Archive for the ‘Art and Sculpture’ Category

We recently acquired this original exhibition poster for the New York Collection for Stockholm, presented at the Moderna Museet.  The exhibition ran from October 27 to December 2, 1973 and was funded by the Swedish Ministry of Education. This promotional poster was designed by renowned artist Robert Rauschenberg (American, October 22, 1925 – May 12, 2008) and would have been made in a limited number prior to and during this exhibition.

Artists involved in the show included: Lee Bontecou, Robert Breer, John Chamberlain, Walter de Maria, Jim Dine, Mark de Suvero, Öyvind Fahlström, Dan Flavin, Red Grooms, Hans Haacke, Alex Hay, Don Judd, Ellsworth Kelly, Sol LeWitt, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Morris, Louise Nevelson, Claes Oldenburg, Nam June Paik, Robert Rauschenberg, Larry Rivers, James Rosenquist, George Segal, Richard Serra, Keith Sonnier, Richard Stankiewicz, Frank Stella, Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol, Kenneth Noland and Robert Whitman.

At the time these individuals were considered (deservedly so) to be some of the most important artists of the New York art scene. In retrospect, this list now reads like the who’s who of American 20th century contemporary art!

Yesterday evening we attended the opening night of Art Toronto 2011 held at the Metro Convention Centre in downtown Toronto.

Now in its 12th year, the Toronto International Art Fair provides the opportunity to view the work of some of Canada’s best contemporary artists as well as international representation from galleries based in the UK, Germany, France, Spain and further afield.

We thoroughly enjoyed a great deal of the work exhibited.

Works which particularly appealed to us included:

Toronto based artist An Te Liu represented by MKG127 Gallery.

The work of Guido Molinari represented by Paul Kuhn Gallery, Calgary.

The photography of Michael Conway, represented by The Elaine Fleck Gallery.

The virtuoso work of glass artist Dale Chihuly represented by Sandra Ainsley Gallery.

Plus a monumental minimal installation of interlocking cubes, entitled ‘Strip Cube’ by Ross Bell represented by Georgia Scherman Projects.

Art Toronto runs from October 28th to October 31st at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto. Tickets can be bought online here.

Victor Vasarely  the renowned French/Hungarian optical artist is generally known for his paintings and silkscreens. However during his prolific career he also designed a range of ceramics for the respected German ceramic & glass company Rosenthal.

This striking ´Optical´ vase by Vaserely is unlike anything we have encountered before. Aside from the rare large size and great shape the optical graphic is black whereas generally he favored colour. But the most interesting feature of this piece has to be that each side of the vase displays a variation in the graphic so it essentially feels like having three vases in one!

Signed ´Rosenthal Germany´  ´Art Collection No 4´ ´Victor Vasarely´

We have absolutely no idea who the designer/maker is behind this fantastic spring sculpture!

The proportion (it measures 8 1/2″ high) and cobalt blue colour give it a distinctly ´Pop art´ sensibility.  The finished ends which allow the piece to be displayed vertically indicate that it was never intended to be part of any machinery. We would assume that it has to be an art piece of some sort.

Interestingly one of the design books that we are currently reading, ´Twentieth-Century Design´ by Jonathan M.Woodham shows a photo of an installation of a Machine Art exhibition at the MOMA in New York during 1934 which displays functional objects such as aircraft propellers, industrial insulators, ball bearings and large metal springs as purely aesthetic forms. It is amazing to think that even in 1934 commercially produced objects were starting to be viewed as pure abstract form.

We are excited to be currently exhibiting this striking original silkscreen by renowned optical artist Jean-Pierre Vaserely (French 1934-2002).

The piece is entitled (for obvious reasons) ´Faces of Dali´ and is signed in pencil ´Yvaral´(professional name) with a low series number 63/200.

Jean-Pierre was the son of another highly influential member of the optical movement Victor Vaserely (French/Hungarian 1906-1997)

Jean-Pierre studied graphic art and publicity at the Ecole des Arts Appliques between 1950 and 1953. In 1960, Yvaral co-founded the  Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel whose aim was to develop a coherent abstract visual language composed of simple geometric elements.

Interestingly in 1975 Jean-Pierre  coined the phrase ‘Numerical Art’ to describe artwork composed (or programmed) according to numerical rules or algorithms. From this time onwards he used computers to digitally process and manipulate images, although the final images were always hand executed. He used this technique to produce several series of portraits (including Salvador Dali) starting from instantly recognisable images, and processing them to the point where they became abstract compositions, whilst the original image remains recognisable.

The combination of visual technique and subject matter make this particular work instantly compelling!

We absolutely love the ´Pop´ aesthetic of this unique tin can storage unit by Canadian artist/designer Cristina Covello.

The whole unit is hand fabricated and is composed of catering tin cans, laminated cereal box draws and painted wood tops.  When we acquired the piece we assumed that it was part of a series. In order to find out more we contacted Christina directly, who now lives in Vancouver.  We discovered that she made the unit in 2006 as part of a project whilst attending Sheridan College, Toronto. We also discovered that it was a complete one off project and was never intended as a series.  Amusingly Christina also divulged that the tin cans came from the kitchens of the Royal York Hotel!

More details  and a photograph of the unit can also be found on the excellent Canadian Design Resource website.

With special thanks to the talented Christina Covello for all her helpful info on the piece.

We are delighted to present this rare and iconic supermarket trolley chair attributed to German designer Frank Schreiner, founder of Stiletto Studio, Berlin.

