object

Ellen Blakeley's award-winning "Meredith" from her Bark Series, Recycled tempered glass, paint, fallen Live Oak limb

 (2010).

Ellen Blakeley's "Tiny Dancer" from the Bark Series (2010)

Ellen Blakeley's "Vilnius" from the Bark Series (2010)   

 

A Divine Display 

Curating Contemporary Mosaic Art NOW & An Interview with the Inimitable Ellen Blakeley

By Natalie Fasano

“There are very few human beings who receive the truth, complete and staggering, by instant illumination. Most of them acquire it fragment by fragment, on a small scale, by successive developments, cellularly, like a laborious mosaic.” -- Anais Nin

Often used as a metaphor for the many tenets of life and multidimensional nature of those who make it dynamic, "mosaic" is a cipher for the constance of abundance and grace resulting from the productive tension that creates the collectivity of blossoming form and the individual of each fragment that sustains it. It is an art that consciously reveals the dynamic of art itself.

For centuries this ancient art has offered us the archeological lightening strikes that have allowed us to peer into the domestic and public spaces of civilizations, foreign and familiar.  Catering to the faculty of the imagination, these ancient symbols of civilization linger at the crossroads of fiction and history. 

But what does it mean to consider the mosaic while standing our contemporary cultural landscape where the moving image, and the excessive dominance of the image, is at the height of its reign? Frustrated with being historically marginalized as “craftsmen,” mosaic artists have worked tirelessly at assimilation—to transition from crafts to arts.  Yes, flat, one-dimensional arrangements of colored tiles on the surfaces of infinity pools, guest bathrooms and posh saunas are, in essence, mosaics. They are not, however, indicative of the movement as an art form. To consider the contemporary mosaic almost necessitates a reconsideration of the vehicle of exhibition itself -- and that is what “Exhibition in Print: Mosaic Art NOW" and its Best in Show winner, mosaic artist Ellen Blakeley have accomplished.  The modern movement to reestablish mosaic art has found its voice in guest editor and judge Dr. Scott Shields, Associate Director and Chief Curator for the Crocker Museum, and Bill Buckingham and Nancie Mills Pipgras, editors of “Exhibition in Print: Mosaic Art NOW” 

A print exhibit as well as a “mosaic manifesto,” Mosaic Art NOW’s third annual edition, published in May of this year, features eighteen international mosaic artists, selected from hundreds of submissions, that best illustrate mosaic art as a contemporary form. From the eighteen, Pipgras and her guest judges selected a winner—Ellen Blakeley, of San Franciso California. Her piece “Meredith,” a three-dimensional mosaic made from a hollowed piece of oak, is a rather startling example of mosaic versatility, in form, dimension, texture and technique. ”Meredith” is the first in Blakeley’s ongoing series of mosaics on oak. Her recent works, including “Meredith,” will be featured among similar, contemporary mosaic talents, on July 20, 2010 at the 555 California Concourse Gallery in San Francisco. “Contemporary Mosaic Art: An Exquisite Collection” will continue MAN’s mission of mosaic assimilation, from the page to the park.

Dr. Shields described the selected artists as those who “added to the mosaic tradition and pushed its boundaries [making evident] that the art form is alive and well.” Shields' philosophy is one rooted in the affective quality of art—art, as Horace famously said, for art’s sake. “People can look at a Picasso and like it, because it is Picasso,” Dr. Shields explained.  “It’s great that they know that, but I also think that people should also respond to art for what it is, rather than simply who it’s by.” 

Ellen Blakeley’s work best exemplifies the relationship between the mosaic artist, or “scavenger,” and resulting work, or beneficiary of opportunity. In San Francisco, during the early 90's, a group of B.B. gun wielding vandals provided her with piles of free glass, from blown out bus windows. Her award-winning recovered oak sculptures, “Meredith,” being the first, were conceived of in a similarly lucky encounter—walking her dogs one morning, Blakeley came across a three-year dead, and perfectly pliable, silver oak tree.  Blakely’s works are the products of serendipitous encounters in her natural environment, an aesthetic that won her a valuable commission last year from the Rockwell Group, designers of the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut.  The Mohegan tribe wanted to showcase 95 glass panels in the casino atrium, and each pane embellished with the tribe’s distinctive medicinal leaves.  

