The Stein collection : Matisse, Cézanne, Picasso at Grand-Palais, Paris, until january 16th 2012

Anna Wintour saw it on sunday afternoon before everybody and I was invited this morning for the pre-opening of the wonderful exhibition devoted to this great family (2 brothers and a sister, the famous female poet Gertrude Stein) who lived in early 20th century in Paris in Montparnasse district, on the legendary left bank, where they received all the parisian avant-garde : Picasso, Matisse (they were their very first collectors), Braque, Apollinaire, Man Ray, Gris… and  also Hemingway and Fitzgerald.

The show explores  their tastes and how they built it, from modernity printed with a certain classicism (Manet-Renoir-Degas-Cezanne) to avant-garde,  and how they participated to the adventure of 2 most important artistic trends : fauvims and cubism, weaving strong relationships with artists, as the one between Gertude Stein and Picasso illustrated with the amazing proto-cubist portrait below :

– But the portrait doesn’t look like the model  ! said the  sceptical viewers when the poet organized a party to celebrate the new painting hung in their appartment rue de Fleurus.

– It doesn’t matter replied Picasso, very confident. One day, the model will look like the portrait.

Copyright Adagp Paris 2011- Copyright succession Picasso 2011-Copyright succession Matisse photo Moma San Francisco 2011

One week in the most beautiful city in the world, very Deluxe&Arty : Venice !!

Ciao amici ! we just come back from Venice and it was sooo fantastic I would like to live there 6 months per  year ! This is really the most beautiful city in the world and 20 millions people do agree with me !

Moreover this is the 54th Biennale of contemporary art this year, so many exhibitions and artists to discover in a unique atmosphere…

     

We stayed at The San Clemente Place hotel and resort, this is THE place to be in summer ! Located on an island, 15 min boat ride only from Piazza San Marco (free shuttle service each 20 min), the 5-star hotel opened in 2004, after immense works in a former convent. Today it offers a marvellous garden with several hundred years old trees, a golf, two tennis courts, a refreshing pool, 2 restaurants… I take advantage to thank Melissa who helped us to improve our stay and make it memorable, grazie mille carissima ! Below : our bedchamber (we were upgraded with a junior suite), the bar, the pool.

           

The Biennale of Art 2011 :

We loved the austrian pavillion in the giardini with Marcus Schinwald.In the same time an installation, video and paintings, creating a white hanging maze with strange and unquiet meetings : anonymous portrait who received new proesthetics on their faces, minimalist sculptures hidden in corners with hangers and great video , closer to contemporary dance with body trapped  and contortions.Fabulous !

    

We also loved Sigalit Landau in Israel pavillion with shoes recovered with salt from dead sea falling down slowly in the sea.

Don’t miss the british pavillion by  Mike Nelson, you fell like visiting a taliban house…very impressive.

Are you a fluxus fan ? Visit the german pavillion, a flux oratorio (winner pavillion this year) by Christophe Schlingensief. Total success.

Art around the clock : in the Arsenal (globally very disappointed according to me this year) don’t miss Jean-Luc Mylaine and his fabulous birds,

James Turell for a space and light experience, and the great winner is (golden lion) : Christian Marclay with “The clock”, a video lasting 24h, a fantastic collage of movies excerpts evoking each minute of the day and night !

Want to have fun ? visit the narrow house by austrian artist Erwin Wurm (in Palazzo Franchetti’s gardens).Wurm was  famous for fat objects, here is some picture and there is no special effect !

      

Next to the house the exhibition “Glasstress” : master of contemporary art using glass in their work. Beauty still exist in Art if you ever doubted and you can find it here. Javier Perez crown of thorn is a good example as well as Zaha Hadid  futurist flowing like desk or Charlotte Gyllenhammar ‘s Alice in wonderland world :

    

Am a great fan of Pinault’s collection but photographs are not allowed…Nevertheless I do recommend Punta della dogana for Koons’s big red heart, Tatiana Trouvé drawings , Julie Merethu works … In Palazzo Grassi you cannot miss Joanna Vasconcelos  (next year in Versailles !) with a textile sculpture, a proliferating assemblage on  all the height of the building  : spectacular, decorative and a tribute to minor and folk art on a giant scale. after Wurm, great fun too with Francesco Vezzoli video : a pastiche of Hollywood true story, a kinf of hilarious self-portrait !

Prada exhibits its own collection in a fabulous 18th century palazzo Ca’ Correr della Regina : the place is great first for architecture, and  frescoes influenced by Veronese, then the collection with Pino Pascali (see below), Anish Kapoor (early work), Francesco Vezzoli again (works after famous Bernini with my friend Eva Mendes, we went to Louvre and Pompidou center together some year ago, fabulous and adorable girl !).

        

Do you know Axel ver Voordt ? a man of taste for sure then a famous belgium art dealer who loves to mix antique, modern and contemporary art , creating connoisseur cabinet. Each two years my great pleasure is to visit his new opus at charming Palazzo Fortuny (first pleats please inventor !). Among the treasures this year  (Op Art, Arte Povera, James Turrell, Lygia Pape …) , my favorite artist : Anthony Gormley !! I looove the dynamic energy emanting from this inner body… by the way, is this a centrifugal or centripetal strenght ? actually it’s working  in both way…

(Some of) My favorite restaurants in Venice :

1) da Forni

Spaghetti vongole is my sin in Venice ! I can eat them each day ! the best I’ve ever had  are there. Without forgetting another venitian specialty : le canocie (sea cicadas ).The waiters are just perfect, they make me think about italian movies in the 60’s, I can imagine them  twisting on Adriano Celentano…

             

2) the best Bellini ? At Gritti !!

