My Friend K in New York

K is my new "web friend" for lack of a better expression. Less than a month ago (I think) we started to exchange messages on MUA and she recently started to leave comments on this here blog. She lives in New York! Not only does she reside there but she knows how to enjoy what this glorious city has to offer. Arts and shopping! What else could a girl want? I don't know about you but for me it would be absolute Heaven!

So what did she do for me, my New York friend? She took pictures! Lots of great pictures!

Shopping at Bergdorf Goodman

Gorgeous!

Estée Lauder's exclusive Re-Nutriv line 

Yves St-Laurent makeup 

The new Aerin Essential Collection display

Dior 

Duane Reed

Where you can find several outstanding French skin care lines. Not as glamorous as high end stores but these products are of equal quality if not superior while being less expensive.

Among these you might want to have a closer look at Nuxe's Crème Fraîche, Rêve de Miel lip balm that comes in a little glass jar and the fabulous Huile Prodigieuse. Klorane's Blueberry eye makeup remover is a classic as are their shampoos.

100% Pure, Nuxe & Klorane

Liérac is a relatively new company for me and so I haven't tried any of their skin care but just love their all purpose oil called Huile Sensorielle aux Trois Fleurs Collection Blanche. Ma favorite so far. The fragrance is  soft, feminine and on me it lasts all day.

Liérac

Christie's

Just the name of this great auction house evokes glamour and wealth. Founded in 1766 by James Christie it has conducted some of the greatest auctions of the past 300 years. The Park Avenue salesroom which opened it's doors in 1977 has seen some beautiful collection auctioned off and so has the new American headquarters opened at 20 Rockefeller Plaza in April of 2000.

Some recent notable auctions

1997  A Charity gala auction of 79 Dresses from the Collection of Diana, Princess of Wales, are sold for a staggering $3,258,750 (£1,960,150) in Christie’s New York. The proceeds of the sale benefited the Royal Marsden Hospital Cancer Fund and AIDS Crisis Trust.

2000  The Personal Property of Marilyn Monroe goes under the hammer selling for over $13.4 million (£8.1 million). The highlight is the ‘Happy Birthday’ dress, worn by Marilyn on 19 May 1962 to sing to President John F. Kennedy, which realizes over $1.2 million, a world record for a woman’s costume and the third highest price for an item of celebrity memorabilia.

2011  The Elizabeth Taylor Collection of jewellery, fine art, fashion, decorative arts and memorabilia reaches $183.5m. It sets the new record for the most valuable jewellery single-owner collection sold at auction ($144m).

The Collection of Elisabeth Taylor, Christie's auction room

K did a fantastic job with her iPhone at Christie's! I just love to be able to see these pieces in a context other than a museum. Sadly, some will end up in private collections which means that these casual pictures may become some of the last we see of these works in a long time, actually we may not see them until they are up for auction again. This is the reason K goes to Christie's. To see and admire art that is temporarily available to the public. Of course some are purchased by museums but usually the most expensive pieces often find their way to either an Arab prince's living room or a Nouveau Riche's newly decorated office.

K took several great pictures and these below are my favorites.

Jeff Koons (b. 1955) Tulips,

mirror-polished stainless steel with transparent color coating 

80 x 180 x 205 in. (203.2 x 457.2 x 520.7 cm.) 

Executed in 1995-2004. This work is one of five unique versions. 

Price Realised, $33,682,500

Do Ho Suh (b.1962) Some/One, 

stainless steel, military dog tags, stainless steel structure, 

fiberglass resin, mirrored stainless steel sheets

Price Realized, $782,500

El Anatsui (b. 1944) Dzodze 

aluminum and copper wire 

86 x 136 in. (218.4 x 345.4 cm.) 

Executed in 2006.  

Price Realized, $722,500

This is the one that made my day! Roy Lichtenstsein. I love, love his work and K did a marvelous job in taking this picture. I enjoy the fact that it's slightly crooked. The colors are amazing and it's really fun to see floor.

Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) 

Nude with Red Shirt 

signed and dated 'rf Lichtenstein '95' (on the reverse) 

oil and Magna on canvas 

77 x 65 in. (198.1 x 167.7 cm.) 

Painted in 1995. 

Price Realised, $28,082,500

This Lichtenstein was owned by a Distinguished Private Collector since 1995. Who purchased it? If it was by another Distinguished Private Collector, well, we may not see it again for several years.

*sniff*

On a final note, if you thought that Koons Tulips reminded you of balloons, well, you're kind of right!

K holding a little blue balloon dog in front of Tulips

Thank you Lovely K! xoxo H



To learn more about the history of Christie's:
http://www.christies.com/about/company/history.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christie's



I'm again dealing with formating problems. I'm sorry for the irregularities.

NARS Andy Warhol Holiday 2012 Collection

If you like makeup, like to keep informed about what's new and haven't heard about the new NARS Andy Warhol Holiday Collection, well, you must have been hiding in a cave!

I just had to come out of mine for this, give me a bit of Art and I'm a very happy woman! I simply love it when art goes mainstream and although these images are relatively well known and popular, it's a good opportunity to learn a little more.

This collection is visually stunning! Andy Warhol would appear to have been a source of inspiration to François Nars right from the get go. In a recent interview he had this to say:

“Why not Andy Warhol? I have always surrounded myself with Andy’s work and even paid tribute to him in my past collections — Edie Eyeshadow, Chelsea Girls Lip Lacquer, etcetera. This just seemed like the right time to do [a bigger effort]. Even more than 20 years after his death, Andy continues to be one of the most influential figures in both contemporary art and pop culture. Andy said, ‘If everybody’s not a beauty, then nobody is.’ This is the same sentiment I wanted to bring to life with Nars — a forward-thinking attitude toward beauty, and the encouragement to inspire self-expression, creativity and artistry in the women who wear it. It seemed like a natural fit to create a collection that Andy himself might have a hand in if he were alive today.”                                 Styleite

Andy Warhol. Creativity & artistry, Silver Factory which started in January of 1964.

David McCabe. At the Factory, New York City, March 1965, 1965. Silver-gelatin print. 

Pop Art was described by Roy Lichtenstein, an other famous pop artist and I must admit my favorite, as being "industrial painting". Advertising imagery suggesting consumerism and homemaking. Pop artists did not modify these images, they presented them for what they were.

While Picasso innovated when he presented his Bull's Head (1942) made from a bicycle saddle and handlebars hence re-purposing, recycling ordinary objects to make them, art...

Picasso, Tête de taureau, 1942

© Succession Picasso 2003

Musée National Picasso, Paris

Warhol gave us his Campbell soup cans. He did not transform the ordinary, he simply made it art!

Andy Warhol, Campbell's Soup Cans, 1962

Synthetic polymer paint on thirty-two canvases

MoMa

As I've already said, this Holiday Collection is stunning!

The colors are fun and bright. Quite representative of the style of Andy Warhol without being child crayon like. If you're in your 20's it's quite easy to "go for it" for a total cheerful look. If you're more conservative, the more "popping" colors can still work as accents.

One of the things I love about the presentation of the collection is when you go on the NARS website, you get information about the images that where selected. In other words you get a little back story. Something that was lacking from M.A.C. for it's Marilyn Collection, one of the reasons why I believe the selection of the pictures from the Black Sitting where not that well received.

NARS' Warhol Collection

Great concept
Great colors
Great attention to details with etchings of some of Warhol's famous statements on the compact mirrors.

Here are my two favorite sets from the collection, pictures and descriptions from the NARS website:

NARS Andy Warhol Beautiful Darling Set

$55.00

The ultimate blond bombshell and Andy Warhol’s greatest actress, Candy Darling thought beauty was a duty, and worked harder at it than anyone. NARS commemorates Candy’s legendary look with a silver deluxe cosmetics bag filled with tools for making your mark and doing your beauty duty.