Although she thanks no tangible God, Blakeley continually offers words of respect both of and to an indeterminate, natural force that both directs her artistic vision and provides the raw material for their realization.  At The Curated Object, we offer similar words of gratitude to her for granting us an interview: 

To start, I understand that your work with glass began rather haphazardly, with recovered fragments from blown out bus windows.  Is this true?

In San Francisco, I was living as a single mom just trying to make ends meet.  I saw piles of broken glass everywhere. There were articles in the newspaper; people thought it was bizarre.  Evidently, local teen boys had figured out that shooting glass windows with b.b. guns made them explode, like in an action movie. Because artists are scavengers by nature, I saw this glass as beautiful, free material. I picked up 5lbs one day and began to play with it. 

Were your initial attempts to work with the raw glass successful?  

The glass I recovered was boring, coke bottle green.  I began by painting a board white and gluing glass to it.  A few days later, I splashed some light colors on the board and applied the glass with clear glue. This was my light bulb breakthrough. Most mosaic artists are stuck with someone else’s color choices—they smash plates, use broken tiles.  I began to paint my own backgrounds—I see myself as a painter,  using glass as “color.”

You describe yourself as a creator of functional art—your winning piece appeared more sculptural than functional.  

I started by making art objects and house-ware, mostly mirror frames.  They started to sell like hotcakes; I couldn’t make them fast enough. The design world runs on new— new is God.  I was really lucky to be in san Francisco when all the vandalism was going on.  It was the right place at right time. I was smart enough to recognize something totally cool. I’m tenacious, and I didn’t give up. 

What materials work best with glass?  What are you most fond of using in your pieces?

I’m only limited by imagination.  I use paint, metallic powders, newspaper, fabric, butterfly wings. If it’s flat, and not too thick, I can apply it underneath [the glass].  I just treat the glass with a clear apoxy and laminate it to a piece of wood, like in my bark pieces. 

How do you approach your role in the art world—are you a business woman, an artist, or can you be both?

My heart is the heart of an artist, but I run a tile business.  The artist gets to come out as often as I free up time for her to make art. My business is super busy at the moment, and you have to strike while the iron is hot in this economy.  I have 11 jobs on my board and an accordion crew, about 6 “glassers” on call. Some are students, moms looking to make more money during day. I pay by the piece instead of by hour, so it’s good incentive for them to be fast and accurate.  I guess I’m running a really cool sweatshop.

Though you do run a successful tile business, your bark sculptures are anything but functional.  Out of 305 entries from an international pool of mosaic artists, your piece was name winner of the first annual Mosaic Art Now Exhibition in Print.  You appear to have found some time, then, to work as an artist.  How did you discover your first piece of salvageable wood?

I live an hour north of San Francisco, and walk my dogs in the vineyards every day.  I always walked by this fallen oak tree; a neighbor told me it had been down at least three years. You can’t just pull bark off a tree, it’s like pulling someone’s skin off—you can’t do it.  Again, I was in the right place right time. I kept noticing on my walks these beautiful, weird shapes of bark shedding off of the trunk. One day, I took some home.  One piece was totally flat, and I thought: “Oh, I could glass this.”  

You have cited that artists are, by nature, scavengers.  Your artistic process seems predominantly circumstantial.  What are the thought processes that determine what to do, or make of, a certain material—oak, for example?

I’m a visionary, but not in a religious sense. I see visions and try to make them.  I thought that it would be cool if, when I cut open a tree, it was filled with jewels, if that were how god made it or whatever.  I am not trying to imitate nature, but felt that I was paying my respects.  Whatever I do on the inside of bark pieces is only me paying my respects to the ultimate artist, whoever made this. 

What is your ideal project in the future? 

I’d love to really explore big projects with other architectural firms—creating windows, lighting.  Also floor inlays; we just did an 8ft medallion for a private residence in Florida.  My work looks too delicate to be used as flooring, but its tough as nails. It doesn’t scratch it just glitters. [As for the bark],  Well, I just got a beautiful piece of cherry.  It looks like silver on the outside—who knows where I’ll go. 

