Get The Look: Bar Cabinets

Emma Jane Pilkington and Bryan Batt - Photo courtesy Elle Decor.

Elle Decor has an article this month with actor/author/home furnishings retailer Bryan Batt and Australian-born designer Emma Jane Pilkington touting the Top Ten Bar Cabinets. We couldn't help but think of a couple of our own Art Deco cabinets that certainly fit the bill:

French Art Deco Rosewood Cabinet - $7500

French Art Deco Rosewood Cabinet with Marble Top - $5900

French Art Deco Rosewood Buffet - $7500.

Any one of these sleek, gorgeous pieces would make a particularly efficient bar cabinet and a very glamourous statement to boot. And stay tuned to our New Arrivals page, because we have more bar cabinets/buffets coming in our Winter Shipment - arriving soon!
A votre santé!

Must See: The Fashion World of Jean-Paul Gauthier - From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk

For all you fashionistas out there, there's an amazing show running in Dallas you won't want to miss. It's the first-ever US exhibit devoted to the designs of world-renowned French couturier Jean-Paul Gaultier.

Fashion model with Jean-Paul Gaultier.

From now through February 12, 2012, the Dallas Museum of Art is hosting "The Fashion World of Jean-Paul Gaultier - From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk", the museum's first-ever exhibit dedicated to the art of fashion.

Exhibit Entrance.

Ensemble by Jean-Paul Gaultier.

Jean-Paul Gaultier and Madonna.

Organized by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in collaboration with the Maison Jean Paul Gaultier, the exhibition premiered in Montreal on June 15, 2011. It will travel to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, de Young, in March 2012 and then on to Spain, the Netherlands, and finally Stockholm in 2013.

Jean-Paul Gaultier bustiers.

From Jean-Paul Gaultier's "Les Vierges" Collection.

Organized by six thematic influences on the designer's career - “The Odyssey of Jean Paul Gaultier,” “The Boudoir,” “Skin Deep,” “Punk Cancan,” “Urban Jungle,” and “Metropolis” - the exhibit features over 130 pieces created between 1976 and 2010 (most of which have never been exhibited before). Sketches, stage costumes, photography, excerpts from films, runway shows, concerts, dance performances, and televised interviews will all provide a look at the couturier’s world and explore how his avant-garde fashions challenged societal and aesthetic codes in unexpected, and often humorous, ways.

Jean-Paul Gaultier mannequins.

30 animated, talking mannequins, including one of Gaultier, will surprise visitors with their lifelike presence and spontaneous commentary. 

Jean-Paul Gaultier in front of his talking mannequin.

"The Fashion World of Jean-Paul Gauthier - From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk"
November 13 - February 12, 2012
Dallas Museum of Art
1717 N Harwood St
Dallas, Texas 75201

From Pianos to Contemporary Furniture

Pleyel, one of France's oldest and most prestigious piano manufacturers/ébénistes since the early 1800's, has just reinvented itself as a major player in the contemporary furniture market with a brand new line of contemporary furniture and design.

 

A fascinating collaboration between some of France's most innovative designers and its most skilled wood workers, Mobiliers Pleyel, will launch its debut collection at the prestigious French home decor trade show "Maison et Objet", which opens this Friday in Paris.

Pleyel armchair by Hilton McConnico.

Decorators, designers, architects and business owners alike will get to see works designed by Hilton McConnico, Michele De Lucchi, Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, Philippe Maidenberg, Alice Etcaetera and Patrick Norguet, just to name a few.

Pleyel Screen by Alice Etcaetera.

Pleyel table by Alice Etcaetera.

Pleyel has every intention of becoming a world class, high-end, cutting edge, contemporary furniture designer/manufacturer, offering atypical pieces that stand out from the pack.

Pleyel's Archie Scheep stool by Philippe Maidenberg.

"Innovation, is about being aware of the exceptional savor-faire we have developed over the years and approaching our 3rd century of existence with an avant-garde creativity available to contemporary French furniture designers. Living is about creating and reinventing oneself", says Arnaud Marion, Creative Director, Pleyel Mobilier.

