“The picture with the ice bubbles was taken on the lake “Lake Abraham” in Canada. Despite the warnings of the lodge owner I went to the lake with its almost black ice. The picture is quite abstract, could also be pop art,” says Tom Jacobi

It’s Gallery Weekend in Berlin! Already last week the Hamburg photographer Tom Jacobi opened his exhibition “Into the Light” in the Berlin gallery SRC. Some of his large-format, black-and-white photographs were printed on silk by the Paris luxury label Hermès, which is unique to date. Tom Jacobi was a fashion photographer and art director for Stern magazine. Thereby he almost lost his passion for photography.

MyStylery: Congratulations on your coup with Hermès! How did that happen?
Tom Jacobi: Everybody takes photos on paper and so I had the idea to print on fabric, because I always look for a relation to nature. Silk was an obvious thought. Talks and tests followed and Hermès gave me an unexpected promise. Now the pictures are produced on original silk by Hermès in France.
MS: How old were you when you first held a camera in your hand?
TJ: 14 or 15. I was given a Novoflex and photographed the cat on the windowsill and sunsets.

Tom Jacobi: Peaceful Mind

MS: Back then, did you already have the idea of becoming a photographer?
TJ: Not until I was 17, when a photo of me was published in a book. It showed a Kendo master fighting with a Japanese sword. A sport that I practiced myself at that time. When you see a picture of yourself printed on paper for the first time, it’s a magic that I still feel today.
MS: Do you still print private photos?
TJ: Oh yes, I made a serious mistake when I gave my wife a photo album for her first birthday after we met, with self-adhesive photos, created layouts and handwritten comments. Since then I have been obliged to document our entire private lives and travels in old-fashioned photo albums. (laughs)

Tom Jacobi: Black Line

MS: Your father was the legendary journalist Claus Jacobi, editor-in-chief of Spiegel, Stern and BILD-Zeitung. Did that stop you from going into journalism yourself?
TJ: Totally. I would have exposed myself to the constant comparison. Through my friendship with Sven Simon, the son of publisher Axel Springer, I came to Bonn and worked there in his photo agency. I primarily photographed politicians such as Willy Brandt, Helmut Schmidt and Helmut Kohl. Later I was a photographer for the “Stern”. With all the risks. During a reportage in Iran they put me against the wall and wanted to shoot me because I was considered a spy.
MS: Was that the reason why you haven’t photographed for 14 years?
TJ: No, that developed during my time as a fashion and advertising photographer. This commercial work and the wishes of the customers, to shoot the coat from the left or rather from the right, the car from above or below, completely drove me out of passion at that time. And why should a well-filled bank account be of any use if all creativity is lost? I just wasn’t happy with it anymore and even sold all my cameras because I was convinced that I would never photograph again.

Tom Jacobi: The Majestic

MS: Now you’re back with the camera. For the current exhibition “Into the Light” you even travelled around the globe for two years together with your wife Kati.
TJ: That was an exciting time, also for us as a couple. We love to be together. Kati also has a big influence on what I photograph. She is my corrective. (smiles) You become humble when you are travelling in the White Desert of Egypt, camping there with two Bedouins, without worrying about safety. In retrospect, it was risky.
MS: It happens that you sit on a cliff for five hours waiting for the right light. What is the right light, the right moment?
TJ: That I cannot say. It’s a feeling. My work has a lot to do with patience and discipline, often I wait days for the right moment, although I have researched the motifs very carefully before.

Tom Jacobi and I in front of a photo in the Berlin gallery SR Contemporary Art, which shows a huge salt desert in Bolivia at an altitude of 4,000 meters. Only during the rainy season water stands on the salt and creates this perfect mirror effect

MS: You are often far away from everything. How do you bear silence?
TJ: I like that very much. Not everyone can stand silence. Once I was accompanied by a friend who got nervous after a short time, which stressed me again. At that moment, I decided not to take anyone with me anymore. I am completely one with myself, there is something very contemplative about it.
MS: Was there a dangerous situation on your journey?
TJ: As a photographer, you’re always a hunter who takes risks. In Iceland, I wanted to go to a waterfall, where I fell several times over an icy surface and slid down a slope. A wasteland without a mobile phone net or the chance to be found. Then I bought a satellite-supported emergency call system. To die because of a broken ankle is quite unnecessary. BvH

Exhibition “Into the Light”

Tom Jacobi’s art exhibition in the Gallery SR Contemporary Art, Niebuhrstraße 11a in Berlin-Charlottenburg. Until May 20

Contact Tom Jacobi

tomjacobi.de

More art stories you can find here.

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Giovanni Battista Moroni: Portrait of the nobleman Prospero Alessandri (ca. 1560)

Vienna is, as you know, always worth a visit! The Albertina is currently showing more than one hundred outstanding paintings and sculptures from the exquisite collections of the Princely House of Liechtenstein (until June 10) – magnificent Old Masters, from Rubens to Makart. A good reason to visit the Danube metropolis. For a first impression (and for those of you who won’t make it to Vienna) I share my favorite selection of the most beautiful exhibits.

Antico: Bust of Marcus Aurelius (ca. 1500)

The House of Liechtenstein’s magnificent art collections rank among the most important and largest private collections in the world, comparable only to those of the British royal family. They comprise imposing sculptures and paintings of the Renaissance and the Baroque by Adriaen de Vries, Peter Paul Rubens und Anthonis van Dyck, superb works by the Italian and French artists Giambologna aka Giovanni da Bolgna, Canaletto and Hyacinthe Rigaud, masterpieces of the Viennese Biedermeier by Friedrich von Amerling and Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, as well as exquisite paintings of the Makart era.

Hans Makart: The Death of Cleopatra (1875)

The House of Liechtenstein, originally an Austrian noble dynasty, had held vast possessions in Lower Austria and Moravia since the Middle Ages. In 1599, Karl I von Liechtenstein converted from the Protestant faith to the Catholicism. In 1608 he received the title of bereditary prince and thus laid the foundation for the rise of the House of Liechtenstein. In the early eighteenth century the princely family’s diverse castles and palaces were transferred to the City Palace in Vienna.