To order your addition of Mosaic Art NOW and to contact Ellen Blakely:

$14.95 Retail www.mosaicartnow.com

$ 7.45 Wholesale (min. order 10) http://resale.mosaicrockspress.com

Digital:

www.mosaicartnow.com

http://mosaicartnow.blogspot.com

Facebook: Mosaic Art Now

Twitter: MosaicArtNow

AND

Ellen Blakeley Studio

874 Pauline Court

Santa Rosa, CA 95401

Phone: (707)843-3080

Fax:   (707)843-3084

http://www.ellenblakeley.com

Exhibitions San Francisco. Shanghai. Asian Art Museum. The Curated Object

Qipao, 1930s. Silk georgette and silk cut-velvet. Collection of the Shanghai History Museum.

Vanity and stool, 1920-1935. Hardwood and glass. Private collection.

Rug, 1920-1935. Wool with yin and yang pattern. Private collection.

Shanghai Lily, 2009. By Zhou Tiehai (b. 1966). Acrylic (airbrush) on canvas. Courtesy of the artist.

Round table and four chairs, 1920-1935. Hardwood. Private collection.

A Prosperous City That Never Sleeps, 1930s. By Yuan Xiutang (dates unknown). Chromolithograph on paper. Collection of the Shanghai History Museum.

A pair of armchairs, 1920-1935. Hardwood, burl, and fabric. Private collection.
       

Mawangdui, 2009 (detail). By Liu Dahong (b. 1962). Embroidered silk, one of two pieces. Collection of the artist.
 

Shanghai

Feb. 12 - Sept. 5

Perhaps no modern city is more imbued with exoticism than Shanghai: in the past, a potent symbol of imperialism and Art Deco, more recently a shining city of global capitalism and modern Orientalism. Here, in the sister city of the Chinese megalopolis, more than 130 artworks including paintings, furniture and rugs, movie clips, revolutionary posters, and contemporary video and art installations, trace 160 years of that complicated history.

Divided into four broad eras — Beginnings (1850-1911), High Times (1912-1949), Revolution (1920-1976), and Shangai Today (1980-present) — the exhibition revisits the city's rise from a modest regional center in eastern China to its prominence as a strategically-placed port city, positioned roughly halfway between Peking and Hong Kong. It ends with a look at its powerhouse position of today: a skyscraper-filled financial capital, one of the largest cities in the world. In fact, the exhibit is timed to coincide with the selection of Shanghai as host of the World Expo this May.

The exhibition's impact rests solidly in the middle, the 1920s, '30s and '40s. This golden age is depicted in objects that range from a pair of curving bentwood Deco armchairs, still aswirl in tangerine and fuschia, to a vivid Maoist woodcut print that cries "Roar, China!"  The glamour that we've come to associate with this era is exemplified in the five silk qipao on display, the form-fitting shantung dresses that came into being just as Shanghai's film industry reached its height. A once cool and sultry, simple and sumptuous, they're the very essence of Shanghai.

Posted by JoAnn Greco

For more information, please visit:Asian Art Museum

Exhibitions San Francisco. Pocket Guide to New Zealand Jewelry. Velvet da Vinci Gallery. The Curated Object

Alan Preston, Pendant: Breastplate 2006, Gold lip oyster shell, vau, gold, 14,5 cm breastplate, 7,5 cm pendant 

Lisa Walker, Necklace: Untitled 2006, New Zealand mussel shells, wool, plastic, glue, fabric, 55 cm

Octavia Cook, Brooch: A Diplomatic Acquisition for the Ambassador of the Bi-Cultural Merger 2008 Bakelite, acrylic, sterling silver, 10 x 8 x 0,8 cm

Warwick Freeman, Brooch: Face Ache 2007, Horse tooth, sterling silver, 2,5 x 2,5 x 2 cm 

Jason Hall, Pendant: Shotgun Heart 2009, Shotgun barrel, linen cord, 3,5 x 1,5 cm

Warwick Freeman, Brooches: Kiwi Footprint stone, sterling silver, 8 x 3,5 x 1 cm 

Anna Wallis, Pendant: Large White Crystal Pendant 2009, Sterling silver, powdercoat enamel, 7 x 4 x 4 cm 

The Pocket Guide to New Zealand

January 13-Feb. 28, 2010

During the Second World War, American soldiers in New Zealand were issued an informative and witty guide to familiarize themselves with the country in which they were stationed. Published by the War and Navy Departments in 1943, Pocket Guide to New Zealand was, as the name promised, a descriptive guide to the history, culture, peoples and language of New Zealand. "Deep in the heart of the south seas", the guide suggested, soldiers would discover a society both similar and different to America. Reassuring readers that New Zealanders were a pioneering society who had been "seeing our movies, listening to our radio, and reading our magazines", the Pocket Guide to New Zealand concluded that American soldiers would meet "a people with some of the British reserve, with many British methods and institutions, but with American outspokenness and directness "plus a working knowledge of American slang."

