What we learnt this morning from Detroit-based designer Chris Schanck is that everything about his work is contemporary. You can call ‘contemporary’ anything made in the present, ca. 2020. However, if you want to be true to the definition, ‘contemporary’ is only what captures the zeitgeist. In design, it means new, experimental, daring, independent. Contemporary […]
Celebrating Earth Day: With Chris Schanck Read More »
Today, April 21st, is the time to think about Brasília, Brazil’s capital, which marks its 60th anniversary. It was built by the ambitious Brazilian president Juscelino Kubitschek, who moved the capital away from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s capital since 1763, creating a new and modern city from scratch. So what is special about Brasilia from an architecture
To the design dealers, who have put efforts, love, and passion into rediscovering the world of modern design. To those who have devoted their careers to advancing scholarship, gifting museums, resurfacing pieces that would be otherwise destroyed, promoting preservation, and making 20th-century design shining in our homes. This series of posts is to them, to
With Rossella Colombari Read More »
What I find moving about Japanese bamboo art is its natural beauty, and the way it appears: as humble, almost shy, delicate, and graceful as the landscape fabric of Japan itself. It is not as powerful as lacquer or influential as ceramics, but it is captivating and appealing in an extraordinary way. No less than
Collecting the Art of Bamboo Read More »
When you come to start a collection as a connoisseur, seeking to make it ambitious, refined, and the best of its kind, you can do it smart, structured, focused, and to quickly define a personal mission statement. This is what happened to Boston-based collector Jeffrey Horvitz, whom I have hosted this morning in the program Collecting
On Collecting Japanese Contemporary Clay Art Read More »
Let’s remember them on their birthday, April 8th. Two architects who were active on the opposite sides of the ocean, did not belong to the same generation, yet, what put them together, aside from their birth date is their impact on 20th century culture. They were both visionaries who changed the face of architecture, and
April 8: Double Birthday Read More »
I am pleased to promote this beautiful charity. Milan is the capital of design, and now, when it suffers that much under COVID-19, designers are coming together to help their beloved city. ‘Design Loved Milano‘ is a fundraising auction, which will be taking place online on May 12th, conducted by Milan-based auction house Cambi. This
Design Loves Milano Read More »
When inviting Benjamin Macklowe to speak about French Art Nouveau in the program Collecting Design this morning (online), he suggested to focus on formative figures who came to shape the essence of this prominent chapter in the history of French design. The three, Hector Guimard (1867-1942), Louis Majorelle (1859-1926), and Emile Gallé (1846-1904) couldn’t have
On French Art Nouveau – with Ben Macklowe Read More »
The interiors of Carol Egan perfectly capture what I have been teaching and advocating in recent years. They are sophisticated, complex, containing extraordinary and unexpected juxtaposition of objects, mostly collectible furniture, lightings, and accessories. This type of spaces, which I like to refer to as ‘The New Interiors’ or ‘The Curated Interior,’ or ‘The Sustainable
Carol Egan: The Magic of Design Read More »
Design and COVID-19. Here are several design-related inspiring initiatives, which came address the fight against coronavirus pandemic and to empowering us all. When we are living through this silence, when everyone stays in their own home, worrying about our family, our city, our economy, these people are trying to make this world a bit better.
