Prada Marfa

I admit that I am not the biggest fan of art installations, but the Prada-piece in Marfa, Texas is one of the most interesting pieces of art I have ever seen. The small Texas town was adorned with a mock Prada store, made of local materials including abode bricks, along with plaster, glass, MDF and carpet. The artists behind the sculpture are Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset of Elmgreen and Dragset, and called their untraditional piece a pop architectural land art project. The building is filled with authentic Prada merchandise, and was handpicked by Miuccia Prada herself from the fall/winter 2005 collection. The items that are displayed in the windows and against the back wall are shoes (only for the right foot) and handbags, but the handbags have no bottoms (to prevent theft). Interestingly enough, the doors are actually not functional; the building is intended to never be entered. Not only is it not to be entered, it is to never be repaired; it will slowly dissolve into the natural landscape. I don't have any plans to travel to Texas, but Prada Mafra is definitely worth it. 

Groceries with Daniel Sannwald

 

Naturally shopping is the preferred sport at Standard Luxe, however, I can't say that we love shopping for groceries. It's a menial task that I would just rather not be apart of.  We are obviously aware that grocery shopping is a necessity, so if someone has to do it, then they should take a note from photographer Daniel Sannwald. The German fashion photographer is known to be a bit offbeat, allowing him the ability to capture images that are obscure yet beautiful. This photo spread of model, Iris Egbers in a retro editorial for The Sunday Times Style captures chic and retro looks. And all of the looks are oddly complimented by loaves of bread, sausage links, etc. It's hard to exactly to pinpoint groceries right away,  because Mr. Sannwald worked in the unconventional props in a natural way. After closer examination, you realize the supermodel is not only sporting fashion, but also meats and produce - our kind of model. Now I'm hungry.

Artist Spotlight: Annika Connor

From birds fluttering around, to dancers gliding across the floor, these majestic visions are all apparent on the canvases of Annika Connor. Miss Connor is an Atlanta-native with a Swedish background, who grew not only to be a successful painter but also an endearing business women and philanthropist. The sense of vision in her paintings is very much comparable to a romanticized era of passion and intrigue. The self-professed girly-girl is not only an accomplished painter, but a serious figure in the art world. Her far-reaching hand has given way to numerous positions on many prestigious art-centric councils, boards, and organizations. She also has donated the value of one painting each year to various organizations in the art community. Along with Miss Connor's various extra curricular activities, she is hosting a series of panels through her company, Active Ideas, focusing on a number of art related topics. The newest discussion is Curating Your Corporate and Private Collection, held at the General Assembly in New York City this coming Wednesday (December 7). Tickets can be purchased here. The stereotypical 'starving artist' is definitely not referencing Miss Connor; she is not starving, only striving. She has parlayed her artistic talent into a sustainable career that stretches far past the canvas and into her community, making it not only beautiful, but better.

If you're interested in seeing Annika Connor's work in person, many of her paintings are on display until December 14th at the Bungalow 5 showroom in New York City as well.

 

Albino Peacock

 

Amedeo

 

La Paloma

 

Nevermore - Editor's Pick

 

Peacock Portrait

 

Promenade

Top photo courtesy of Scallywag & Vagabond

Bottom images courtesy of Annika Connor  

Jeff Koons for Kiehls

If you can't afford a $16 million dollar Jeff Koons sculpture, there's still hope! The pop artist partnered with Kiehls for a limited edition collection of Creme de Corps, a special for the holiday season. The skin care company's worldwide net profits from the luxe lotions will benefit The Koons Family Institute, an initiative of the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. Below are a select few pieces of Jeff Koons, his oil on canvases are my favorite.