Salviati: Portrait of a Man (ca. 1543-48)

Three hundred years ago, in 1719, Emperor Charles VI elevated the neighboring estates of Vaduz and Schellenberg to the status of Imperial Principality: Liechtenstein became a sovereign state within the Holy Roman Empire. From 1807 onward, Johann I von Liechtenstein had the extensive picture gallery transferred from the Viennese City Palace to the Summer Palace outside the town walls. In 1810, five years after Duke Albert, the Albertina’s founder, the House of Liechtenstein likewise made its collections accessible to the public.

Lucas van Valckenborch The Elder: The Parable of the Blind leading the Blind (after 1568)

A year earlier Prince Johann I von Liechtenstein had fought side by side with Generalissimo Archduke Carl in the Battle of Aspern (1809). He had this first victory over Napoleon’s troops, captured in a monumental painting by Johann Peter Krafft (now on view in the Albertina’s staterooms as a permanent loan from the Princely Collections).

Quentin Massys The Elder: The Tax Collectors (ca. 1525-30)

In the nineteenth century, Prince Alois II and his son, Johann II, became the most prominent patrons and collectors of Viennese Biedermeier art. Hundreds of Paintings by Waldmüller, Fendi, Amerling and Rudolf von Alt in today’s Viennese Collections go back to Johann II’s donations. The House of Liechtenstein’s collections survived the First World War and the downfall of the Habsburg monarchy unscathed.

Osias Beert The Elder: Large Still Life with Apples, Grapes and a Vase of Flowers (ca. 1600-20)

In the final weeks of the Second World War, they were relocated from Vienna to the neutral Principality of Liechtenstein for reasons of safety. In days of economic hardship and dispossessions following Europe’s division into East and West, many paintings were sold, including key works by Leonardo, Canaletto and Rubens. Only under Prince Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein has the family’s art collection began to grow again substantially. Exhibiting the most beautiful and important masterpieces from the Princely Collections, the Albertina is celebrating the Principality’s 300^th anniversary in the palace of Duke Albert and Archduke Carl, both of whom once maintained such close relations with the House of Liechtenstein.

Source: Albertina Wien

Me infront of Ruben’s Portrait of his daughter Clara Serena (ca. 1616)

…come a bit closer…

Franz Jansz. van der Uyl: Breakfast Still Life with a Pewter Flagon (1635) – Fascinating details such as the silver bowl and the light reflections on the pot as to be seen here

Jan van Huysum: Flowers in a Terracotta Vase (ca. 1725) …note the three-dimensional depiction of the putti on the vase!

Peter Paul Rubens: Venus infront of the Mirror (ca. 1614/15) …and here the bangle of Venus as well as the mirror perspective!

Anthonis van Dyck: Portrait of a Woman (1618) …impressive filigree of lace and jewelry …

Anthonis von Dyck: Saint Jerome (ca. 1615/16)

Roelant Savery: A Bouquet of Flowers (1612)

Guiseppe Arcimboldo: Terra (Earth) ca. 1570

One of my favourite paintings of this exposition: “Landscape with the Young Tobias” by Jan Brueghel The Elder (1598). Even in the depth of the picture you will discover the finest detail depictions

Adriaen de Vries: Saint Sebastian (ca. 1613/14)

Peter Paul Rubens: Jan Vermoelen (1616)

Anthonis van Dyck: Maria de Tassis (ca. 1629/30)

Five centuries of art history

Gerrit Adriansz. Berckheyde: The Market Square in Haarlem (1661)

Frans Snyders: The Lioness (ca. 1620/30)

View into the exhibition rooms of the Albertina, in the back “The Battle between the Romans and Sabines” by Sebastiano Ricci (ca. 1700)

Domenico Guidi: Bust of Maria Annunciata (ca. 1670)

Franz Eybl: The Strawberry Seller of Hallstatt (1844)

Friedrich Wilhelm Schadow: Felix Schadow (ca. 1830)

Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller: Roses (1843)

Franz Anton Zauner: Seated Figure of Clio (1779) – in the background paintings of Batoni

Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller: Flowers in a Porcelain Vase with a Candlestick and Silver Vessels (1839)

Friedrich von Amerling: Princess Maria Franziska von Liechtenstein (1836)

Contact Albertina:

albertina.at

You can find more articles about art and culture here.

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Berlin’s Großer Wannsee – Twelve kilometer long and so beautiful!

“Have you ever been on the Peacock Island,” I asked my lovelies on the weekend, while we sat on the terrace of the in 2015 reopened restaurant Wannseeterrassen  (Wannsee terraces) and enjoyed the magnificent view of the Havel and its many sailors. Of course, none of us had been, because who would be a tourist in their own city, if not foreign friends or out-of-town friendships wanted to be entertained. There was general shrug and then also a confusion with the Villa-Island Schwanenwerder. There now seemed to be needed some clarification: Less than ten minutes later we reached the pier of the ferry, which took us with a short ride on the Havel to the island.

The proud peacock accompanied by his rather pale brownish feathery partner … Fortunately, this beauty classification does not apply to us bipeds

About a hundred peacocks currently live on the Peacock Island and so it is not surprising, that we promptly ran into one after our arrival. Accompanied by his rather pale brownish feathery partner – unfairly distributed by nature, by the way – the proud peacock unfortunately still did not show us his colorful feathered fan. But then, the nature, the flora and fauna of the island is just unbelievable beautiful: In the 67 hectare landscape Park, declared in 1990 by UNESCO as a world heritage site, is a green paradise and a haven for rare plants and animal species. And the Peacock Island is also closely linked to the Brandenburg-Prussian history.