Originally Schreiner was a metal and locksmith in the German armed forces and then in 1981 became a video and super-8 artist. By 1982 he began to design furniture objects and during this period founded the avant garde Stiletto Studio.

The chair was produced in a limited edition and is constructed from a zinc-plated, cut and bent supermarket trolley. The design is aptly  entitled ´Consumer´s Rest´ The functionality of this once everyday object having been radically transformed has now become a wry and humorous comment on consumerism!

We love the geometric form of this polished steel bowl by world famous Italian design company Alessi. Designed in 1977 by Giulio Confalonieri it references an `Art Deco` sensibility  whilst retaining a harder edged futuristic style that was prevalent in much of Italian design during the mid to late 1970`s.

As a design company Alessi are considered one of the most respected in Italy. The designers who have created for them are some of the most influential within the design world right up to present day. Notable designers have included Alessandro Mendini, Ettore Sottsass, Michael Graves, Achille Castiglioni, Philippe Starck, Frank Gehry, Jasper Morrison, Richard Sapper, Zaha Hadid and of course Carlo Alessi himself.

Alessi was founded in 1921 to produce crafted products in metal for eating and drinking, by Giovanni Alessi and remains even today a privately owned company.

.

We are excited to present this rare poster created back in 1980 to promote the 5th Toronto International Film Festival.

Not only is the image extremely striking but it is also printed on silver foil paper, a material and printing method which is very costly and seldom seen today.

The foil contrasts effectively with the black ´pixelated´ image, giving the whole piece a feeling of movement. You can almost hear the ´click´ of the cut board!

We also love the title ´Festival of Festivals´ a perceptive choice indeed, given that today TIFF is now considered internationally top of its class.

Dated 1980. Framed and matted.

This wonderful ceramic tea set by San Francisco firm Vandor has to be the most fun set we have ever had!

The patten is called ´Cloud & Rainbow´, and has a distinctly ´Pop Art´ sensibility, so it is no surprise to discover that it is dated 1978.

Interestingly the Vandor label on the underside of the teapot indicates that they were made in Japan. We have not been able to find much information on Vandor but it is quite possible that the company commissioned the design from a Japanese ceramic factory or decided to imported them into the US after viewing the design at an international trade show.

Design speculation aside, we  guarantee that you will be on ´cloud #9´ every time you serve tea with this set!

Theses beautiful enamelled steel bowls known as ‘Krenit’ are the enduring design of Danish metal-ware designer Herbert Krenchel.

Krenchel studied civil engineering at the Tekniske Hojskole (Polytechnic) in Copenhagen and in 1953 he established his own design practice. He initially operating as a freelance designer for the metal-ware manufacturer Torben Orskov & Co. The same year he designed his well known (and now highly collectible) ‘Krenit’ bowl, which won a gold medal at the 1954 Milan Triennale.

Theses highly rational enamelled vessels were machine pressed from millimetre-thin sheet metal and enamelled in  different vibrant colours. The exterior would always be a matt black thus creating maximum contrast to the vitreous colour within the interior. The simplicity of the form and thinness of metal were also heavily influenced by early Japanese metalsmithing.   Interestingly the ‘Krenit’ bowl also established a benchmark for quality and production in the world of industrial manufactured domestic ware during this period.

We particularly love our current set in chartreuse green!

Sometimes we acquire a great object which we know nothing about and are unable to find any information on in our reference library. This fantastic Bulb sculpture is one such piece. The subject of a light bulb presented in Lucite certainly draws from a ‘Pop Art’ ideology. There are many levels to ‘Pop Art’,  but one which features quite strongly is the idea that an everyday item is presented out of context or in a different material as to encourage the viewer to consider the object from an entirely different perspective.

Artist aside this is certainly one of those items that we find truly illuminating!

We currently have this very rare and stylish ´Airport Terminal´ digital clock which is encased in a heavy duty high grade stainless steel.

Interestingly a number of these clocks were present in each terminal at the Lester B Pearson International Airport in Toronto during the 1970´s. Fortunately this clock was salvaged when the airport terminals were redesigned at the end of that decade.

It Measures 12¨ long, 4 3/4¨ deep and although it has a standard plug & cord, it also has a plate at the back which enables it to be ´hard wired´ into any electrical system.
Needless to say that this clock would make the perfect focal point of any modernist interior.

To many people the Pop artist Roy Lichenstein`s work is synonymous with comic strips. His work also often depicts it`s characters in situations of tension and drama which reflect the mood of modern day to day living. These depictions are intended to be ironic commentaries on mid 20th century living in which mass media such as television and adverts shape our lives and ultimately our emotions.

Lichenstein also based his paintings on well known masterpieces of art, which is intended as commentary in itself to these works. `Stepping Out` 1978 is once such painting. It is marked by the artists restriction to the primary colours, to black & white and by his thick black outlines, plus the absence of any shading except that provided by the dots imitating those used in comic strips.

Beneath this simplicity lies a sophisticated piece of art founded on a great deal knowledge and skill. Lichenstein here depicts a man and a woman, side by side, both smartly dressed. The male is based on a figure in Fernand Leger`s painting `Three Musicians` of 1944, but here seen in mirror image. He wears a straw hat, high collared shirt, and striped tie; the flower in his lapel is borrowed from another Leger work. The female figure, with her dramatically reduced and displaced features, resemble the Surrealistic women depicted by Picasso during the 1930`s.

This work was originally painted with oil and magna on canvas.

This rare poster was issued by the Museum of Modern Art in 1987 and was released in limited numbers to mark an exhibition of Lichtenstein`s work at this time.