Animals in the Home

Animals being featured in homes have been around for as long as homes has, to say the least. Historically, only horses and the occasional dog were painted and proudly displayed in rooms to impress their guests, but now a variety of animals are on display in homes and they are a great way to add personality to the space. With the addition of an animal portrait or statue, it keeps a traditional design in perspective. I especially love unique and unexpected animals, like the peacock below, or metal pig statue in Nate Berkus' Chicago apartment. However, I think the classic oil paintings of horses are so amazing, they give the space a sense of old world charm. Below are some of my favorite ways animals are featured in different decors. 

New York City Family Room

Chicago Three-seasons Room

Nate Berkus' Chicago Bathroom

Brook Astor's Country House

 Hanging Picture on Bookshelf 

Kips Bay Decorator's Show House

Ralph Lauren's Bedford Dining Room

Top photo: New York City Apartment Entry Way

Stolen Moments

While I was having brunch at RL with a friend last weekend we decided peruse the store. We just wanted to look around to see all new winter merchandise and the beautiful displays which are designed impeccably as always. However, my favorite part of the five-floor shop is the books they have dispersed around the store encompassing every imaginable genre, and of course one caught my eye. Stolen Moments, The Photographs of Ronny Joques by Pamela Firori is a great collection of mid-century photos taken by Mr. Joques who unfortunately passed away in 2008. He shot for Harper's Bazaar, Town & Country, and Holiday magazines, along with countless celebrities and film starts of his time.

I swear that I am the only person who can walk away from brunch, with a new book. I have a huge collection of books, but I cannot seem to buy enough! And this book is the perfect addition to my collection photography books, because I don't have the mid-century genres covered.

Murakami at Versailles

I cannot say that I am the biggest fan of contemporary art, but I can appreciate it, and I definitely think that the Japanese artist, Takashi Murakami's exhibit of different sculptures on display at The Palace of Versailles. Mr. Murakami is an internationally known artist, who's work can be recognized on a number of lines for Louis Vuitton. His cartoon/anime pieces are popping up all around the world, and getting quite the notoriety. Versailles is one of my favorite palace (yes, I have a few) and is rich with French architecture, which serves as an over-the-top contrast for Mr. Murakami's work. The exhibit is open through December, so if you find yourself in Paris and are in need of some colorful creatures filling The Hall of Mirrors, take the train to Versailles and stroll around the palace.

Select images from Luxist

The Barnes Foundation

I recently watched The Art of the Steal, which is a documentary about The Barnes Art Foundation, which is one of the biggest private art collections in the world. However, the owner of the collection, held it captive from the public eye, by only allowing students and educators of art to view the collection, which was housed five miles outside of Philadelphia in a beautiful stone house, surrounded by an arboretum.

The collection maintained 181 works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 69 by Paul Cézanne, 59 by Henri Matisse, 46 by Pablo Picasso, 21 by Chaim Soutine, 18 by Henri Rousseau, 16 by Amedeo Modigliani, 11 by Edgar Degas, 7 by Vincent Van Gogh, 6 by Georges Seurat. A collection of this magnitude would seem to make sense in a museum, but not when the original owner of each of these pieces before they were even sought after, wanted to keep them for only the people who truly appreciated them. The original collector, Dr. Albert C. Barnes, a medical doctor from Philadelphia, started collecting post-impressionist, and modern pieces in the early twentieth century, when they were still being created, but was mocked by his peers for buying such pieces that were new or "immature" works of art. So he decided to take his newly acquired art and display it in a house where people who truly appreciated it could come and view it. Mr. Barnes charted a school for his collection, in hopes it would last forever as an educational institution.

The foundation has been plagued with controversy over the past twenty years in regards to control over the collection and where it should be housed, but none of the works of art have been sold off. The entire collection did go on a world exhibition in the 80s, to fund renovations for the Barnes Foundation building. In 2008, it was announced that the collection was getting a new home, in downtown Philadelphia. I find it to be very sad that the wishes of the original owner are not being met, by removing all of this beloved art pieces and moving them to the city, where he specifically took them aware from. With that being said, I am dying to visit the new museum to see all the great pieces.