Five decades later, the Pocket Guide to New Zealand Jewelry continues this tradition of cultural exchange, introducing a new generation of Americans to contemporary jewelry made "deep in the heart of the south seas". Small enough to fit in your pocket, yet big enough to survey the best contemporary jewelers currently working in New Zealand, the Pocket Guide to New Zealand Jewelry is an indispensable introduction to the history and practice of adornment in a country that continues to transform cultural influences from England (and Europe) and America into jewelry that American audiences will find both familiar and strange. 

Participating artists: Anna Wallis, Jane Dodd, Jason Hall, Peter Deckers, Fran Allison, Warwick Freeman, Areta Wilkinson, Alan Preston, Renee Bevan, Lisa Walker, Peter McKay, Lynn Kelly, Octavia Cook, Andrea Daly, Pauline Bern, Niki Hastings-McFall

Curated by Dr. Damian Skinner

For more information please visit: Velvet da Vinci

 

EXHIBITIONS SAN FRANCISCO. LORDS OF THE SAMURAI: ASIAN ART MUSEUM. THE CURATED OBJECT.

Sword guard (tsuba) in the shape of a of dancing crane, by Hayashi Matashichi (1613–1699), Japan. Edo period (1615–1868), 17th century. Iron openwork with gold inlay. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 1794. © Eisei Bunko, Japan  

Sake bottle and food box set (sagejū) in the shape of an eggplant, by Hosokawa Sansai (aka Tadaoki, 1563–1646), Japan. Edo period (1615–1868), 17th century. Lacquered wood. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 6535. © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

Ōyoroi-type armor (replica), white cord lacing with diagonal corner accents (tsumadori), replica of a suit worn by Hosokawa Yoriari (1332–1391), Japan. Edo period, 1829 (after 14th century original). Iron, gilt bronze, metal, tooled leather, lacquer, braided silk, fur. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 4082. © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

Western-style bell with nine planet family crest, made in memory of Hosokawa Gracia (1563–1600), Japan. Momoyma period (1573–1615), approx. 1602. Cast bronze. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 7271. © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

Noh costume, Kariginu robe with design of cherry blossoms and rafts, Japan. Edo period (1615–1868), 18th century. Silk complex gauze (ro) with silk supplementary weft patterning. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 4911. © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

 

Military helmet with purple lacing and decoration in the form of a headband, worn by Hosokawa Tadatoshi (1586–1641), Japan. Edo period (1615–1868), 17th century. Iron, paper, lacquer, braided silk. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 4134. © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

Haramaki-type armor, black leather lacing, red cord horizontal accent lacing (katadori) on shoulder protectors, worn by Hosokawa Narimori (1806–1861), Japan. Edo period (1615–1868), 19th century. Iron, leather, lacquer, silk, and gilt metal. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 4111. © Eisei Bunko, Japan 

Mounting for a ceremonial long sword (tachi) with nine planet family crests and gold fittings, Japan. Edo period (1615–1868), 19th century. Lacquered wood with sprinkled gold (makie) decoration, gilt bronze, gold, ray skin, leather. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 2924-1. © Eisei Bunko, Japan. 

Military banner with bands and nine planet family crest, used by Hosokawa Yoshikuni (1835–1876), Japan. Edo period (1615–1868), 19th century. Dyed silk. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 4233. © Eisei Bunko, Japan. 

Black teabowl, raku ware, by Hosokawa Morihiro (born 1938), Japan. Heisei period (1989–), 2007. Glazed earthenware. Collection of the artist, H2. © Shinchōsha Publishing Co, Ltd. Photo by Nonaka Akio.  