How romantic  ! a dinner at Gritti Palace hotel (remember “Everybody says I love you”by Woody Allen ?) : we started with a glass of Bellini, our table facing la Salute …we had the tasting menu and we finished with an exquisite and incredibly light Tiramisu :

    

3) last day in Venice ritual : a dinner on Danieli terrace

It’s a ritual now, a way to say goodbye-but never farewell- to the Serenissima : we have a lunch with a view in legendary  Palace  Hotel Danieli, on the top roof.

That night the sky was so spectacular, we had a a marvellous table  and I enjoy so much my lobster salad !!

         

Shopping in Venice :

I’m so happy, I’ve found THE perfect gift from Venice you can wear each day at home !! I was so excited to find “Furlane”, these elegant venitian slippers originally  used by gondoliers and customized today with coral motifs made of beads. It is said that courtisans worn them when they went out, late at night, in venitian street …Mine furlane were embroidered by this charming lady, owner of a shop called “Venitian dream” (3805A, calle de la Mandola) I do recommend you.

                  

TOXIC and Alain-Dominique Gallizia at Basquiat exhibition

Yesterday evening I was guiding french vips in splendid Basquiat exhibition (pay attention this is the last week end with  opening tonight until midnight) when I saw many people around an american speaking french in front of a painting and attracted more an more people.I asked someone who looked to know that person very well  who he was and he told me it was Stephen Tornton himself , Basquiat’s assitant,  he was doing a lecture ! then I asked the man who answered me who was he and  he replied : Alain-Dominque Gallizia. He’s famous for his graffitti collection- a reference- he exhibited  in Grand Palais in 2009.  Then he told me that TOXIC was even there !! my god !  We were close to “Hollywood africans”, made when Basquiat came to the East coast for a show at Larry Gagosian’s gallery, he portrayed himself with his 2 friends Rammellzee and Toxic, so I couldn’t resist and took a picture of him and Mr Gallizia in front of Hollywood Africans. Historical !

Caspita jewellery collection launching at Le Meurice Palace hotel , Paris

Last saturday Edwart and me were invited  by the sparkling creator of Caspita, Arlène Bonnant for the launching of her first high jewellery collection inspired by Art and Spirituality at le Meurice hotel, our favorite palace hotel in Paris and almost second  home !

Arlène is an art expert  specialised in contemporary art who had worked for famous auction houses and she decided to create fabulous and mesmerizing high jewellery recently-which is such a challenge today-but as an inspired artist she immediatly found a unique and very personal touch. First, the name : Caspita , with a reverted A. In italian, an expression which is the sign of wonderment. Then the first collection is based on Chakras ! I love the idea to stimulate my chakras through diamonds and gold ! here is some pictures showing Arlène  and her friend Abir Oreibi (Managing director Label.ch) wearing her creations,  and the display of other marvels from her collection in Le Meurice lounge. You can find her creations at Le Meurice hotel in Paris or in London (Kabiri boutique). Please visit her web site : http://www.caspita.ch

GOTAN Project concert at Casino de Paris

Yesterday evening my dear friend Margaït- who is herself a jazz singer and music teacher- invited me to the conccrt of Gotan project. She knows very well the piannist, Lalo. The show was great : a perfect blend of jazz, tango and electro, sometimes with a Kraftwerk touch ! I also loved the mix with latino rap.  Images accompanied the music on screen behind, dances, city wandering or visual effects mesmerized the audience. The last songs were very groovy and perfect for clubs.

After the show we were invited backstage and congratulated the band. During the cocktail they received  a fabulous reward : their last album Gotan project 3.0 obtained the label ” platinum album” (100 000 sold) !

PARIS PHOTO

Yesterday I was invited by my friend Matthieu Poirier who is a very gifted curator  and art historian (specialised in Op’Art and cinetic art) to Paris Photo, 14th edition  yet (until sunday nov 21st). That fair is a worldwide reference  with 106 galeries selected. It goes from  vintage photographs to very contemporary. This year the focus was on central Europe.

I liked their choices  and hanging, very good quality everywhere, less trash or ordinary subjects. I’ve noticed many landscapes and  water effects (swimming pool, ponds, surface water…) as a subject.

Here is a (very) short selection of the one I discovered and loved :

That one loooks like a trompe-l’oeil :

Susan Derges “Starfield Shoreline” 2008 from Purdy Hick gallery, London

 

A flying car in San Fran street ?

Matthew Porter- gallery M+B

 

I liked the serial effect below, almost abstract from further distance, like simplified cut out silhouettes in mouvement, then, closer, very distinctive subjetcts, both in genres and  periods : dancing couple, warrior, runner, historical characters…

Sarah Charlesworth Figures drawing 1998/2008

If you’re in Paris, visit the fair absolutly and do not hesitate to ask the prices : they are very often affordable.

I remind you also that november is the month devoted to photography in Paris with many temporary exhibitions and event in

town !