Me infront of the castle on the Peacock Island, color-matching the beautiful, blue hydrangeas

Once, the Peacock Island served the Prussian kings as a retreat, Friedrich Wilhelm II, nephew of old Fritz, let there be built an air-castle from 1794 onwards at the southwestern tip of Werder’s for himself and his mistress Wilhelmine Encke – later Countess Lichtenau. Thus, the great period of the island began, which only then really became the Peacock Island. His son Friedrich Wilhelm III. instructed the completion of the initiated landscape park in the English style. A Meierhof for milk production had been created and the cavaliers-house for noble guests with original Gothic facades was expanded. Great artists of the time such as landscape architect Peter Joseph Lenné and architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel created, with the help of the court gardener Fintelmann from the island, an artificial paradise in the 19th century. There were kangaroos, bears and a lion, shade palms and Ailanthuses, the South Sea Islander Maitay who had been summarily renamed Heinrich Wilhelm, a giant named Karl Friedrich light and dwarfs.

My favorite place on Peacock Island: The gardening

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And the dwarves with their very own history were the reason why I had a desire to explore the island and the history associated with it. Specifically, since I read the novel „Pfaueninsel“ (Peacock Island) by the German writer Thomas Hettche, in which the author brings the dwarf-siblings Christian and Maria Dorothea Strackon and the other mentioned figures, including the island of history, to life. A gift from my friend Christine, which I devoured in a few days and took me to another world. It is the love story of the dwarf Marie, the historic documented castle mistress, who comes as an orphan at the age of six years to the island, including dwarf brother Christian. Marie falls in love with Gustav, the nephew of the court gardener who grows up with her. Who too always loved her, but can not be with her because her smallness, her crooked legs, the flat nose and high forehead gradually made her to someone else, a stranger from another world, which is also no longer with love possible to be integrated in the emotional life of the rational, now successful man and not integrated into the always reasonable expectant age itself, the incipient Maschinenzeitalter, the industrialization. Hettche’s love story tells about the adjustment of nature, of human dignity, the nature of time and the sensitivity of the soul and the body – and not least of love in its multiple manifestations, on which traces I now walked around the island. Dipping into Marie’s world, which Thomas Hettche describes so sensitive and multifaceted in his book.

In memory of his big love Queen Luise, Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III. has built the Luisen Temple on the Pfaueninsel

And so we walked from the castle up to the Meierei, past the cavalier-house and picnic area where refreshments are served. My favorite part was the garden with its flowerbeds and shrubs and the rolling hills that lead down to the Havel river. Here, I want to open my picnic basket next time and just lie in the grass. And further dream myself into the world of dwarf Marie and the Prussian kings. BvH

Like a magnificent frame the trees line the view at the Wannsee

I’m waiting for the ostentatious walks and the hoarse cries of the peacock. Unfortunately, in vain!

Ballroom above the dairy (Meierei)

The facade, King Friedrich empathized like a Gothic building

MyStylery in action: Anyone at home?

Prussian Paradise

Gorgeous vistas like here to the Luisen Temple

Beautiful old barn

Old tree populations characterize the island

The Cavalier House with its historically faked Gothic facades is still inhabited today

The Peacock Island got declared a conservation area in 1924

Unesco World Heritage

A marble monument in honor of the actress Mademoiselle Rachel – a star of her time

By the way, the island is car free and smoke free. Even the carrying of bicycles and animals is prohibited here

Open this gate to the gardening …

… and the rolling hills that lead down to the Havel river

The Peacock Island is located in the Havel in the southwest of Berlin …

It goes green

… It belongs together with the palaces and parks of Sanssouci in Potsdam and the Glienicke Palace for Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg …

… and is listed as a world heritage at UNESCO

In 1821 King Friedrich Wilhelm III. gave his garden director Peter Joseph Lenné the job to build a rose garden, a palm house and a menagerie on the site …

… And so that the rare plants and animals were not sitting on dry land, a pump house had been installed on the south bank, whose steam engine drew the floods of the Havel by voice lines in all corners of the island the following years

The rose garden

Former stable

The scent of lavender

The scent of lavender – to me, this is the scent of vacation, sun, summer

At times of the dwarf Marie not only representatives of exotic flora and fauna such as kangaroos, shade palm trees and a lion lived on the piece of land in Havelsee

On this ferry you get from the mainland to the Pfaueninsel

Before visiting the Pfaueninsel I had Lunch at the chic restaurant Wannseeterrassen

… from there you have a fantastic view to the Wannsee

Info Pfaueninsel

The island lies in the forests and waterways district Wannsee is 22 kilometers from Berlin city center and five kilometers from Potsdam away. Nestled in a complex, multi-layered historical cultural landscape, the peacock island with an area of 88 hectares, including 67 hectares of land area is designated as a nature reserve since 1924. The reserve is reported as Fauna-Flora-Habitat and part of the EU bird sanctuary. The Peacock Island is also called “Prussian paradise”.

How to get to Pfaueninsel

The Peacock Island can be reached from the center of Berlin by bus line 218 from Theodor-Heuss-Platz Underground Station through the Grunewald and continues on Wannsee S-Bahn station. Then the short ferry to the Peacock Island follows.

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The Salone del Mobile: For many insiders, the Milan design fair is THE trend barometer

From the 17th to the 22nd of April, it was time again: The Salone del Mobile opened its doors and hosts of international buyers, designers, architects, journalists, design fans and the stars of social media stormed the Milan Exhibition Center. The fashion metropolis of Milan has long since become a design mecca, and the Salone del Mobile is regarded by industry insiders as the most important design fair worldwide. Thus it’s no wonder that alliances are being forged between the furniture and fashion industry. An absolute eye-catcher is the now expanded cooperation between the fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana and the kitchen appliance manufacturer Smeg. The colorful world of the Italian design duo pours over the entire Smeg range and colorful and wildly patterned refrigerators, electric kettles, cooker hoods come out.