The set Includes: New Candy Darling Mini Nail Polish - electric pink. New Femme Fatale Duo Eyeshadow - sheer white shimmer & fresh mint green. New Woman in Revolt Mini Larger Than Life Lip Gloss - hot pink. Small cosmetics bag

NARS Andy Warhol Edie Set

$85.00

Exploding on the scene like a comet, Edie Sedgwick was the quintessential sixties ‘It Girl’ and Andy Warhol’s most memorable muse. Presented in an authentic 16mm film canister, NARS celebrates Sedgwick’s iconic style with superstar essentials. Your world is your screen test.

Set Includes: New Film Star Pure Matte Lipstick - 60s nude pink. Edie Eyeshadow - cream with a little bit of shimmer. Carpates Eyeliner Stylo - black. Mini Blush Duo in Deep Throat & Amour - flirty, sheer peach & peachy pink. 16mm film canister.

Kiss Mini Larger Than Life® Lip Gloss Coffret

Presented in a Pop Art Soup Can

Exclusive to Sephora

5 mini Larger Than Life Lip Gloss in Silver Factory (aluminum glitter), Chelsea Girls (flesh-toned beige), Drella (ultra sheer hot pink), Blue Movie (pink sherbet), Myths (rosy pink) 

"An artist is someone who produces things that people don't need to have" 

                                                                                                            Andy Warhol

This statement is quite appropriate when you consider that the "Soup Can" set has only the container to offer. The lip gloss colors are nice but nothing new and if like me you like glosses, you probably already own dupes of these. Still if you like collecting, this is the kit to get. The container can be used to keep makeup brushes and pencils. It's up to you to decide if it's worth $62.00. When I first saw it I was quite excited but the price is a definite downer.

The Debbie Harry Eye and Cheek Palette:

Available at Sephora, $75.00

4 eye shadows: Twinkling Purple, Sparkling Turquoise, White Shimmer & Starry Black
2 blushes: Shimmering Pink Champagne & Brilliant Cream
On the inside, the mirror is etched with one of Warhol quotes:
         "I always say, one's company, two's a crowd and three's a party."

Eyeshadow Palettes, Self Portrait, $65.00

3 versions are available. This one 01, is etched with the saying: 

"I believe in low lights and trick mirrors."

Flowers Eyeshadow Palettes, $65.00

3 versions also, this one Flowers 1, is etched with the saying:

"You need to let the little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you."

"A good plain look is my favorite look. If I didn't want to look so "bad," I would want to look "plain." That would be my next choice."
                                                                                                                     Andy Warhol
Interesting considering this collection is anything but plain!

Confusing, some of the sets like the Kiss Mini Larger Than Life® Lip Gloss Coffret are available at Sephora and others, like Beautiful Darling and Edie sets, at The Bay. The prices, $40.00 to $215.00.

Want to know more about Andy Warhol? 

Exhibition: Regarding Warhol, Sixty Artists, Fifty Years

                  September 18 - December 31, 2012. Metropolitan Museum, New York

Andy Warhol (American, 1928–1987). Self-Portraits, both 1967. Acrylic and silkscreen on canvas, 72 x 72 in. (182.9 x 182.9 cm) each. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, Friends of Modern Art Fund © 2012 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Andy Warhol (American, 1928–1987). Flowers, 1964. Acrylic and silkscreen on canvas, 24 x 24 in. (61 x 61 cm). Mugrabi Collection. © 2012 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

NARS website: http://www.narscosmetics.ca/color/nars-andy-warhol-collection/

The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: http://thephilosophyofandywarhol.blogspot.ca/2009/09/4-beauty.html


Product pictures: screen captions taken on both NARS & Sephora websites.

Again, sorry for the irregularities or the presentation, Blogger wouldn't cooperate.