CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK

The tradition of the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, began in 1933, it marks the beginning of the holiday season for many New York City visitors and residents. It was set aglow this year, with 30000 colored lights, by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, singer, Lionel Richie and stars, Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey. Martina McBride, John Legend, Christina Aguilera, Sting and Bette Midler performed during the lighting ceremony. And, you'll get quite a thrill skating there in the evenings as the golden god Prometheus looks on just below the tree. I’ll be home for Christmas, so I better get going. Happy Holidays to you all.
www.rockefellercenter.com

CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK

The highlight of my forty-eight hour stop over in New York was my visit to Engine Three, Ladder Twelve firehouse at half past midnight. I had noticed that the fire engines in New York have wreaths on the engine and wanted to get a picture. Immediately, Robert Costa and Robert Zucal invited me in and willingly posed for a photograph. They were so kind and friendly. I found more Christmas spirit inside the firehouse than anywhere else in the city. Did you know the motto for FDNY firefighters is, New York’s Bravest?
http://ufalocal94.org

CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK

John Derian himself peeps from behind the Christmas tree in his shop laden with the most beautiful ornaments, especially created from antique ones for his store. This is my favorite store in New York, there are one thousand goodies to discover, beginning with John’s decoupage-ware. The store was packed with celebrities, and you know they know where to shop. “I love Christmas because it's the day following the busiest few weeks of the year at my shop. I love being able to collapse into the metaphorical arms of my friends and celebrate the joyous holiday with them." John Derian
www.johnderian.com

CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK

Am I back in Miami Beach? As I mentioned below, in the Miami blog, Andy Warhol was the most represented artist (in twenty two galleries) at Art Basel Miami Beach. The Barney’s Christmas windows called Happy Andy Warhol-idays, take you through Andy Warhol’s life from the 1950s to the 1990’s and though they are not at all traditional, they are great fun. On the side window there are portraits of Warhol, created by the children of The East Harlem School, the proceeds of these will benefit the school. “Art is what you can get away with.” Andy Warhol.
www.barneys.com www.artbasel.com www.eastharlemschool.org

CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK

A forty eight hour stop-over in New York for a little bit of Christmas spirit and shopping. I was looking for a New York City Father Christmas, to balance the South Beach one, but I just didn’t come across one, not even in the department stores or on the streets; Uptown, Downtown, Eastside, Westside, nothing. This Christmas Bunny is the best I can do, isn’t she sexy? She is the Dreamgirl on a life-size poster at Ricky’s NYC. Ricky’s is a funky drugstore that caters to everyone from teenagers to Hollywood celebrities, their stylists and the fashionistas. It’s a fun store, it is also great for little unusual gadgets. Their motto is “Beauty is what you make it!
www.rickys-nyc.com

MIAMI

Miami Beach. It is strange to see Father Christmas on the beach. After all the parties and the overdose of art, design, photographs, the sun, the summer clothes and sandals. It’s difficult to come back to reality and realize that Christmas is just two weeks away. So let me end the Miami segment with this unusual “postcard” of Father Christmas A.K.A. Mike Russo on the beach. Each year after Halloween Mr. Russo grows a beard and parades up and down the streets, with his sugar candy canes as walking sticks. His fondest memory of Christmas is of a Victorola phonograph playing a scratchy record of I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus Underneath the mistletoe last night....

MIAMI

The Moore Space - Design District. Clamor, is the name of the exhibition by Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla at The Moore Space. Allora and Calzadilla have taken up the genre of war music as the basis for a new body of work. This large sculptural form serving as a hybrid chamber resembles, perhaps a bunker, a meteorite, a ruin, a cave and or a sound booth which accommodates musicians playing war songs.
www.themoorespace.org

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Design Miami - The Moore Building. Blurred Boundaries:Design as Culture, was the title of the final talks during Design Miami. Cooper Hewitt’s, Barbara Bloemink moderated artist, Michele Oka Doner, designer Tom Dixon and architect, Zaha Hadid.
www.designmiami.com www.ndm.si.edu www.micheleokadoner.com www.tomdixon.net www.zaha-hadid.com

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Design Miami - The Moore Building. Seen at the Moore Building, Mickey Wolfson. Mr. Wolfson is the founder of The Wolfsonian-Fiu Museum in Miami. Asked about Art Basel, he commented “It’s the world’s fair of human endearing in the arts.”
www.wolfsonian.org www.artbasel.com