Lords of the Samurai

June 12- Sept. 20 2009

Trained to be fierce fighters, Japan's feudal lords-- or daimyo-- also strove to master artistic, cultural and spiritual pursuits, believing (in the words of one scholar) that "while you have arms but no culture, people will be alienated by fear." Ppresenting more than 160 samurai-owned objects, including armor and weaponry, but also paintings, lacquerware, ceramics and costumes, Lords of the Samurai explores the artistic principles that governed the culture of the samurai. Nearly all of the objects come from the collection of one of the country's most distinguished warrior clans, the Hosokawa. Back in Japan, seven of these artifacts have been named Important Cultural Properties, and a portion of them are housed in the family's former castle (the rest reside in the Eisei-Bunko Museum in Tokyo). 

The exhibition marks the first time that the Hosokawa family heirlooms have been shown in such a comprehensive way in the U.S. and, as such, "provides the opportunity to explore the lineage of a warrior-gentleman family that dates back 700 years," according to the Asian Art Museum's director Jay Xu. Visitors are greeted by a 19th-century reproduction of a 14th-century full suit of armor, made of iron and metal, as well as incorporating lacquer, silk, leather, and gilt bronze. The exhibit continues with a greater focus on battle, including accoutrements like lacquered wooded saddles, stirups and cavalry banners (some incredibly graphic and modern), as well as weaponry such as guns, swords, and intricately decorated sword guards with gold inlay and floral or crane motifs. Among the more peacable offerings are not only works collected by the samurai, but created by them: such as a 17th-centrury lacquerware picnic set that ingeniously wraps an eggplant-shaped flask, food box, and sake cup in tone neat packages.

For more information please visit: The Asian Art Museum

-JoAnn Greco

Exhibitions San Francisco. Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul. The Asian Art Museum. The Curated Object

One of a pair of gold pendants with turquoise, garnet, lapis lazuli,
carnelian and pearls showing the “Dragon Master,” from the second quarter
of the first century A.D., found at Tillya Tepe in northern Afghanistan.
This item will be on display as part of the exhibition “Afghanistan: Hidden
Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul” organized by the National
Geographic Society and National Gallery of Art, in cooperation with the
National Museum of Afghanistan, Kabul.
      CREDIT: © Thierry Ollivier / Musée Guimet

A folding gold crown from one of the six graves of Bactrian nomads
discovered at Tillya Tepe in northern Afghanistan in 1978. The crown,
dating from the first century A.D. and wrought of solid gold, was
collapsible for easy transport by the ancient nomads. This item will be on
display as part of the exhibition “Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the
National Museum, Kabul” organized by the National Geographic Society and
National Gallery of Art, in cooperation with the National Museum of
Afghanistan, Kabul.
      CREDIT: © Thierry Ollivier / Musée Guimet

Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul on view
October 24, 2008-January 25, 2009

A traveling exhibition of extraordinary archaeological treasures from the National Museum of Afghanistan, Kabul, this exhibition will explore the rich cultural heritage of ancient Afghanistan from the Bronze Age (2500 B.C.) through the rise of trade along the Silk Road in the first century A.D. Strategically located on the commercial routes between China and India in the East and Europe in the West, Afghanistan was at the crossroads of civilizations in Central Asia.

Among the nearly 230 works on view will be artifacts dating back more than 4,000 years, as well as gold objects from the famed Bactrian hoard, a 2,000-year-old treasure cache discovered in 1978 but hidden from view until 2003.

The objects are from collections belonging to the National Museum of Afghanistan, Kabul. The gold objects from graves excavated at the northern site of Tillya Tepe were long thought to have been stolen or destroyed during the years fo conflict in the region. In August 2003, Afghan president Hamid Karzai surprised the world when he announced these treasured gold artifacts had been located intact in the presidential palace bank vault in Kabul, more than 25 years after they had vanished from public view.

Said Tayeb Jawad, Afghanistan's ambassador to the United States, states: "Afghanistan's centrality in the Silk Road created a rich mosaic of cultures and civilizations. Although this mosaic was shattered by war and terror, both the spirit of the Afghan people and our cultural heritage survived. These priceless artifacts are a testament to the Afghan people and to the heroism of the brave and selfless Afghans who preserved and protected them.

For more information please visit: The Asian Art Museum

-Joanne Molina

Exhibitions San Francisco. Studio Days Open House. The Zymoglyphic Museum. The Curated Object

Ancient Book, The text of the book is only found in the natural patterns of the creases, folds, and patterns in its pages.

