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

le week-end: at the museum

hello lovelies!  en route to nyc at the moment, just to let you know, in case you can squeeze it in {and i happen to know that there's a chance of rain in boston for sunday}, that two amazing exhibitions, one in nyc and one in boston, are in their very last days this weekend: it's your last chance to experience their magic ...

first in nyc is alexander mcqueen: savage beauty at the met.  the exhibition features clothing and accessories from throughout mcqueen's prolific nineteen year career, including many of his most iconic creations.  all centers around the notion of mcqueen as an absolute romantic, many of his designs deriving from exaggerated silouettes of the nineteenth century, with the victorian gothic vibe {think frankenstein and edgar allen poe}.  alexander mcqueen, despite the brevity of his life, may prove to be one of the most influential designers of all time, and if you have the opportunity, please do take a peak!  the show will be open until midnight tomorrow and sunday {august 6 and 7}, and i {cross my fingers} will attend tomorrow.  although his savage creations from the early nineties may not be my ideal, his genius is undeniable, and, of course, we hopeless romantics must stick together ..

also in it's final days is the to-die-for chihuly: through the looking glass exhibition at the museum of fine arts, boston.  a practitioner of the magic art of glass making, the mfa has here showcased works from a span of forty years of dale chihuly's career, a strong proportion of which was spent at RISD, as student, and later, as a member of the faculty, known as the most influential american glass maker since that of my own glass box, louis comfort tiffany.  described as a 'glass menagerie' and 'fairy-tale fantasies,' his works are as brightly colored silks transposed into glass.  i first was introduced to his work via the enormous lime-green chandelier hanging in the entrance atrium of the victoria&albert museum in london, and was struck by its whimsical elegance, his work broadly full of such whimsy and creativity, achieving such feats in glass that you simply would not have thought possible.  struck with awe and challenging all former notions of the possible, you may just feel as if you have fallen, as alice, down the rabbit hole and into wonderland.  please please do go, and let me know how you like it, as i am heart-broken that i will not be able to attend.

dale chihuly at the v&a
image via pinterest

images via {here}

image via pinterest

bon week-end to you! cannot wait to spend time with my girlfriends in new york! xx hillary 

my tiffany treasure

hello mes chéries!  i had quite an exciting yesterday, as i purchased my very first antique, a charming Louis C. Tiffany box, from one of my current bosses, the lovely Matthew Barton of Matthew Barton Ltd., a silver and nineteenth-century decorative arts specialist and auctioneer. and here it is...

what do you know about Louis C. Tiffany?  i knew very little until i decided to do a research project on his divine lamps last year.  not to be especially associated with the founder of the company now beautifully known for its robin's egg blue box, Louis C. Tiffany was the founder of Tiffany & Co.'s son, and after a stint painting in north africa, devoted himself to re-discovering the superior techniques of medieval glassmaking, wherein color, particularly for stained glass windows, was incorporated into the glass itself, rather than painted over it, as was the nineteenth-century practice.  clearly, judging from the gorgeously swirled, jade green color of the glass of which my box is composed, he very much succeeded in this. tiffany was known for his modern stained glass window designs, and also for his efforts in interior design, making his mark on the rooms of some of the most illustrious families in New York of the glorious 'gilded age,' including the Vanderbilts and, also, President Arthur at the White House.

from left to right: Louis C. Tiffany, Market Day Outside the Walls of Tangiers, Morocco, 1873, oil on canvas, Smithsonian Art Museum, Washington, D.C., Tiffany Studios, Magnolia Window, c. 1900, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Computer reconstruction of L.C. Tiffany and Associated Artist’s Blue Room, White House, Washington, D.C., 1884.

today, tiffany is best known for his beautiful lamps, with quite studied designs in stained glass of beautiful flowers, and occasionally garden bugs, which certainly correspond with the late nineteenth-century love for scientific examination of back garden horticulture.  and although i argued against it in my paper for rather silly academic reasons, he is often associated with the european art art nouveau movement, full of whiplash curves and organic forms, both in decorative art design and in fine art, particularly in drawing, as in mucha's advertisements.

clockwise from left: Tiffany Studios, Peony Chandelier, c.1910, Tiffany Studios,
Wisteria lamps, c. 1902-18,Tiffany Studios, Dragonfly lamp, c. 1910

there is some debate on how much tiffany actually contributed to the production of glass objects within his factory, from which my box derives, and also which interestingly employed (unmarried) women, even as designers.  but i can rest relatively easy knowing that louis c. tiffany did, indeed approve the design for my little box, and even if he didn't see it personally, je l'adore.

craftsmen at Tiffany Glass Factory c. 1898,
from Cosmopolitan, 1899.

have you ever thought about buying an antique, particularly at auction?  although enormous prices at the large auction houses make great headlines, many lots sold at average auctions are surprisingly affordable.  my box cost just about as much as a nice dress or pair of shoes or average winter coat, and the best part is that it will retain, and perhaps even increase, its value over time. and buying something so dear with a bit of history, its beauty retained for nearly 100 years, is much more romantic than a new winter coat, don't you think?

p.s. check out Matthew's website.  his next sale will take place in november, and my sneak peek has confirmed that it will include some gorgeous edwardian pieces that are pre-war bliss.  silver punch bowl and matching set of silver punch cups, anyone? s'il vous plaît.

hope you're having a wonderful day!  xx hillary