The colorful world of Italian design duo Dolce & Gabbana pours over the entire Smeg range

But not only the exhibition center Rho Fiera Milano attracts attention during the Salone del Mobile. The whole city wooed by the fad of this ‘design happening’, which even calls for industries that have only little to do with design. Including the car brand Audi with a grand entrance in the middle of Milan’s city center. Luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Hermès rent elegant palazzi where they present their home collections. Even classic furniture brands such as the Scandinavian label Gubi have long recognized that it enhances media attention when – instead of in one of the exhibition halls – you present your own collection in the dignified ambience of a palazzo. Bottega Veneta has been showing its home collection in the 18th-century Palazzo Gallarati Scotti on Via Borgospesso for three years now. I can only recommend a trip to this extravagant location to any Milan visitor.

Bottega Veneta has been showing its home collection in the 18th-century Palazzo Gallarati Scotti on Via Borgospesso for three years now

The special feature of these palazzi is not only the sumptuous furnishings: ceilings decorated with stucco, Baroque paintings, lavish décor, impressive Murano chandeliers are the witnesses of a bygone era, at the doors of which ordinary visitors usually knock in vain. These venues – some still privately owned or under the supervision of foundations – are often open to the public only during special events. State apartments, like the one shown here, always put me under a very special spell. With the result that they unfortunately distract one (me ;-)) from the essentials. Because something new, groundbreaking or even award worthy was not to be discovered at the exhibitors.

The Scandinavian label Gubi at the private Palazzo Serbelloni

Parallel to the Salone del Mobile, the parallel event Fuori Salone takes place in the area around Via Tortona, where international designers present their designs. Here former factory and warehouses, hidden backyards and lofts become temporary exhibition and party locations. The event has now cult status and resembles a promising contact exchange: Here, quite a few young talents have been hired by established designers right from the spot.

Appaloosa: The newest member of the luxury bed-collection by Hästens

Every two years – including 2018 – EuroCucina will be showing the latest kitchen trends. And the Salone del Bagno presented the novelties in the bathroom area. Both in the kitchen and in the bathroom – as in previous years – wood was clearly the trend material. So the solid wood kitchen is no exception. Very chic I find the relaxed look, in which wood is combined with marble or natural stone. Let’s start with EuroCucina: While German manufacturers such as Nolte and Leicht are following this trend rather hesitantly, there is no one among the predominantly Italian suppliers who work without wood. The fingerprint-absorbing glossy front does not even play a minor role. Wood is clearly the star, from which companies like Team7 or Riva1920, which have always bet on the natural material, profit. And gladly rough and haptic in the natural tone of the respective wood species. The classic marble colors black and white, but also green or brown conquer the kitchen world. And that looks mega (!!!) chic.

I found that to be an eye-catcher: Futuristic bookshelf – of course made of wood – on a rough concrete look (by Mogg)

Conclusion Salone del Mobile:

Although the 57th Salone del Mobile – with 1,841 exhibitors in 22 halls and 434,509 visitors – reported a plus of 17%, the innovative was lacking. Wood is an indispensable part of the bathroom and kitchen. Star designer Matteo Thun, who designed the ‘Icon’ table for Riva1920, told me: “Wood is the answer to the loveless minimalist design of the 90s.” I think he’s right.  BvH

At the Riva1920 stand there was a lot of traffic as in previous years. The table tops – giants from old wood roots, which are elaborately salvaged and processed – were a highlight

The new sofas

The manufacturers still rely on shades of green and velvet as material as to be seen at the both of Poliform

Curved velvet charme by Marelli

Flexform sofa design with colored piping

Italian sofa expert Baxter presented a collection of suede leather

Wrinkled designs from Laura Meroni

XXL sofa in shades of gray from Meridiani

Sofas in all shapes: Oval – here from Living Divani, curved, L-shaped or round

Classic sofa design – like this one from Gervasoni – was more the exception

Minotti showed on his 70th anniversary on large screens the diversity of its collection

In the meantime one needs a little break, out in the sun

Not much new in the Milanese design firmament

The industrial look for the kitchen…

…reinterpreted by Diesel Living

Even the modern kitchen look (by AR-TRE Cucine) does not stay without wood

Arrivederci hob: Here the hotplate is integrated directly into the marble worktop

Kitchens are gray now

The country kitchen (by Snaidero) celebrates a comeback…

…gladly in combination with natural stone such as marble (kitchen by Häcker)…

…and in shades of gray. Kitchen by Cucine Lube

Revival of the country style presented by Scavolini: I like it!

Practical: Extractors – as here from Siemens – are directly integrated in the ceramic hob

Beautiful, oval dining table with round marble base by Roche Bobois, Paris

The latest bathroom trends

The industrial look also conquers the bathroom as here from fashion designer Diesel for Scavolini

Bathroom impressions from Cielo…

…also with industrial chic

I like this oval mirrors very much…

Bathroom fittings now show their colors: Washbasins in blue-gray, pale pink, slate gray or chocolate brown (by Cielo)

I find the bidet and toilet very elegant in this stone gray

Many dream about it: The view from the bed to the bathtub

Integrated gym in the bathroom: “Gym Space” by Mattia Pareschi

Impressive exhibition stand with a green inner courtyard at Poliform

A view into the old palazzi

The Scandinavian label Gubi presented its collection in the dignified ambience of a palazzo:

The Palazzo Serbelloni…

…with a fairytale ambiance…

At the Palazzo Bovara, the Italian Elle Decor curated the exhibition “On Life – Millennials at Home” with more than 40 design partners and Google as main sponsor. The question was asked how the Generation Y of “digital natives” shapes its domestic life

In the courtyard of Palazzo Bovara, Elle Decor designed this magnificent, temporary garden

Louis Vuitton also presented the collection “Objets Nomades” in the dignified rooms of a Milanese palazzo …

…including these two seat models in wicker look

Hermès is now designing tiles and presenting a colorful range of tiles in a Moroccan look. The large tiled halls provided the background for selected pieces of the new home collection. Very cool!

