quinta-feira, 30 de setembro de 2010
quarta-feira, 29 de setembro de 2010
Armani Hotel in Dubai
It's difficult to believe that a $1,000-a-night hotel designed by fashion designer Giorgio Armani in the world's tallest building could ever be considered understated. Yet in Dubai, where bars with multicolor fluorescent ceilings are considered classy, the Armani Hotel Dubai manages to fill that niche.
Opened in April 2010, the hotel is the first in a series of Armani-branded resorts and residences. It occupies the first eight stories of the 2,717-foot tall Burj Khalifa and includes 160 guest rooms and suites. For those seeking the full Dubai experience, suites on floors 38-39 offer breathtaking views of the buildings bursting forth from the desert floor; nightly rates can run as high as $2,500.
Opened in April 2010, the hotel is the first in a series of Armani-branded resorts and residences. It occupies the first eight stories of the 2,717-foot tall Burj Khalifa and includes 160 guest rooms and suites. For those seeking the full Dubai experience, suites on floors 38-39 offer breathtaking views of the buildings bursting forth from the desert floor; nightly rates can run as high as $2,500.
Salvador Dali Museum Opening in St. Petersburg, Florida, Her Royal Highness Infanta Cristina of Spain to Attend
On the auspicious date of January 11, 2011 (1/11/11) at 11:11 AM, the new Salvador Dalí Museumwill open in St. Petersburg, Florida, with a grand opening party to be attended by Her Royal Highness Infanta Cristina of Spain as guest of honor.
St. Petersburg, Florida may seem like an unlikely home for Dali, but the Dali Museum actually originated there in 1982 after St. Petersburg offered financial support to collector and industrialist A Reynolds Morse and his wife Eleanor Reese to house their already substantial collection. Today, the museum contains more Dali masterworks than any other museum in the world and has the largest collection outside of Spain. The annual attendance is over 200,000 people per year, bringing an economic impact of an estimated $50 million to St. Petersburg.
The opening of the new, visually stunning $36 million building will double the current space of the Dali Museum to 66,450 square feet. Construction began in December 2008, and the attractive, innovative structure can reportedly withstand a category five hurricane. The roof is 12-inch thick solid concrete. The walls are 18 inches. All this is to protect the precious Dalis, of course, of which there will be 2,140, including 96 oil paintings.
The Dali Museum will be occupied throughout 2011 with a special exhibit called Viva la Revelacion!, displaying all paintings and highlighting other major works from the permanent collection to celebrate the new building. An Education Gallery will feature student exhibits and invite visitors of all ages to explore Dali's illusions and visual experiments.
St. Petersburg, Florida may seem like an unlikely home for Dali, but the Dali Museum actually originated there in 1982 after St. Petersburg offered financial support to collector and industrialist A Reynolds Morse and his wife Eleanor Reese to house their already substantial collection. Today, the museum contains more Dali masterworks than any other museum in the world and has the largest collection outside of Spain. The annual attendance is over 200,000 people per year, bringing an economic impact of an estimated $50 million to St. Petersburg.
The opening of the new, visually stunning $36 million building will double the current space of the Dali Museum to 66,450 square feet. Construction began in December 2008, and the attractive, innovative structure can reportedly withstand a category five hurricane. The roof is 12-inch thick solid concrete. The walls are 18 inches. All this is to protect the precious Dalis, of course, of which there will be 2,140, including 96 oil paintings.
The Dali Museum will be occupied throughout 2011 with a special exhibit called Viva la Revelacion!, displaying all paintings and highlighting other major works from the permanent collection to celebrate the new building. An Education Gallery will feature student exhibits and invite visitors of all ages to explore Dali's illusions and visual experiments.
World's Most Expensive Whisky to be Auctioned in November
The world's most expensive bottle of whisky, a one-of-a-kind crystal Lalique decanter holding the oldest and rarest Macallan single malt ever (above), will be auctioned off by Sotheby's in New York on November 15 for an estimated $150,000 or more. The Macallan in Lalique Cire Perdue, which we previewed back in April, is filled with 64 years and older Macallan single malt Scotch, vatted together from three sherry seasoned Spanish oak casks. The famed Speyside distillery commissioned the legendary crystal artisan to create the decanter using the ancient "cire perdue" or "lost wax" method. Painstakingly hand crafted by Lalique exclusively for The Macallan, and inspired by the beauty of The Macallan's 150 hectare estate in north-eastern Scotland, it's based upon a ship's decanter of the 1820s. Proceeds from the historic sale will be donated to charity: water, a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.