MIAMI

The Comunidad Warehouse - Wynwood Art District. Seen at the Comunidad Warhouse, The Cut-Out Army, 2006, an installation by Puerto Rican, Miami based artist, Carlos Betancourt. The one hundred and one, life size, cut out photographic portraits of local personalities, remind me of the ancient Chinese terracotta warriors.
www.carlosbetancourt.com

Photograph by Barbara Hulanicki
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Miami Beach. My hostess, Barbara Hulanicki’s apartment is silver grey with shots of orange and shocking pink. Very Miami. Above is a detail of the kitchen with her collection of promotional 1950s glass vases from Sears. I will miss her when I leave tomorrow. We had a wonderful time together. Thank you very much.
http://www.barbarahulanickidesign.com/
www.barbarahulanickidesign.com www.sears.com

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Nada – Wynwood Art District. Seen at the Cereal Art, Philadelphia, booth, a multiple by Turner Prize finalist, Phil Collins. The Wrong Gallery Installation, 2006, a limited series of 500 pieces, $750. It depicts doll like figures of Maurizio Cattelan, Ali Subotnick and Massimiliano Gioni who have been running The Wrong Gallery since 2002, a miniscule exhibition space in Chelsea, New York, a no budget, non profit, exhibition space.
www.newartdealers.org. www.cerealart.com www.mauriziocattelan.org www.tate.org.uk

MIAMI

Nada - Wynwood Art District. After all the art, it was so refreshing to see a performance. The New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York and Altoids presented Classic Readings in American schlock. The New Museum curated a dose of subversive humor and contemporary critique into the go-go market drtiven culture of the art fair. A roaster of cutting edge artists, curators, collector, critics and art world personalities read aloud classic lowbrow works of American letters. Above, Henrietta Huldisch and Sue de Beer read from The Valley of the Dolls by Jaqueline Susann.
www.newartdealers.org. www.newmuseum.org www.altroids.com

MIAMI

Nada – Wynwood Art District. Seen at the Momenta Art, Brooklyn, an installation called Transmigration of the sold, 2006 by Yoko Inoue. Inoue, utilizes cheap souvenirs from Asian markets with which she calls attention to the evolution of consumer production and the deep meaning even the most mundane objects can convey. Momenta Art is a non profit organization whose mission is to promote the work of emerging artists.
www.newartdealers.org. www.momentaart.org www.yokophoto.com

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Photo Miami - Wynwood Art District. Seen in the Bernard Toale Gallery, Boston, Martin Schoeller's gigantic brutal portraits of Valentino (see above) and an unrecognizable Micky Rouke, 2006, $6,700. Schoeller is known for his stripped-down faces, straightforward portraits of the famous and unknown. However, I doubt, after this unflattering portrait, he will ever be asked to photograph a Valentino advertising campaign.
www.artfairsinc.com. www.martintoalegallery.com www.Valentino.com

MIAMI

Photo Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen in the Charles Guice Contemporary gallery, Berkeley, Carrie Mae Weems’s In De Sica’s Light, from the Roaming series, 2006, $30,000, an edition of ten photographs. I loved the elegance and the spirituality of this photograph.
www.artfairsinc.com www.charlesguice.com

MIAMI

Photo Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen in the Galerie f5,6, Munich, a take on the controversy about anorexic models, a photograph by Olaf Martes, entitled, Ballett 240 Tonnen, Natasha, Sveta, Ulyana, Vika, Shuvalovski Dvorets, 2003, $ 5.500. There are only two left of in the edition of ten photographs.
www.artfairsinc.com www.f56.net

MIAMI

Photo Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen at the Stephen Cohen Gallery, Los Angeles, Tseng Kwong Chi’s Rome, Italy (Coliseum, Night), 1989, photograph, $ 6,500. This photograph brought back memories of the 1980’s in Milan of Kwong Chi photographing Keith Haring. During the ‘80s Kwong Chi shot over 50.000 photographs of Haring.
www.stephencohengallery.com www.haring.com www.artfairsinc.com

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Photo Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen in the Brancolini Grimaldi Arte Contemporanea gallery, Florence, booth, Italian photographer, Massimo Vitali’s Coney Wheel Horizontal, $ 24,000, gigantic photograph. Massimo’s work is coveted by movie stars, amongst whom; Rupert Everett and Cameron Diaz.

