#431
Category: ART
#429
The Row fall/winter 2018
me / aventurine, quartz, tourmaline
Giorgio di Chirico – The Double Dream of Spring, 1915
Hermès fall/winter 1998
Le Corbusier – Bronze Maquette for ‘Open Hand’ Sculpture, 1960
In Paris we are once again in lockdown, which doesn’t raise the hopes for this pandemic being over soon. However, I’ll try to use this period again to be more creative, something I’ve been missing a lot in my daily life. And I think this is a great moment to open up my mental landscape a bit.
Right before the first quarantine a friend of mine gave me a clear crystal to support my meditation, and most importantly to find the meditative mindset at any moment during the day, which got me researching more about lithotherapy. I’m not yet able to express my thoughts about it, but I definitely catch myself being around the subject quite often. There’s something similar on how I perceive crystals and the way I look at art; I try to understand everything in the rational level but then at the end it’s up to us to give meanings to what we see and what we experience. I don’t know if it makes sense, maybe I’ll get to the subject later. Anyway, anything that can help us to regain focus, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state is something to hold on to during these weird times.
And I must take my words back when I said fashion doesn’t inspire me anymore. It does, I just got too numb constantly looking at all the beige instagram accounts, all looking the same. I got my hands on some vintage Le Monde d’Hermès magazines from Margiela era – my favorite collections in fashion that ever exist – and while going through them I constantly got goosebumps. The coats he designed for Hermès are one of the reason why I ended up founding MIES. The magazines will be online soon, if I’m ever able to let go of them – the most difficult part of sourcing vintage, but I’ll surely share some of my favorite pages here.
#421
I really enjoy visiting exhibitions that make me think, research and learn, but during the busy periods of life those can be quite overwhelming and you just crave for something aesthetically beautiful. Just like a Barbara Hepworth exhibition at Musée Rodin. It is a perfectly small, but well curated collection of her most important pieces to describe her life and works. Or I guess at least, to be honest I didn’t really study why those exact pieces were chosen, I only let my eyes wonder in the beautiful sculptures and emptied my mind. Maybe I’ll go back later with more curiosity, but for the moment it was exactly what I needed.
#419
FIAC is always one of the highlights of my year. I love discovering all my favorite galleries from around the world, all gathered in Grand Palais for a weekend showing their best art pieces. During the event there are also many pieces exhibited around Paris with the concept of #FIAChorslesmurs – FIAC outside the walls – for which the selection this year was particularly great! Unfortunately I didn’t manage to see Yayoi Kusama’s Pumpkin at Place Vendôme as it had to be taken down due to strong wind, however I was extremely excited to visit Jean Prouvé’s demountable houses at Place de la Concorde exhibited by Galerie Patrick Seguin and Galerie Downtown, with all the gorgeous furniture of course.
#414
Not only that autumn is my favorite season weather wise, but also every September takes place my most anticipated weekend of the year; the European Heritage Days (Les Journées du Patrimoine). During these two- or three days most of the monuments, government buildings and cultural sites, even the ones that are usually closed for public, open their doors for free visits.
This time I went to visit the Préfecture des Hauts-de-Seine in Nanterre, which sounds nothing but boring for anyone who lives in Paris. But what an overly 70’s, gorgeous design- and art heaven it was behind closed doors. I especially loved the LC1 chairs by Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand, which were everywhere down the halls and conference rooms.
#412
@therow
The Row finally opened their third physical store, and the first one in Europe! I can’t wait for the day they’ll open a store in Paris, I guess it’s just a question of finding the right real estate. Meanwhile I hope to be able to visit London soon, as the store with all its art and design is definitely something not to miss, including the welcoming light installation Elliptical Glass (2017) by James Turrell.
You can read more about the store with an interview of the twins at the Financial Times.
The Row/The Financial Times
#411
Céline ink blue wool and cashmere coat from the first selection of Mies shot at Pompidou by my dear friend Diellza Dobroshi.
#401
Alaïa Haute Couture SS2003
Givenchy Haute Couture SS2001 by Alexander McQueen
Once again Palais Galliera succeeded to put together a great exhibition, this time in collaboration with Musée Bourdelle. The expo is called Back Side – Fashion from Behind, and Alexandre Samson‘s curation of the fashion pieces mixed with Antoine Bourdelle’s sculptures is just phenomenal. It’s also such an important subject in the era where we are consuming fashion mainly through a flat, 2-dimensional screen and shot from the front. The exhibition is running until 17th of November.
#387
Fundació Joan Miró
This hidden museum was an absolute favorite in Barcelona. Not only I adore the works of Miró, but the huge modern building and calm courtyard terrace got us to stay here for hours.
#380
There is a small, but very intriguing Ellsworth Kelly -exhibition ongoing at Centre Pompidou definitely worth visiting. It gathers for the first time all Kelly’s window studies together along with photography, which brings so much depth into his works.
