degas & the nude + the new mfa

hello lovelies!  so tuesday was a trip to the museum of fine arts in boston, to see for myself both the degas exhibition & the new arts of the americas wing.  and it was certainly worth the trip.  

Edgar Degas, La Toilette, 1884-86. Pastel over monotype laid down on board. Private Collection.
Courtesy of Private Collection.

the degas exhibition {Degas and the Nude} focused on the development of the nude figure within the famous impressionist artist's oeuvre, including not only painting, but also within prints {pastel on monograph}, drawing & sculpture.  overall, his use of the nude in developing what we now know as a 'modernist' style or approach was fascinating, as was the graphic and often violent quality of some of the works, particularly the monograph studies of women in brothels.  as you may expect, i greatly prefer degas' ballet scenes, but i also feel that it is important to consider the whole of an artist's work in developing an understanding of the spirit of his work & the exhibition rightly emphasized the importance of an anatomical understanding of the unclothed human body to any figurative painter.  as would in any selection of degas' works, his mastery of color in pastel and his unique 'voyeur' perspective, as if spying in on a private moment, shone through.  the mfa exhibition generally offered a foil to the tremendously popular 'Degas and the Ballet: Picturing Movement' at the royal academy in london, which closed on december 11th.  

Edgar Degas, The Tub, 1886. Pastel. Paris, Musée d'Orsay, bequest of comte Issac de Camondo, 1911.
© Photo Musée d'Orsay.

Edgar Degas, After the Bath, Woman Drying Her Neck, 1895-98. Pastel on wove paper.
Paris, Musée d'Orsay, bequest of comte Isaac de Camondo, 1911. © Photo Musée d'Orsay.

Edgar Degas, Dancers, Nude Study, about 1899. Charcoal and pastel on wove paper. Photo Credit: Harvard Art Museum/Fogg Art Museum, Partial and promised gift of Emily Rauh Pulitzer in honor of James Cuno, 2002.303.  

Edgar Degas, Dancer Looking at the Sole of her Right Foot, modeled between 1896–1911, cast between 1921–31. Bronze. Paris, Musée d'Orsay.

a trip to the museum also gave the me opportunity to explore the new arts of the americas wing, opened last year, as well as the great courtyard which links it to the original part of the museum.  described as 'a jewel box,' the courtyard holds tables on which new american fare is served & would be a lovely space for an important event or party.  the arts of the americas wing focuses not only on art from the united states, but through north and south america as well, and i believe that this gives it a slight edge over other museums; exposed constantly through my work to american decorative arts, i was delighted to see specimens of furniture from not only 18th century america, but south american countries & the caribbean.  the wing is organized thematically, with the lower ground floor holding a native american art collection, the ground floor with colonial, revolutionary & federal objects, the second floor with 19th century objects, with highlights from the museum's important copley and sergeant holdings, and finally, the third floor with 20th century, more contemporary american art, including a stella & an o'keefe.

Shapiro Family Courtyard, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  Designed by Foster + Partners.

  all in all, i would encourage you to go to the museum & attend the degas exhibition {set to close february 5th} keeping in mind that those looking for his iconic scenes of belle epoque parisian ballet might be disappointed {sigh}.  i genuinely hope all of you in london went & enjoyed the show at the RA immensely!  i hope you are having the most lovely holiday week.  xx hillary

kate spade: holiday happiness

hello lovelies!  have you seen any of the kate spade youtube videos yet? for the past year the company has been making the most darling short films, most recently to correspond with their color-of-the-month campaign.  although i will admit i am not the most enthusiastic about the mutli-color choice for november, i do adore the fun vibe of this video.  thanksgiving is first, but here's to holiday wrapping ahead... xx hillary

p.s. how is your weekend going? yesterday i enjoyed the most beautiful fall day. {did you see my instagram pick of the park?} the morning was coffee & a stroll down fifth & madison to the met, wandering, constantly evermore delighted, particularly in spying the museum christmas tree being decorated.  then college football & my favorite eggs benedict with a great friend, off for a much-needed hair cut at an amazingly attentive salon {lavished with crystal chandeliers, no less}. then a leisurely stroll home through the half-light of an autumn afternoon, popping in to banana to try on some new holiday pieces i have my eye on &, oh, a necessary diversion to find the latest martha stewart living, architectural digest, vanity fair, and town & country. and today has been peaceful & productive, leaving me feeling quite prepared for the busy week ahead..  