You can find Pleyel Mobilier at Maison et Objet, Jan. 20-24, 2012
Hall 7- Scène d'intérieur - B143 - C144.

Antiquing Under the Eiffel Tower - Jan 13-22, 2012

Traveling to Paris? If you happen to be there next week, stop by the Eiffel Tower, you won't be disappointed. PCE Events is organizing its 4th annual, outdoor, tented antique fair in January on Quai Branly (7th around.), near the Pont d'Iéna.

This prestigious, upscale exhibit features antiques and fine art from all over the world, showcasing some of the finest and most unusual treasures available today. Space is limited so a mere 40 dealers are selected each year by a panel of experts. You'll see pieces from France, Italy, China and Holland, just to name a few.

Entrance to the Salon Des Antiquaires Tour Eiffel.

Dealer exhibit at the Salon des Antiquaires Tour Eiffel.

The exhibit is open to the public, Jan. 13-22, 2012 from 11am to 8pm, so whether you are a serious collector, a dealer, an art lover, or just happen to be passing by, you won't want to miss it.  If you don't make this show, never fear, it is actually a biannual affair, with the another one opening in May.

Salon des Antiquaires et des Galeristes- Tour Eiffel 
Quai Branly, on the corner of Pont d’Iéna
75007 Paris
Métro Ligne 6: Station Bir-Hakeim ou Passy
RER C: Station Champ de Mars/Tour Eiffel
Daily from 11h to 20h.
Nocturne on Thursday 19 janvier until 22h.
Entrance Fee: 10 euros. Free under 18 years.

Free Catalogues. Car service, Restaurant, Salon de The.

From Antibes to Paris - Record Sale for Nicolas de Staël

Nu Couché by Nicolas de Staël, 1954

One of our favorite places to visit in France, where we return time and time again, is the Picasso Museum in Antibes (Chateau Grimaldi). The building, a castle which dates from the Middle Ages, became a historical museum in 1925. After a visit by Pablo Picasso in 1945, the curator offered him a studio on the premises where Picasso worked for a year, leaving behind a beautiful collection of paintings, drawings and ceramics. In 1966 the museum was officially renamed Picasso Museum, in tribute to the artist.

Picasso Museum, Antibes, France.

Sculpture garden overlooking the Mediterranean Sea at the Picasso Museum, Antibes.

It is a lovely place, bathed in beautiful light, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea; the permanent collection is wonderful – but not just the Picasso pieces – there are many works by several of his contemporaries, including an important collection by Nicolas de Staël, whose work we have long admired.

Nicolas de Staël in his studio in Antibes, France.

So naturally, when we heard about the recent auction in France, where a painting by Nicolas de Staël sold for a record breaking €7 million, we were enthused.

Nu Couché (1954), one of the rarest nude paintings by the Russian artist, from which only twenty are known, was the highlight of an auction organized by Artcurial on December 6th in Paris. According to the auction house, the painting was estimated at €2.7 million. This was the highest bid of the year in Paris and established a new world record for a Nicolas de Staël piece. Apparently, the piece was acquired by an American collector, after a fierce fight between 6 bidders from France, England and the US. The loan of this painting has been requested by the Picasso Museum in Antibes for a show of De Staël's nudes in 2014.

"Le Concert" by Nicolas de Staël, Picasso Museum, Antibes, France.

Nicolas de Staël (1914-1955) was one of the most important artists in Europe in the 20th century, although his career was stopped short (sadly, he took his life in Antibes at the age of 41). His art, influenced by Cézanne, Braque and Matisse, was first abstract before turning figurative – an unusual artistic progression. Nu couché depicts one of the classic models of figurative painting - a woman lying naked - the form refined, details simplified, perspective flattened. Apparently the painting boasted a single previous owner since 1954, a French collector who purchased the piece from the artist’s dealer, Jacques Dubourg; the piece was displayed in numerous exhibitions worldwide.

"L'Etagère" by Nicolas de Staël, Picasso Museum, Antibes, France.

Picasso Museum
Château Grimaldi
Place Mariejol
06600 Antibes
Tel: 33 (0)4 92 90 54 20