Contact Salone del Mobile

salonemilano.it

More MyStylery design- and interior stories you can find here.

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The Albertina in Vienna. Here, you can see the great Raphael exhibition until the 7th of January 2018

Fans of art need to hurry: Only until January 7, 2018, the most significant exhibition of this exceptional Italian artist to date can be seen in the Albertina in Vienna. With around 130 drawings and 18 paintings, the exhibition brings together all of Raphael’s most important works: from the early Umbrian period (until 1504) through the years in Florence (1504-1508) to the Roman period (1508-1520), there are impressive works to look at from all creative phases. They are intended to explain Raphael’s meticulous thinking and working processes, from initial idea sketches to detailed and compositional studies and finally to the final painting. His masterful drawings alone made him one of the greatest draughts men of art history.

The Madonna with the Christ Child seating on a stone balustrade

Together with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo – whom he both worshiped – Raphael (1483-1520) is the great triumvirate of the Renaissance. Raphael, who was born as Raphaelo Santi in Urbino in 1483 and died in Rome in 1520 at the age of only 37, is considered a true universal genius. Whether as a painter and architect in Florence and Rome (inter alia as the site manager of St. Peter’s Basilica) or commissioned by popes and princes. Raphael’s drawings were already collected during his lifetime and are still considered to be a valuable treasure for important collectors. The founder of the Albertina, Duke Albert of Sachsen-Teschen owned more than 50 Raphael drawings alone.

Cecilie in front of a miniature model: The painted papal apartments of the Vatican Palace as a model version give an idea of the size and scope of individual commissioned works by Raphael

Numerous works from the Albertina collection and loans from world-famous museums, including the Uffizi Gallery, the Louvre, the Vatican Museums and the Royal Collection of British Queen Elizabeth II illustrate the work of Raphael, who was always in search of the balance between nature imitation and ideal picture.

Ranking among the most beautiful portrait drawings of the Renaissance is Raphael’s portrait of this graceful youth from 1503

According to Albertina director Klaus Albrecht Schröder after the shows about Van Gogh and Michelangelo, the chronologically designed exhibition is the third most expensive in the history of the Albertina. And – in my opinion – a ‘must-see’ for every art fan.  BvH

I particularly like the red-blue color concept of the exhibition rooms

Raphael is one of the most important masters of art history alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo

The portrait of this comely young man shows the eminent banker and art-loving patron Bindo Altoviti in his early twenties and was formerly wrongly considered to be a self-portrait of Raphael

Raphael’s first self-portrait from 1506

Detailed red-chalk sheet of the Cumaean Sibyl

The Madonna dell ‘ Impannata painted on behalf of Bindo Altoviti. The painting was specially restored for the exhibition, which is why the colors are so expressive

Head of a Cherub (1509). Charcoal on paper

The Holy Family with a Lamb (1507). Oil on wood

Portrait of a 14 year old unknown young man

Me in front of the Madonna with Child (1508). The very fact that this painting is over 500 years old, I find already moving

Albertina and the Raphael exhibition:

albertina.at

More Vienna-tips you can find here: Ein perfekter Tag in Wien,  (A perfect day in Vienna) Part 1-3. A MyStylery-Series

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The Entrée of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris with the imitated façade of the house on Avenue Montaigne, where even today atelier and flagshipstore of Dior are located: Bonjour, Christian Dior!

As a teenager, I was enthusiastic about “Miss Dior”, a fragrance that Christian Dior launched as the first perfume of Dior in 1947. My godmother gave me the perfume classic for my 16th birthday. My first luxury accessory, which flowery note I still have in my nose today. At the moment the Christian Dior exhibition “Couturier du Rêve”, which not only reminds of the perfume history of Dior, is running in Paris. The exhibition is devoted to the life and work of the haute couture master, whose empire turned 70 years on July 5.

Christian Dior loved the opulence, both in the interior and in his clothes creations

For me it was clear to go to Paris: This show cannot be missed as an art and fashion affine person. I had heard from friends that endless visitors were winding around the northern part of the Louvre, where more than 300 haute couture robes from seven decades were displayed in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs on 3,000 square meters. With my online ticket, I quickly passed the queue, into an exhibition that took me for hours on a spectacular journey through the decades of French luxury.

The garden theme with dresses by different Dior designers in floral prints and applications. The pink bustier dress (center) is a creation by Christian Dior, left Raf Simons, to the right Maria Grazia Chiuri

A retrospective of the history of one of the most important couture houses with personal letters and photos – also unpublished private photographs of Christian Dior, first fashion drawings and designs, campaign pictures and videos, accessories such as bags, shoes, jewelery and the legendary perfume bottles. The exhibition, which is divided into various conceptual spaces on themes such as the “flower dreams”, the “boudoir” or the “great evening gown”, begins with the collection debut of Christian Dior in 1947.

“Diablesse”: Red dress of Christian Dior’s collection debut in 1947

In addition to the partial robes of the great master, who died of a heart attack in 1957 at only 52 in southern France, the show also presents the successors of Dior. In the same year, his former assistant Yves Saint Laurent took over the fashion space that had been successfully established for a decade. He was followed by Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons and today’s chief designer Maria Grazia Chiuri. “Couturier du Rêve” is a tribute to one of the greatest fashion creators of all times, the legacy of Christian Dior, which impressively shows how the brand has influenced the fashion industry and the culture for decades. I am impressed. J’adore Dior.  BvH

A retrospective of the history of one of the most important couture houses with personal letters and photos – also unpublished private photographs of Christian Dior

About Christian Dior

Born in Normandy in 1905, Dior, who wanted to become an architect, began as a gallerist in Paris with financial support from his father, an industrialist. Due to the insolvency of his father’s company as a result of the global economic crisis in 1931, Dior first designed hat fashion for the fashion supplement of the newspaper Le Figaro and finally modèces for Parisian haute couture fashion houses. The fashion designer Robert Piguet drew attention to Dior and engaged the talented painter and draftsman in 1938. After the Second World War, Dior received from the wealthy textile manufacturer Marcel Boussac 60 million francs as starting capital for the establishment of the Haute Couture house Christian Dior. In the same year he moved his studio to the elegant Avenue Montaigne in Paris, where the Dior flagship store still is today. The first fashion collection, presented by Dior in February 1947, was a sensation and was celebrated by American journalists as “The New Look”. After the scanty, simple ladies’ wear of the war years, Dior created a narrow waist, figurative tops, wide, opulent skirts of noble materials, combined with elegant wagon-wheel hats and long gloves. Critics criticized the lavish use of scarce resources and a return to antiquated fashion in times of emancipating women, but Dior’s influence was considerable: Quickly his high-priced haute couture designs were copied from the mass market.