Self-destroying Automaton, This particular mechanical wonder was a clockwork automaton that not only told time but continuously removed pieces of itself and offered them to passers by. How the internal parts were regenerated has yet to be determined despite intensive investigation by the museum staff.

Simulacrum, A "simulacrum" is the natural appearance of a face. This wooden profile has been made into an anomalous creature.

Studio Days at the The Zymoglyphic Museum
May 3-4, 2008

A rare treat for those obsessed with the ecstatic beauty of objects that have taken a path far from the road of the mundane...

The Zymoglyphic Museum will open its doors to the public as part of the annual Silicon Valley Open Studios event. You will have a rare opportunity to see first hand the famous miniature dioramas, the curiosity cabinets, the crab, Xenophora, and viewing stone collections; inhale the heady air of decay; peer into the mermaid tank; lounge in the warm shade of a maple tree in the museum's forecourt, sipping lemonade, sampling crunchy snacks, and discoursing on the meaning of it all with the museum's curator. Note that this will be a solo turn as Mrs. Curator is taking a break this year and will not be participating. The Cafe Ruste will be operating as usual; however, service is restricted by museum policy and local ordinance to persons or other sentient beings under 3 inches tall. For those less vertically challenged, the Museum Shop will have on hand tempting samples of the daring new spring fashions for 2008, as well as enduring and comforting classics.

The museum will be open from 11 AM to 5 PM both days. Directions here. Vehicularly challenged patrons, or anyone so inclined, may take the train to the Hillsdale station and trundle on up to the museum, a healthy 3/4 mile hike.

For more information please visit: The Zymoglyphic Museum

-Joanne Molina

Exhibitions Los Angeles & San Francisco. The 'Flame Queen'. Bonhams and Butterfield. The Curated Object

The 'Flame Queen'
A rare unmounted opal
Weighing approximately 263.18 carats
Measuring approximately 70 x 58 mm
Est. $150,000/250,000
Courtesy of Bonhams & Butterfields

The 'Flame Queen'
A rare unmounted opal
Weighing approximately 263.18 carats
Measuring approximately 70 x 58 mm
Est. $150,000/250,000
Courtesy of Bonhams & Butterfields

The 'Flame Queen'
June 22, 2008, San Francisco & Los Angeles

World-Famous Stone Highlights Collection of Opals in June Natural History Auction at Bonhams & Butterfields International fine arts auctioneers Bonhams & Butterfields will offer in its June 22, 2008 sale of Natural History perhaps the most famous and recognizable opal in the world.  Dubbed the "Flame Queen," the legendary stone highlights the core of an opal collection on offer this summer in
the auctioneer's first simulcast Natural History sale in seven years - bidding from the San Francisco and Los Angeles salesrooms expected to be competitive.

Extraordinary not only for its large size (263.18-carats), but also for its unusual shape and color pattern, the "Flame Queen" is one of only a handful of large museum-quality opals known to man, even fewer have ever been offered at public auction.  The "Flame Queen" is oval in shape with a flat central dome surrounded by a blue-green band - lending it the appearance of a fried egg.

Known to aficionados around the globe, The "Flame Queen" could bring as much as $250,000, sought after by collectors and connoisseurs alike.  It is one of the most prominent examples of the eye-of-opal effect, which is created when an opal in-fills a cavity.  A truly magnificent stone, the "Flame Queen" possesses the ability to change color when viewed from different angles.

According to Bonhams & Butterfields' consulting gemologist Claudia Florian, the "Flame Queen" opal was discovered in 1914 at the Bald Hill Workings in Lightning Ridge, Australia by three partners: Jack Phillips, Walter Bradley and Joe Hegarty.  Speculating at Lighting Ridge was a risky venture and these miners had begun working the land after another miner had abandoned his plot to fight in WWI.
After completing a tunnel 30-feet down, traditionally "opal level," the dig appeared worthless to Hegarty.  The clay revealed none of the telltale color that indicates the presence of gemstones.   Hegarty and Bradley then attempted to redirect the digging vertically --a dangerous endeavor that could result in a collapse of the entire site.

Almost 35-feet below the surface, in a 2 1/2-foot wide tunnel, Bradley, suffering from lack of ventilation and light, discovered an opal formation known informally as a "great nobby" otherwise described as an opal nodule-a ball that is clay-like in composition filled with opal producing material.  He signaled his crew to hoist him up to examine the stone in daylight.