Inspired Impressions: Interior Paintings by Jeremiah Goodman
There are so many wonderful events on the calendar this fall but the one I am most excited about is Inspired Impressions: Interior Paintings by Jeremiah Goodman. The New York School of Interior Design (170 East 70th Street, New York, NY 10021) will be exhibiting 38 original painting and Interior Design magazine covers from October 19th to December 20th from the illustrious illustrator. Some of the painting on view will include the living room of Bill Blass, the sitting room and library of Greta Garbo, the living room of Sir John Gielgud, and the living and dining room of Carlos de Beistegui. The exhibition not only includes a catalog of color plates but limited edition Giclée prints signed by Jeremiah Goodman throughDean Rhys Morgan. They are printed on heavy watercolor paper and look just as good as the originals. I can tell you this because I was able to not only see them but watch Jeremiah sign them when I visited his apartment recently. Meeting him was a magical experience and I can't wait to share his beautiful work and life space with you in my next post!
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History Acquires Cullinan Blue Diamond Necklace
Yesterday, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History unveiled its latest addition to the National Gem Collection, the Cullinan Diamond Necklace - a piece dating back to 1910 and boasting a history nearly as rich as its famous neighbor, the Hope Diamond.
A 30-carat piece is crafted in the Edwardian style, and boasts a unique structure which allows it to be worn as both brooch and necklace. The centerpiece stone is a large 2.6 carat "fancy blue" diamond with a chain of smaller blue and white diamond pieces.
Jeff Post, curator of the collection, calls the piece "very important ... people get a little bit jaded here [with the Hope Diamond so close by] but there's no where else in the world you can go [to see two such diamonds together."
A 30-carat piece is crafted in the Edwardian style, and boasts a unique structure which allows it to be worn as both brooch and necklace. The centerpiece stone is a large 2.6 carat "fancy blue" diamond with a chain of smaller blue and white diamond pieces.
Jeff Post, curator of the collection, calls the piece "very important ... people get a little bit jaded here [with the Hope Diamond so close by] but there's no where else in the world you can go [to see two such diamonds together."
Opal Hat Could Be The Most Valuable Hat Ever Auctioned Off
I've never seen a hat quite like it. The piece above is titled the "Deep Blue Sea" and was created by Australian master milliner Ann Maree Willett and opal miners Vicki and Peter Drackett to showcase opals mined at Australia's famous Lightning Ridge. The hate will be sold at the "Nature of Opals" sale at Bonhams & Butterfields, San Francisco on November 10. The hat is formed from hand-blocked Australian felt, decorated with bright feathers and carrying 26 opals weighing approximately 1,447 carats. The opals were carved into beautiful microsculptures by Daniela L'Abbate and Christine Roussel and placed in sterling silver and 18-karat gold settings by master goldsmith Gerd Gerold Schulz. It is estimated at between $150,000 and $200,000 which would place it among the most expensive hats ever sold at auction. The world's most expensive hat is the Chapeau d'Amour-the "hat of love"-created by designer Louis Mariette. It is made of woven platinum and covered in diamonds and has a value of $2.7 million.
The sale also includes a wide variety of the types of opals available from brown boulder opals shot through with blue flashes, to orangy fire opals and plenty of white opals showing bright rainbow fire. Many lots are intricately carved and some are opalized fossils of flora and fauna. Before the November 10 auction, Bonhams & Butterfields will hold highlight presentations in Los Angeles October 1-3 and New York October 16-18, followed by a full preview in San Francisco from November 6-9.
Jil Sander Spring 2011 Bags
It wasn't just the proportions of his spring collection that Raf Simons played with at Jil Sander. The totes in the collection were, get this, based on ordinary, run-of-the-mill plastic grocery bags that, while we've certainly seen done over the years, seemed fresh and new under Simons' watch. At quick glance they look like plastic; a closer look reveals them actually be leather and vinyl. A novel idea, yes, but how practical can a shapeless--and transparent--sac be? We'll see come spring, as the company plans to produce these totes but will add a small leather strap to loop through the handles so that they can be worn as a shoulder bag. Would you invest in such a piece? Or is this a DIY project in the making?
terça-feira, 28 de setembro de 2010
segunda-feira, 27 de setembro de 2010
Lehman Art Brings In Over $12 Million
Fine art formerly owned by Lehman Brothers brought in $12.28 million at Sotheby's New York on Saturday, September 25. The money will be a drop in the bucket toward the more than 600 billion dollars owed to creditors of Lehman Brothers, which declared bankruptcy on that fateful day back in 2008, causing global financial panic. The AFP reports that the sale set 17 records for artists, including Julie Mehretu, whose painting "Untitled 1," shown above, sold for $1,022,500, sailing over the estimate of $600,000-800,000. One lot that failed to sell was an early piece by British art darlingDamien Hirst.