Black-and-white fashion photographs showing Dior models

With every season Dior presented a new ‘look’, always cheered by the fashion industry and the wealthy customers. The calyx-line was followed by the dome-, lily of the valley-, the pencil-, H-, A- and Y-lines. Dior’s creations contributed significantly to making Paris a fashion capital.

With numerous worldwide licenses – including perfumes – Dior built up an empire within a few years. He was considered reserved, shy, and humble, and felt uncomfortable in public affairs in society. His homosexuality was not addressed in the public at that time. In October 1957 Christian Dior died, presumably due to a heart attack. He was one of the most internationally renowned fashion designers and left a mark that was successfully developed under his successors.

One theme of the exhibition is devoted to the development of Dior perfumes – including their elaborate flacons

Tip:

Book your ticket for the exhibition online. This avoids waiting for hours. You need patience anyway, because there is a great deal of excitement in front of the individual exhibition pieces. Therefore also be cautious of pickpockets (living without my beloved cashmere scarf ever since). Plan sufficient time: It took me four hours to look at the exhibition.

So beautiful: On the left a design by Christian Dior from 1956, to the right of his successor Yves Saint Laurent from the year 1960

Info Christian Dior Exhibition:

The world’s largest Dior exhibition „Couturier du Rêve“  runs until the 7th of January 2018 at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

Christian Dior, who wanted to become an architect, began as a gallerist in Paris

He first designed hat fashion for the fashion supplement of the newspaper Le Figaro and finally modèces for Parisian haute couture fashion houses

One dress more beautiful than the other

Personalities such as the English Princess Margaret (Foto), Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Marlene Dietrich and Lady Diana were dressed by the traditional house

Today, Jennifer Lawrence, Natalie Portman and Rihanna are among the fans of the Dior brand

Here are the designs by John Galliano (far back) and Raf Simons (middle) with a reminiscence of Christian Dior’s predilection for opulence

This part of the exhibition is devoted to colors: Accessories and clothing in white …

… black-and-white …

… Gray … and elaborately designed mini models, which show the respective design already in detail

… Orange …

… Red …

… Purple …

… in all nuances and shades …

… Blue …

… and Black

“Parfum is the finishing touch to any dress.”

One of my favorite gowns

Lush embroided evening peeptoe

And always John Galliano ..

… who fascinates me with his imaginative creations as here on the topic of the Far East. To the right a design by Christian Dior

John Galliano: “Thamar” and “Shéhérazade”, Spring-Summer 1998

The Garden topic in rose variations

… and Dior’s lily-of-the-valley line (far back) interpreted by his successors

This filigree embroidered floral gown is designed by Raf Simons

And once again John Galliano: Beyond beautiful, isn’t it?

On a journey with imperishable fashion from all Dior decades

Dior on the titles of international high-gloss magazines: “The photographs and drawings published in the magazines often present me with an entirely new light on my creations.”

They shaped the heritage of Christian Dior and represent the further development of the Dior style: Yves Saint Laurent

Marc Bohan

Gianfranco Ferré

John Galliano

Raf Simons

Maria Grazia Chiuri

“I wanted my dresses to be moulded to the contours of the female body.”

Atelier atmosphere with designs, which are first made of white nettle, which is demonstrated in this part of the exhibition of seamstresses

At the end of the exhibition, the real highlight is the spectacular presentation of a staging of lush elegance, light and sound installation. For this room alone one should plan half an hour

MyStylery in action – the world’s largest Dior exhibition “Couturier du Rêve” runs until the 7th of January 2018 at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris

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Black and white is coming in: here at Versmissen, which, with man-made wall sculptures, drew the visitors’ attention to this stand

Finally, it was time again: My favorite interior trade fair – the “Maison et Objet” in Paris – presented the interior trends for the upcoming autumn-winter season to the expert audience for five days. I must tell you honestly that after this long-running rainy summer I am far from being receptive to the cold season. I would rather be thinking about new garden furniture for my country house than to write about warming materials and the new autumn colors.

At the Maison et Objet, international exhibitors present the new living trends in eight halls on 130,000 square meters

The good news is that as soon as I enter the exhibition grounds with the endless halls and the seemingly thousands of exhibitors, I immerse myself in the world of goods offered to me. The offer makes it easy for you to adjust to the cold season – which I couldn’t change anyway. So: bye bye summer and welcome autumn. For example with a candle in the spicy scent “Cidre” by the Irish manufacturer Max Benjamin. With this I choose a cuddly plaid in wool or cashmere from Elvang from Denmark, sprawl myself in Tibetan lambskin pillows by the Dutch brand “Lifestyle Home”. I arrange the whole thing on a dark green velvet sofa, as I have seen it at Versmissen. Sounds cozy, doesn’t it?