Bradley was the most skilled lapidary of the three partners and was therefore responsible to polish and cut the rough stone.  His labors produced a brilliant red-domed raised center surrounded by a strong expanse of green-blue border.  Exhausted and broke, the miners sold the stone in 1914 to a gem buyer for a reported £93.  At Auction in 2008, the "Flame Queen" is estimated to bring $150,000-250,000 on June 22 at Bonhams & Butterfields.  Its historic provenance should add some further appeal to an already aesthetic piece-it was on display in London at the coronation of King George VI in 1934.

Also on offer within the opal section of the June sale is a huge 1,397-carat free-form polished  "light" opal found in 2001 in a relatively new opal field on a Lambina cattle station not far from the region of Mintabie in a remote part of South Australia.  Opal from this renowned location is referred to usually as "Lambina opal"-- and this
particular specimen is classed as "light opal" as it is better quality than the more common "white opal".  This is a category between white and crystal opal in value.  Stones of this size, with play-of-color on both sides and without fractures, are very rare.  It is estimated to bring $20,000-30,000 at auction.

The Australian localities of Andamooka, White Cliffs and Koroit are also represented with examples of matrix opal (estimate $2/3,000), an opal "pineapple" (est. $40/50,000), and a pure black opal-filled Yowah nut (a type of nodule-estimated to bring $65/80,000).  But perhaps the most astounding lot is an opalized pleiosaur jawbone fragment-truly gemmy in appearance with brilliant flashes of play-of-fire beneath its surface, this example from Coober Pedy, which is expected to fetch $25,000-30,000.  Also from Coober Pedy are examples of opalized clams, both individuals suitable for mounting as jewelry, or an entire "plate" of opalized clams. 

Rounding out the section of opals are selections of unmounted stones and jewelry from other localities such as Mexico, Brazil, and the far less frequent domestic examples stemming from Louisiana, Oregon and Nevada. As long-time pioneers of Natural History sales, Bonhams & Butterfields, with the guidance of Thomas Lindgren and Claudia Florian G.J.G, has expanded the collecting area's strict association with million-year old remnants of plant and animal life or rough mineral specimens, to include rare and unique objects d'art, exquisite jewelry and wearable gemstones as well as exceptional décor.  Auction previews open to the public June 13-15 in Los Angeles and continue in San Francisco June 20-22, daily
from 10am-5pm until the start of the auction.

For more information please visit: Bonhams and Butterfields

-Joanne Molina

Exhibitions San Francisco. The Fabric of Cultures: Fashion, Identity, Globalization. The Museum of Craft and Folk Art. The Curated Object

Blue chadri   
Rayon
Afghanistan, ca. 1960
66” L x 20” W
Gift of an anonymous donor
Queens College Costume Collection

 

White evening gown with bolero jacket       
Cotton floral lace
Chanel, spring 1996
Gift of Jayne Wrightsman
Queens College Costume Collection

Chinese robe pattern with Native American costume influence
Hand-made felt, raw wool, Marino and blue-faced Leicester
Kei Ito, 1999

Black Chamula coat, mud dyed and woven by waist loom
Carla Fernandez, 2005

Miniature tunic
Cotton, natural dyes
Peru, Inca, 1400 – 1532 A.D.
5”L x 2-1/4”W
Gift of anonymous donor

 

Hand-woven tapestry shawl
Wool
Paisley, Scotland, 17th – 18th century
73”H x 69”W
Courtesy of Margaret Liebling

The Fabric of Cultures: Fashion, Identity, Globalization
February 15-April 27, 2008

This exhibition of more than 30 garments and numerous textiles from the Godwin-Ternbach Museum, the Queens College Costume Collection, designers, and private collections represents a variety of global traditions and aesthetics from past to present.  Through the medium of dress, the exhibition illuminates the interplay between cultural and personal identity and the global influence of culture and ethnicity on fashion. The Fabric of Cultures also demonstrates how traditional dress is transformed and finds new life in the creations of such well-known and emerging designers as Chanel, Carla Fernández, Lakis Gavalas (LAK), Kei Ito, Mary McFadden, Emilio Pucci, Oscar de la Renta, and Yves St. Laurent.  Examples range from ancient Peruvian textiles to the fashions of Carla Fernández, a contemporary Mexico City-based designer who employs sewing techniques from indigenous Mexican culture.

