~Christie's is auctioning off a terrific group of photographs on Monday, December 7th. The list of photographers is a veritable who's who of photography history. Included are: Alfred Stieglitz, Richard Avedon, Diane Arbus, David Bailey, Cecil Beaton, Irving Penn, Horst P. Horst, Ansel Adams, Bernice Abbott, Aaron Siskind, Robert Frank, August Sander, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Jacques-Henri Lartigue, Wegee, Leni Riefenstahl, Man Ray, Peter Beard, Robert Mapplethorpe, Helmut Newton, Ellen Von Unwerth, Mary Ellen Mark, Nan Goldin, Catherine Opie, Sally Mann, Philip-Lorca Dicorcia, Peter Lindbergh, Bruce Weber, Joel Meyerowitz, Andres Serrano, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and many, many more.
Public viewing times are scheduled from December 3rd - 6th at 20 Rockefeller Plaza. It would be fun to check out this vast, impressive collection of work. Also, there are a few Edward Weston prints up on the block featuring his muse/wife/model, Charis Wilson, who passed away recently at the age of 95. Read her obituary at NYT.com. See Christie's website here.
~I've always been a fan of Todd Oldham. From his fun clothing designs to his stint as co-host on the original House of Style (I especially loved his D-I-Y segment on how to cut your own hair) to his more recent hosting/mentoring duties on Bravo's Top Design. He seems like such a creative, crafty, affable guy. Being a man of many talents, Oldham is now in the book biz. Following his 2005 book Handmade Modern ("a fairly intense DIY guide to designers like George Nakashima, Charles and Ray Eames, and Isamu Noguchi... not for the clumsy. Nakashima's bio, for example, is followed by a fourteen-step 'illuminated end table,' which involves 'drilling through conduit'" - New York Magazine), Oldham is releasing Kid Made Modern a super-cool book for tots that gives them "introductions to the mid-century’s great designers in rhyme ('Alexander Girard made it look not very hard'), plus projects to match—mobiles in the style of Alexander Calder, a Fornasetti-inspired découpage desk set. All of them were road-tested on children in his crafts room."
Oldham has also published a $200, 12-pound tome with Ammo Books about Charley Harper, an illustrator who created the artwork for many of Oldham's favorite childhood books. From 2002 to 2007, Oldham archived and restored Harper's extensive and deteriorating collection of work for the monograph. Ammo Books recently released a pared down version of the book for a more wallet-friendly $49.95. The late Harper's graphic, stylized animal illustrations seem to be the predecessor and/or inspiration for many of the prints you see on hipstery t-shrits and crafts today. Check out his work at Charleyharperartstudio.com. And read the full New York Magazine article on Oldham here.
~Speaking of books, some good holiday gift ideas might be discovered in the form of art/design books from the Phaidon pop-up store at 100 Wooster Street in Soho (open until January). If you strike out at the Phaidon pop-up, the shop is conveniently located nearby the Taschen store at 107 Greene Street. If all else fails, Vuitton, Chanel, Miu Miu, and Prada are all in the neighborhood ;) Read more about the Phaidon pop-up shop at racked.com and check out Taschen's website here.
~Living more simply, f-unemployment, and non-profit arts organizations showcasing artwork in vacant properties — these may be the only good things to come of the recession. Similar to X Initiative and LentSpace, art is appearing around the city in empty and sometimes unexpected places. Read more about the guerilla galleries at theartnewspaper.com.
~Art collector Eileen Kaminsky has set up a foundation, the Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation, "to connect artists, collectors, galleries and cultural institutions. ESKFF is a collaborative effort that facilitates the exchange of ideas and expressions." A non-profit organization, ESKFF is dedicated to "the development of exhibitions and programs that enrich our understanding of contemporary art." The foundation will showcase art from private collections from both the U.S. as well as from around the world. The foundation is currently seeking a permanent brick-and-mortar home base, but you can learn more about it at www.eskff.com.
~And finally, even though it felt a little balmy in NYC yesterday, it's still no Miami Beach. Check out what is happening at Art Basel Miami here. Now in its 8th year, the fair, the parties, and the special events continue through Sunday, December 6th.