Europe’s largest interior trade fair did not have much new features. For the coming season, the exhibitors are relying on already established materials such as velvet, brass, fur

With a few accessories and handgrips, the new season can be perfectly staged in your own home. It is not necessary to replace the complete equipment. I love walking through the forest, collecting chestnuts, acorns, moss-covered branches and gold-colored leaves, and making a small arrangement with them. Simple ingredients – great effect. And indeed: I now enjoy the change of the seasons, rejoice in the soothing colors and think: Autumn can come.  BvH

I like this ensemble of glass flacons in browns and blues alot – seen at Pols Potten

Loving the floral patterns on the lampshades – they remind me of paintings of old masters

Yellow is the new trend …

… very nice in combination with black …

… seen at Asiatides

So retro – so chic: The pineapple lamp foot by Asiatides makes the 1950s resurrect

The chandelier is reinterpreted: Instead of a large candelabrum, many individual (and gladly also different) lampshades merge into an illuminating eye-catcher

A blue and white peacock chair: très chic!

Funny decoration idea: Fully loaded minibus with baskets and suitcases made of bast

Again popular in the lamp segment: porcelain shades in nostalgic shapes like here at Bobo Boom

Light up!

Trendy glass lamps in round shapes …

… for example these ones by the Polish brand Schwung, are still in trend

The new romantic – I like it!

Spookily beautiful: An almost floating bust made of spring-like tulle under a glass bell

Living in industrial style is still very much in demand. But where put the bicycle? Here is the solution!

One of the major interior brands is Eichholtz from the Netherlands. Eichholtz has recognized the retro trend and has revived the 50s and 60s with ice cube containers in pineapple form …

… couch tables with ears bunch-shaped feet …

… dainty armchairs in a bamboo look …

… lamps made of bronze-colored palm fronds in brass, a material that is gaining importance

Florida feeling with mouth-blown retro lamp feet: Sometimes in bright colors …

… or in elegant nude tones

Portugal has been an interesting market for innovative furniture design for a number of years, such as the Mambo label …

… which incorporates Portugal’s famous tiles in its furniture design

Almost a sculpture, which in any case takes a lot of space: Sink from an XXL natural stone

Nature – a wonderful, inexpensive supplier for autumn decorations

The photographic wallpaper – here as a light installation – is experiencing a comeback as here at Flamant

Autumn leaves in a different experience: the wall lamp is made of bronze and glass

Are they real? Yes, though no more alive: Stuffed flamingos as decoration objects

Miami style by Jonathan Adler

Autumn can come with this cozy leather sofa from “Lifestyle”, fur plaids and cuddly pillows in the colors of autumn: cognac brown, fir green and granite gray. Beautiful accessories such as the candle holders made of brass

Lush Gobelin pillows by the Spanish manufacturer Becara

Beautiful items for the laid table in autumn nuances

The interior scene is based on the color palette of the fashion industry with the just-hottest bordeaux, green and berry tones

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Steel giants: the 200-ton installation “Effondrement of Arcs”

When I recently spent a birthday weekend in the South of France with my friends, art collectors and patrons from Recklinghausen, I met a special encounter: The French artist Bernar Venet, one of the internationally outstanding sculptors of the present. His monumental steel sculptures adorn the metropolises around the world – from New York to Paris. Since 1987 the steel arch “Arc de 124,5°” has been located in Berlin at Urania place, a gift from France for the 750th anniversary of the city.

When I look at Bernar Venet’s colossal steel sculptures, the question arises as to how the individual, heavily torn, intertwined fragments are bent. Probably hardly by hand. Bernar Venet’s answer: “With the crane.” Accompany me and Bernar Venet on an exclusive walk through his art foundation in Provence.

In the former factory hall you can see early works by Bernar Venet from 1961 to 1966, pictures and reliefs from 1976 to 1984 as well as the “Indeterminate Surfaces”, which were created between 1995 and 1999

Three years ago Bernar Venet, who decided in 1963 to remove the “d” from his first name, founded his foundation. The artistic retreat of the sculptor, who, alongside Pierre Soulages, Martial Raysse and Robert Combas, is one of France’s post-war empires with the highest auction results, is off the beaten track of the Côte d’Azur in Le Muy, a small town above Cannes and Saint-Tropez.

“I work 28 hours a day, nine days a week,” says Bernar Venet, who exhibited at the Documenta in Kassel in 1977 and the following year at the Venice Biennale

On the site of a former factory and a water mill from the 16th century, Bernar Venet found a place that allowed him to combine three things: firstly, to exhibit his gigantic works in a hangar-like hall and a sculpture garden. Secondly, to show his important, minimalistic art collection for the first time publicly. And thirdly, to produce such large formats as never before.

My hosts Bernar and Diane Venet

Bernar Venet and his wife Diane, with “Venet Foundation”, made it their task to make accessible and show the work of other artists friends like Donald Judd, Sol Lewitt and Dan Flavin, to the public. On our walk through the five-acre property he bought in 1989, we walk past work by Anthony Caro, Carl Andre, Richard Long, Tony Cragg, Tony Smith, Philip King, Robert Morris, Larry Bell, and Ulrich Rückriem – and the chapel built by Frank Stella for the sculpture garden and decorated with metal reliefs.

In 2017 also the US artist Fred Sandback is honored with the solo exhibition “Pedestrian Space”. And occasionally the collection of Bernar Venet is supplemented by new exhibits. The largest work in the park was created by Venet himself: a 200-ton sculpture of steel arches, which, by the way, are not the result of a mathematical calculation, but are followed by chance. There I stand, dive into the landscape of the South of France, listen to the sound of the river, notice the chirping of the crickets, and can not turn my gaze from these steel giants.  BvH

In the former factory, the visitors always open up to surprising vistas

Visit to the Venet Foundation:

Guided tours are offered in the summer (until 15 September) Thursday afternoons and all-day Fridays. Duration of guided tours approx. 1.5 hours. Only possible with online pre-registration on pre-defined dates. Entrance fee 15 Euros. More information at venetfoundation.org.