For more information please visit: The Museum of Craft and Folk  Art

-Joanne Molina

Exhibitions San Francisco. Cut: Revealing the Section. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The Curated Object

Gordon Matta Clark, Splitting, 1974; Collection SFMOMA; © Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Peter Wegner, Buildings Made of Sky, 2004/2007; Collection SFMOMA; © Peter Wegner

Joel Sanders, House for a Bachelor (Model), 1999; Collection SFMOMA; © Joel Sanders

Joel Sanders, House for a Bachelor (Lounge), 1988-89; Collection SFMOMA; © Joel Sanders

Joel Sanders, House for a Bachelor (Dress), 1988-89; Collection SFMOMA; © Joel Sanders

MLTW (Moore, Lyndon, Turnbull, Whitaker), Sea Ranch Athletic Club, North Section/Elevation and South Section/Elevation, ca. 1965; Collection SFMOMA

Mario Botta, SFMOMA Section of Atrium/Turret, 1989; Collection SFMOMA

Lewis Tsurumaki Lewis, New Suburbanism Sectioned Perspective (aerial), 2000; Collection SFMOMA; © Lewis Tsurumaki Lewis

Lewis Tsurumaki Lewis, New Suburbanism Sectioned Perspective (interior), 2000; Collection SFMOMA; © Lewis Tsurumaki Lewis

Lewis Tsurumaki Lewis, New Suburbanism Sectioned Perspective (street), 2000; Collection SFMOMA; © Lewis Tsurumaki Lewis

Cut: Revealing the Section

Friday, February 08, 2008 - Sunday, June 08, 2008

This dynamic selection drawn from the SFMOMA collection highlights the vital yet little-understood architectural section, a representational tool that provides a vertical complement to the plan or map view. The section helps architects and designers visualize their work by focusing on spatial elements concealed by the plan — height, lighting, structure, and volume — as well as spatial adjacencies and discontinuities. Works on view address the section in a variety of formats, including an extensive group of architectural drawings by Morphosis, Timothy Pflueger, and Joel Sanders, among others; Gordon Matta-Clark’s 1974 performance documentation film Splitting; and a new installation by artist Peter Wegner.

For more information go to: The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
-Joanne Molina

Exhibitions San Francisco. Power and Glory: Court Arts of China's Ming Dynasty. The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. The Curated Object: International Decorative Arts Exhibitions

Power and Glory: Court Arts of  China's Ming Dynasty
June 27–September 21, 2008

Ming means “bright,” an appropriate title for China’s last native-ruled dynasty. The 276 years of Ming rule were marked by stability, economic strength, and a dramatic flourishing of the arts. This exhibition will explore the glories of the Ming dynasty imperial court through approximately 250 works of art selected from the collections of three museums in China and from the Avery Brundage collection at the Asian Art Museum.                

For more information please visit: The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco

-Joanne Molina

Exhibitions San Francisco. Chihuly. The De Young Museum, Fine Arts Museum San Francisco. The Curated Object: International Decorative Arts Exhibitions

Chihuly
June 14–September 28, 2008

Dale Chihuly is the most famous craft/glass artist living today and the subject of many popular exhibitions. Organized by FAMSF and accompanied by a catalogue written by curator Timothy Anglin Burgard, Chihuly takes a different approach by examining the phenomenon of the artist in a scholarly way. The exhibition takes a broad view of the dramatic, colorful, and textured works that generate instant international recognition.

In the tradition of the medieval workshop or the studios of Louis Comfort Tiffany, Chihuly uses his workshop as a fulcrum for his creations. His counterculture roots manifest themselves in a school that’s more akin to a commune than an institution of higher learning. Other pivotal points of artistic inspiration are Chihuly’s personal collections. The exhibition will look at the artist as collector and how that influences his work.

The full exhibition is at the de Young Museum in June 2008, but two site-specific works are shown on the outside of the de Young and the Legion of Honor starting in March. At the de Young, a neon tower will be installed in the Pool of Enchantment on the building’s east side. A 12-foot diameter yellow orb called Sun will be installed at the Legion of Honor in the Court of Honor.