enchanted event: artists for haiti at auction

hello lovelies!  just a quick message to let you know about an amazing charity event that occurred on thursday at christie's: the artists for haiti auction.  headed up by ben stiller, the auction consisted of only 26 lots by both established & up-and-coming contemporary artists, & all of which were donated & sold, four for record prices, including one purchased by jennifer anniston & her beau.  the auction was headed by ben stiller, who was sighted last tuesday giving interviews in the christie's galleries.  the total $13.7 million raised at the auction will go directly to non-profits to rebuild schools on the island devastated last year in the earthquake.  check out the e-catalogue here & press release here.  isn't so lovely to hear about something both glamorous & incredibly charitable?  xx hillary 

enchanted object: 'the vivid yellow' at auction

images via {christie's}

hello darlings!  had a most lovely day first day of work today & am so excited for the months ahead.  waking up to the {strong} pitter-patter of rain on the city & a breeze of cool air through an open window, it was if the weather purposely shifted just in time for the coming of autumn & new beginnings, and my belted trench triumphantly re-entered my wardrobe. 

& here is something quite exciting that i learned about today & could not wait to share with you ... 'the vivid yellow' diamond that will be auctioned off by christie's new york on october 18, the star of its magnificent jewel sale.  at 32.77 carats, the pear-shaped stone is highly unusual in its bright yellow hue & is expected to achieve between $6 - $8 million, surpassing the current record price per carat of $203,000, set by christie's for 'the golden drop' diamond in 1990.  i learned that colored diamonds are generally rare because the color represents an instability in the famously hard & stable stone, most are pale & light, the shade of color demonstrating relative instability.  a yellow tone is caused by an irregular quantity of nitrogen in the highly pressurized area within which a diamond is formed, the quantity of nitrogen around this example so high that it is considered a gemological 'freak.'

christie's is selling & allowing the stone to be viewed sans mount, so that a potential buyer may be able to envision it as a ring, necklace, or even tiara, although this piece may very well ultimately be purchased for financial reasons, as the value of these extraordinary gems has recently proven to be stable & growing, making them an excellent investment.

but what are your thoughts on colored diamonds?  and particularly colored engagement rings?  would you prefer a greater number of carats of an uncolored diamond, or an unusual hue in your ring of choice?  & will you be at this sale, or saving your pennies for the elizabeth taylor auction later in the seasons? hope you had the most lovely tuesday {possible}.  xx hillary  

le week-end: nyc wrap-up

image via {here}

hello mes chéries!  i hope that you had such a lovely summer's weekend.  returning to boston late last night, my few days in nyc were perfectly magical, mostly due to, however brief, reunions with dear friends.  highlights included a morning basking in the grandeur of the frick, breakfast in the park both days, seasonal cuisine at mercer kitchen {and a most delicious cocktail :: thyme-infused vodka and sparkling lemonade}, after dinner drinks at a biergarten in the meatpacking district, and shopping and galleries in soho {chanel + chagall = bliss}.  but perhaps the most memorable stop was at the kimberly hotel's rooftop bar in midtown.  the perfect combination of an outdoor summer space glittering with white lights {and glasses of champagne} surrounded by city skyscrapers, the experience was at once refreshing & trés urban, trumped only by the perfect and delightful, quiet content of best friends, reunited at last.  oh and it's official ... i will be a new yorker in less than a month! eek! summer may be slowly coming to an end, but wonderful things are on the horizon.  xx hillary

p.s. check back later for some posts featuring some design trends i noticed during our shopping excursions ... 