www.artfairsinc.com www.brancolinigrimaldi.com www.massimovitali.com www.cameron-diaz.com

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Pulse Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen in the Impulse section of Pulse Miami at the Bitforms Gallery, New York, Lincoln Schatz’s Cluster, 2006, $ 50,000. Cluster, is a big computer screen that daily accrues thin slices of video from its environment and store them onto a computer. On-screen, time is reorganized. It is like living with another person and seeing your life through their eyes.
www.pulse-art.com www.bitforms.com www.lincolnschatz.com

MIAMI

Pulse Miami – Wynwood Art District. Though the Pulse Miami fair got really good reviews for my untrained eye and tastes I have to agree with the sign outside the tent that says "Je ne regrette rein”!
www.pulse-art.com

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Scope Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen at the Magnan Emrich, New York, Cuban artist, Francis Acea’s Money, 2006, $ 15,000. The painting also comes in a small and medium size. Acea, works with other icon signs like the plus sign, the AOL person and the bomb. The dollar painting represents “Whatever the collector wants.” Acea explains.
www.scope-art.com www.magnanemrich.com www.francisacea.com www.aol.com

MIAMI

Scope Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen at the Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery, New York, Alan Rath’s digital video sculpture entitled, Optical Cylinder II, 2006, $35,000. Rath commented on his electronic works "I don't know why people are so alienated from machinery. The next Freud will figure out why we perceive that stuff as external and different."
www.scope-art.com www.brycewolkowitz.com www.alanrath.org

MIAMI

Scope Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen at the Dam, Stuhltrager Gallery, Brooklyn, Urban Development, 2006 an installation by Brose Partington. The card towers or packs of cards inflate and deflate at random. Sold as an installation $16.000.
www.scope-art.com www.damstuhltrager.com www.brosepartington.com

MIAMI

Scope Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen at the Moti Hasson Gallery, New York, Shirley Shor’s Terra Infirma, 2005, new media installation. Abstract lines are projected in real-time motion on sand, creating an organic architecture. For Shor, the idea of space is politically charged: to draw a line is to divide, to include and exclude at once.
www.scope-art.com www.motihasson.com www.shirleyshor.net

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Scope Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen at the Angell Gallery, Toronto, booth, Jakub Dolejs, The Tribune, 2006. Photography records history in one way and painting records it in another. This large photographic work is called The Tribune (Louvre Remix), $16,000. Like Djs mix music tracks using digital technology, Dolejs uses photoshop to paint his photographs.
www.scope-art.com www.angellgallery.com www.jakubdolejs.com www.louvre.fr

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Scope Miami – Wynwood Art District. Seen at The Proposition gallery, New York, director, Ronald Sosinski. Is he more interestingly dressed than the art works? He is wearing a Dries Van Norton suit, Emma Hope sneakers, an embroidered shirt bought in St. Barths and a pin by Mark Titchner, short listed for the Tuner Prize, that reads, Why Not!
www.scope-art.com www.theproposition.com www.emmahope.co.uk www.tate.org.uk

MIAMI

Scope Miami – Wynwood Art District. One of the other thirteen art fairs going on during Art Basel Miami Beach is Scope Miami. Situated in the Wynwood art district, Scope promotes up-and-coming dealers, curators, and artists. At the entrance, alongside Range Rover’s new Land Rover jeep is an installation by Augustina Woodgate called Where The Wild Things Grow, 2006, it is presented by the Spinello Gallery, Miami.
www.artbasel.com www.scope-art.com www.agustinawoodgate.com www.spinellogallery.com www.landroverusa.com

MIAMI

Seen at the Jack Pierson’s book signing party at The Raleigh Hotel. Icon photographer, Bruce Weber is also in town to promote his latest book, Sex and Words, photographs inspired by the work of D.H. Lawrence, with drawings by Frank Stanley and, published in a limited edition by Visionaire.
www.raleighhotel.com www.bruceweber.com www.visionaireworld.com

MIAMI

Seen at the Jack Pierson’s book signing party at The Raleigh Hotel. Italian, book publisher, Giuseppe Liverani from Charta. Giuseppe has just opened an office in New York’s Tribeca. He launched his latest book, Vito Acconci, Diary of a Body, 1969-1973 at the Convention Center during Art Basel Miami Beach. Three years in the making, this book which is about body art, is sure to be a best seller.
www.raleighhotel.com www.chartaartbooks.it www.artbasel.com