The Solo Exhibition 2017:

In the gallery, the solo exhibition “Pedestrian Space” by the US artist Fred Sandback is shown in 2017 …

… view from the gallery to Bernar Venet’s monumental works outside

The Sculpture Park:

View to the former factory, today the center of the Bernar Venet Foundation – infront the work of the artist

The pool is a design by the artist François Morellet in 2008

“Each of my works starts with a 30 to 40 centimeter model. I can see what is artistically interesting. I am looking for aspects that have not existed before, and how I can push the boundaries of sculpture a bit.”

Venet, who lived in New York for almost five decades, described his basic concept as “undefined lines”

Nestled in a romantic park in the South of France …

… is the 16th century mill, which contains parts of Bernar Venet’s collection as well as his private rooms

The Endre, a 29 kilometer river in Le Muy, a place in Provence. The romantic park of the Bernar Venet Foundation stretches on both sides

A tunnel with an “aww”: Through the corrugated hallway of rusty Corten steel, visitors reach the Endre river, which runs along the five-hectare park

“When the sun is at the right angle, there are hundreds of light bubbles glittering inside,” says Bernar Venet, describing the walls perforated by holes

In the studio of Frank Stella, Bernar Venet was inspired by six imposing wall reliefs: “I had a huge respect for him, he was already a giant back then. Still, I wrote a number on a piece of paper, Stella added 40 percent, and I collected the sum within a year.”

Now the reliefs are part of this chapel in the sculpture park and Stella the best friend of Venet

“The collection represents the history of our lives”, says Venet about his works shown here and those of his friends, who are all unsalable

“There are many people who are able to experience access to art only in the public space and discover with pleasure, what contemporary art is and can do.”

A new addition: This work of art will still find its place in the sculpture park

Larry Bell: Something Green, 2017, laminated glass, 244 x 1219 x 244 cm

Robert Morris: Labyrinth, 2012, Fencing, 213 x 1371 x 427 cm

A work of iron chains by the French artist Arman, a close friend of Bernar Venet – the 16th century mill in the background

Steel giants: The biggest work in the sculpture park comes from Bernar Venet himself

The tree trunks are produced in China with a lead alloy, each weighing six tons. Other objects are also produced in France and Hungary

Everything is ready for a lunch with friends on a perfect summer day in the South of France

Bernar et moi: Merci beaucoup!

Contact Bernar Venet:

bernarvenet.com

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Judith Milberg’s exhibition “Out of the Center” at HypoVereinsbank, Leibnizstraße 100 in Berlin-Charlottenburg from July 18th to August 10th, 2017

Looking at the images of the Munich artist Judith Milberg, the eye looks at finely-drawn lines, which meet in color patches, and from there, spin around fantastic formations in powdery color sequences such as spiders. One associates blossoms, branches, fruits, crystals, cancer scissors, stones, dandelions, fabulous beings from underwater worlds. At first I do not think of lace doilies at all. But this is precisely what Judith Milberg uses in the works of her current exhibition “Aus der Mitte” (Out of the Center), which was first shown in Munich and can be seen in the HypoVereinbank from July 18th.

The artistic multi-talent Judith Milberg explains her works gesticulating with hands and – if needed – with use of the entire body

MyStylery: Judith, what was the impulse to use lace doilies in your pieces?
Judith Milberg: I ​​love the overlooked things that have fallen out of time, and I especially like the philosophy of the lace doily: a complex, symmetrical form follows the laws of nature, from a flower to the universe.
MS: My grandmother used to decorate her kitchen with them, which we laughed at as children.
JM: Yes, and I’m interested in that. The craft, the tradition and what is the story behind it. I am interested in all the craft techniques, I also know a lot of them. Only welding I can’t do. But I’m learning it this summer. (Laughing).

The paintings by the Munich artist Judith Milberg fascinate with the abundance and variety of ornamental and floral motifs

MS: For many years, you have been collecting items that are used in your pictures and objects. With you, even the ordinary plastic fly clapper has a chance.
JM: The art is to recognize the beauty and poetry of the objects, I then transform them in my artistic work. It is my love and affinity for the seemingly banal that drives me to collect these things.
MS: You hear colors and you see tones: When did you realize you were a synaesthetic?
JM: Even as a child, I just did not know the term for it back then. I thought everyone would see like that. For me the letter ‘P’ is a pigeon blue, ‘A’ a dark blue, and ‘U’ is yellow. Even when listening to classical music, the colors shoot into my head. That’s why I cannot listen to music when painting. I believe this is the reason why I cannot give my pictures a title. I just cannot find words.

In the work process, Judith Milberg superimposes and abstracts its structures in many layers and fuses them together into poetic surreal works of dynamic elegance

MS: What would you like to be measure with your art?
JM: I would like to be perceived as an artist who works independently of trends. I am very glad to have taken the first step into the public with my pictures and I am grateful that people like my pictures and want to talk about it with me.
MS: You’ve been painting for so many years. Why do you only show your pictures now?
JM: I wanted to be sure I knew I was ready. I am now.  BvH

40 new paintings and works on paper are exhibited by Judith Milberg in the Berlin exhibition

About Judith Milberg:

Born in Munich, Judith Milberg studied art history, Egyptology and communications science. While still studying, she founded her company for art management, curated exhibitions, issued books, and archived private art collections. In addition, Judith Milberg designed and realized numerous art and cultural projects for business, museums and cultural institutions. She was also an author, designer and TV presenter. With paintings and works on paper, the artist presents herself for the first time publicly.

Often Judith Milberg uses acrylic, linoleum paint, print, spray and crayon on canvas

 In Judith Milberg’s Studio:

Judith Milberg: “I want to encourage people to discover something extraordinary even in the seemingly invisible.”

A visit to the artist’s studio in München-Nymphenburg: Here Judith Milberg’s work is made

Judith Milberg shows me her finds, which are often used in her works, like this treasure chest with old pens

Judith Milberg keeps her rarities on long shelf-meters

Often they are bizarre everyday objects that Judith Milberg collects manically and gets inspired by them

Contact Judith Milberg:

judithmilberg.de

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