lovely links for a new week

images, top left then clockwise via {here}, {here}, {here}, {here}, {here}, and {there}

some lovely links to begin your week:

• most.amazing.wedding.website
• in paris?: couture exhibition
• magic blemish clearing product i will never live without
• have you ever heard of olallieberries?
• need to master these chic diy hair ideas: chestnut bun and gibson roll
• 100% homemade grown-up s'mores 

hope your day was perfect.  xx hillary 

bloomsbury art fair & wildlife darlings

as mentioned in a previous post, i most recently spent a lovely evening at the bloomsbury art fair.  in addition to providing a darling venue, with indoor and courtyard garden exhibiting spaces for contemporary artists, the fair was particularly special in that a percentage of all profits went to charities concerning those suffering from spinal cord injuries, especially paraplegics, including southern spinal injuries trust, motivation, the parachute regiment charity, and the spinal injuries association, many artists exhibiting having overcome such injuries themselves. learn more about all of the artists and exhibiting galleries here.  

by flamingo painter extraordinaire, jeremy houghton

i adored the fair not only because the art was beautiful and quite affordable, but sipping champagne (for charity, of course) in flowing dresses in a beautiful courtyard, with live music in the background, and the air that perfect mid-summer's eve slight cool, playing with a rambunctious puppy, no less, was my idea of perfection. 

i was especially enchanted by the work of wildlife artist dominique salm, who, in addition to being tremendously engaging and fun, paints and draws the most amazing exotic animals with such personalities.  i feel as if her work could occupy a special place in any home, and one day, i hope i hope, my own.    

"pick your feet up" pencil on paper

"open wide" watercolor

"grazing" watercolor

"difficult to swallow" watercolor

"wallowing" pencil on paper

"do i know you?" watercolor.
j'adore giraffes.

"dance partners" watercolor
all of dominique salm's images via here

don't you need one, too?  right. now? i hope that your weekend was oh so lovely.  

xx hillary 

p.s. merci beaucoup to miss courtney and miss suzie, interns extraordinaries, for inviting me!

le week-end

image via pinterest

image via here

i hope you have a marvelous weekend in the basking in the sun or playing in the surf.  unfortunately, london has proved to be rainy and cool, even in mid-july, and my weekend is looking to be something more like this: 

image via pinterest

but i don't mind, as it's the perfect rain which patters and inspires curling up with some dissertation reading and endless ups of tea.  reading which i will get to after this one. last. post.  

image via here

and the weekend hasn't been all work and no play, as yesterday i attended a most magical mid-summer's evening at the bloomsbury art fair, spending hours in the courtyard garden with dear friends, peanut butter ice cream, and rosé champagne, but much more to come.

bon week-end to you!  xx hillary  

bienvenue

Welcome to the enchantée blog!  Throughly smitten by the amazing design blogs I read daily, I have finally mustered up the courage to make my own contribution.  And, I suppose, I am a bit different than those who normally blog.  An art history student, I have just completed a connoisseurship-based course in fine and decorative art (aka old master paintings, modern paintings, furniture, and ceramics: asian and european) in London.  I specialized in furniture, and the topic of my dissertation (much more to come later ... lucky you!), is rococo revival interiors in London townhouses in the 1820s and 1830s ...  seriously glamorous.  I plan to blog on the things that I find to be enchanted, including art and design (particularly furniture) history, interior design, beauty products, cooking (my favorite hobby), what I'm reading, flowers, travel, clothes, and anything else that catches my eye.  I hope that you enjoy, and come to adore, these things as much as I do, and, if anything, that enchantée can serve as a daily source of new knowledge and inspiration or glimpse of something beautiful. Have a lovely day! xx hillary

and for now, a beautiful shot of my 'backyard,' at least for a few more weeks: 

Queen Mary's Rose Garden at Regent's Park.