MIAMI

Seen at the Jack Pierson’s book signing party at The Raleigh Hotel. Miami’s stylish cultural affair’s manager, Gary Farmer. Gary is organizing the first nuit blanche, all night event in Miami for the first Saturday in November, 2007. Everything will be free and open from sunset to sunrise: transportation, museums, concerts, theatres, art, etc. Nuit Blanche first started in Paris in October, 2002. Artists interested in participating with video art are invited to submit their work to Mr. Farmer at:

garyfarmer@miamibeachfl.gov www.raleighhotel.comwww.rizzoliusa.com

MIAMI

Seen at Jack Pierson’s book signing party at The Raleigh Hotel. Artist, Hugo Guiness is fooling around with Andy Spade, Kate Spade’s husband and CEO. Hugo has just designed a bag for Kate Spade which is being sold at The Deitch/Paper Art Store in the Design District during Design Miami.
www.raleighhotel.com www.designmiami.com www.katespade.com www.papermag.com

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Jack Pierson’s book signing party at The Raleigh Hotel. Despite the drizzle and the cold, a big crowd turned out for photographer’s Jack Pierson’s book signing party. I think Rizzoli sold out of copies of Desire/Despair, because Jack never stopped signing.
www.raleighhotel.com www.rizzoliusa.com

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Seen at The Raleigh Hotel. Superstar designer, Marc Newson. Design Miami is presenting Newson with the Designer of the Year Award 2006. Wearing, a map of the world, paper bomber jacket. The global designer commented on the recent sale, at auction, of his Lockheed Lounge,1985 chair, which sold for $1.000.000 “The market has gone crazy, just like the art world.” Marc is having a show at the Gagosian Gallery in January, which is something to look forward to.
www.designmiami.com www.marc-newson.com. www.gagosian.com

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Seen at The Raleigh Hotel. Italian Art critic, Mariuccia Casadio and Italian video artist, Francesco Vezzoli. “Art Basel is even more crowed this year. My favorite work in the Convention center is the Mike Nelson installation.” Mariuccia observed. Whilst, Francesco’s favorite piece is “That cute guy having lunch over there!”
www.raleighhotel.com www.artbasel.com

MIAMI

At The Raleigh Hotel. Laughter, laughter, laughter was the mood at The Raleigh for designer, Barbara Hulanicki's birthday party lunch. Allison, Celia, Cookie, Carlo, Barbara, Sarah, Nally, likrish and Romana, had a wonderful time which continued on until tea time.
www.barabarahulanickideisgn.com www.raleighhotel.com

MIAMI
Art Basel Miami Beach – The Raleigh Hotel. Seen at The Raleigh poolside, Kenny Scharf’s 1960s Cadillac called Astral Cumulo Nimbus Uber Express or ACNE for short. Owned by a group of private collectors, the 1960 Cadillac Coupe De Ville has only 4,000 original miles and is in mint condition This, unique mixed media pop culture installation is worth in the region of $1,000,000, unfortunately, it is not for sale!

www.artbasel.com www.raleighhotel.com www.kennyscharf.com www.cadillac.com

MIAMI

Art Basel Miami Beach – Buena Vista Building - Design District. Deitch Projects presents E.V. Day’s ambitious Intergalactic Installations. A post-feminist futurist, Day creates an outer-space where biology and technology meet science fiction fantasy. Days suspended sculptures explore the edge of scientific reality, creating a loaded dialogue between the authoritative power and control of scientific definition and the sensual allure of the unknown.E.V. Day is photographed in front of her Red Streak construction of a red garter belt rocketing through space.
www.artbasel.com www.deitch.com www.evday.net

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Design Miami – Buick Building. The Paper $99 Art Store – Paper Magazine has curated a “cultural shop” filled with inexpensive - 99c, to $9,999,999.99 – goods. All items for sale, for four days only, represent collaborations between artists endorsed by Deitch Projects. Shown above, Gold Bike by Three as Four, $ 5,555.
www.designmiami.com www.papermag.com www.deitch.com www.threeasfour.com

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Design Miami - Moore Building. Seen at the Phurniture, New York, booth, Shlomo Harush’s crumpled aluminum furniture. Prices range between $ 20,000/45,000.
www.designmiami.com www.harushshlomo.com www.phurniture.com

MIAMI
Design Miami - Moore Building. Seen in the Moore Building, Interview's Ingrid Sischy and owner, Sandy Brant. They are everywhere in every continent and never stop working. While Ingrid is on the phone, Sandy tells me that the best show in town is the Elusive Signs: Bruce Nauman Works With Light at Moca. And, she should know.
www.designmiami.com www.interviewmagazine.com www.mocanomi.org

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Design Miami – Moore Building. Seen at Smart Deco, a collaboration between Barry Friedman Ltd, New York and Droog Design, Amsterdam, Barry Friedman sitting in Marcel Wanders’s Crochet Chair, 2006. He is very happy because he has already sold twenty chairs out of a series of forty at $40,000 each. Smart Deco represents an authentic expression reflecting the zeitgeist of cutting-edge design, as well as, timeless necessity. Smart Deco intends to build a platform for designers creating art and artists creating design.
www.disignmiami.com www.barryfriedmanltd.com www.droogdesign.nl

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Design Miami - Moore Building. Seen at the Galerie Italienne, Denim Armchair by Mattia Bonetti, 2006. This cool asymmetrical armchair is made out of vintage jeans, belts, as well as, Bonetti's house keys on a chain, it is published by Galerie Italiennene in an edition of eight pieces, $36,000.
www.designmiami.com www.pron.it

MIAMI

Design Miami – Moore Building. Seen at the David Gill Galleries, London, Barnaby Barford photographed beside his What Did You Say Your Husband Did, 2006 poetic porcelain sculpture. He uses mass-manufactured or antique ceramics figurines, which he cuts and re-sticks together providing a clever way of getting people to look again at something that they would on principle have dismissed.
www.designmiami.com www.barnabybarford.co.uk www.davidgillgalleries.com

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Design Miami - Buena Vista Building. Seen at The Moss Gallery, New York, Russian, Constantin Boym’s The Coffee Table (The Swing), 2006, after the work of Jean-Honore Fragonard. In response to the art world’s appropriation of design, Boym reverses the process. Art is torn fro the wall, ripped from its frame, and wrought – albeit most respectfully and sensitively – into what we now experience as a chair or a table. Unique piece $ 14,300.

www.designmiami.com www.mossonline.com www.boym.com

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Design Miami - Buena Vista Building. The Moss Gallery, New York, presents the Sonia Diniz chair, 2003 designed by the Brazilian brothers, Fernando and Humberto Campana. It is made out of sushi rolls composed of felt, textiles and synthetics rolled into tight concentric rings and mounted onto a wooden structure with steel legs. It is produced in a limited edition of 12 pieces, $ 38,000.
www.designmiami.com www.mossonline.com www.campanabrothers.com

MIAMI

Art Basel Miami Beach – Art Positions. Seen at Harris Lieberman – New York – Container # P1 Aaron young’s untitled installation which takes it’s cue from the san and sea environment. The artist has drilled a hole into the container’s roof, turning it into a sculptural sieve. The open container will be filled day after day throughout the show, until, on the last day, it is full. $45,000.
www.artbasel.com www.harrislieberman.com

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Art Basel Miami Beach – Art Positions. Seen at Art Positions, collectors, Don and Mera Rubell. The Rubell Family Collection is hosting guided tours every morning from 9am to noon of the new exhibition called Red Eye: L.A. Artists from the Rubell Family Collection.
www.artbasel.com www.rubellfamilycollection.com

MIAMI

Art Basel Miami Beach – Art Positions. Seen at The Courtyard Gallery – Beijing – Container # P19, Lu Hao’s, (two of a set of four) photographs, called Flowers, Birds, Insects, Fish, 2006. $16,000, the set. Hao is known for his conceptual photos using traditional Chinese symbols of architecture which are rapidly disappearing in Beijing.
www.artbasel.com www.courtyard-gallery.com

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Art Basel Miami Beach – Art Positions. Seen at Art Positions, Miami based Argentinean artists/architects, Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt. They are known in Miami for their public art projects. Currently, they are working on The Peace Project, opening on March 30th, 2007, at the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art.

www.artbasel.com www.mcartdenver.com rrstudios@bellsouth.net