“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.

The post Tom Jacobi-Exhibition “Into the Light” appeared first on My Stylery.

Bruges – Belgian pearl of medieval architecture. Here the market place “Markt”

For me as a Lübeck-native, a visit to the Belgian city of Bruges is like a déjà vu. Only that my hometown can not keep up with this collection of picturesque patrician houses, baroque city palaces and classical façades. Walking through Bruges’ old town, the many canals and bridges are reminiscent of Amsterdam. You can feel it in every corner of Bruges, that this architectural jewel was one of the most successful commercial cities from the 13th to the 15th century and it impresses me in which historical homogeneity the city still presents itself seven centuries later.

Bruges was never destroyed by wars or large-scale fires, which is why the famous historic center – since 2002 Unesco World Heritage Site – has been preserved

To get in the mood for my visit to Bruges, I watched the US film “In Bruges” with Colin Farrell and asked myself how they kept away the tourist crowds during filming. I was warned by my Belgian friend Winny: “Yes, it is always crowded in Bruges. Nevertheless, you should have been there once.” Maybe not on a weekend and certainly not when 20,000 football fans storm the city and celebrate the championship title of their club FC Bruges at the market in the old town. Day tourists flood the historic walls in every season from no later than 11 am and roll through the narrow streets of this picturesque village in West Flanders. Those who want to escape the crowds during the day simply walk beyond the respective squares such as “Markt” and “Burg” and suddenly find themselves in quiet residential areas or in greened patios. A break is also offered by the Beguinage, which is indeed a sightseeing highlight, however in which groups have no access.

Fancy a break? The Beguinage is a green oasis of peace, but in the center of the city

Culinary, Bruges has adjusted to the tourists: around the market, castle and other “places to see” there are many restaurants, unfortunately not always good, and often with overpriced food. And although I know, you should spare mussels in months without the letter “r”, I ordered Moules Frites. The Belgian specialty is offered here all year round, is frozen foods and of doubtful quality. My tip: have lunch or dinner at one of the many Michelin and Gault Millau restaurants, many of which offer comparatively affordable lunch menus. Or one discovers the locals’ spots beyond the tourist paths, such as the café “Sanseveria” in the Predikherenstraat.

Discover the locals’ spots beyond the tourist paths, such as the “Sanseveria” in the Predikherenstraat: The hip side of medieval Bruges

When the night comes over Bruges, the day tourists have left again, and the city and its inhabitants sigh recognizably. The old town dives into a special light, which effectively stages the old walls. Just around the corner from my hotel Prinsenhof lies the gourmet restaurant Guillaume. I enjoy a delicious menu and a super nice service. On the way to the hotel I experience the now deserted streets of Bruges by moonlight. Pure romance! A feeling that would hardly have come up a few hours earlier.  BvH

Bruges at night

Triennale Bruges

Art installation by Studio KCA at Jan van Eyck place

Attention, art fans: Until September 16, the Triennale Art Exhibition in Bruges awaits with 15 – partly accessible – works and installations that are spread over the entire Old Town. Central theme: Liquid Society highlights the implications of ever-changing interpersonal relationships. Art and city can thus be jointly explored by a tour.

Below the blue whale, the gourmet restaurant Spinola has built up its kitchen. Art enjoyment from close proximity

Speaking of enjoyment: This café on the Biskajersplein square is only available during the Triennale

Stretching towards the sky: Sculpture Lanchals – long necks – by John Powers reminiscent of a gooseneck

Temporary bridge installation by Jaroslaw Kozakiewicz

Want to cool down? From the pink plastic pavilion of the Spanish architect Selgascano you can dare to jump into the canal

Urban Model Belgian artist Wesley Meuris called his triennial contribution to architecture and urban life

Minne Floating School by Kunlé Adeyemi: A kind of floating school, dealing with climate change and an incentive to create renewable energy

Planning is everything: What is where at the Triennale Bruges 2018?

Where to bed in Bruges

There are some promising boutique hotels in Bruges such as the Van Cleef, Hotel Die Swaene or the Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce. The Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce is beautifully decorated (I love the Belgian interior with its soft colors) and is right by the canal. With its historic façade, it is one of the most photographed spots in the city. An aspect that causes some unrest. I decide for the Prinsenhof, which is within walking distance of three minutes from the market in a quiet side street.

Boutique Hotel Die Swaene

The Hotel Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce is right by the canal…

…and beautifully decorated. I love the Belgian interior with its soft colors

Rozenhoedkaai: one of the most photographed spots in the city. What a terrific view!

Hotel Prinsenhof…

…with its pretty lobby and Delft tiles surrounding the fireplace

My spacious room is decorated with beautiful fabrics and equipped with a separate toilet. The service is professionally friendly, but unfortunately not cordial

Bruges and Culinary

I let myself be spoiled in the star restaurant Guillaume. The gourmet restaurant Guillaume in Korte Lane is located in an old cottage. From the outside it seems almost a bit unspectacular, so we almost passed it. I opt for the three-course menu “Crazy Creations” for 52 euros: Amuse Gueule from reinterpreted Vitello tonato, roast beef and pike-perch. As a starter: lobster, Fois Grois, Iberico ham and exotic fruits. Followed by guinea fowl with roasted diced tomatoes and a raspberry slice for dessert. We renounce the wine and choose the Rosé Luberon from Provence, 32 euros a bottle.

I let myself be spoiled in the star restaurant Guillaume

As a starter: lobster, Fois Grois, Iberico ham and exotic fruits…yummy!

At the Aux Merveilleux at “Eiermarkt” place you not only enjoy the view to an imposing chandelier …

…but also a delicious breakfast with oven-warm bread and croissants

Welcome to chocolate paradise: Belgium’s chocolate is legendary, but there are also qualitative differences here. Therefore, not every truffle praline offered on the Wollestraat in umpteen side-by-side laying confectioneries, is of superior quality…

…A feast for the eyes: The chocolate mountains tower up high

The Assiette Blanche restaurant is cozy with its wood paneling. A lunch menu is served for 37€:

After the Amuse-Gueule – Anchovy and Parmesan-stuffed Macaron – a deep-fried sole with lettuce and aioli is served…

…followed by grilled hip of lamb with blanched and pureed carrots and wildflowers

Dessert: Rhubarb and strawberries with meringue and vanilla ice cream. A glass of open white wine from the Macon is offered for 7 euros. The service is excellent and especially friendly

Lovely Bruges

Passage to “Burg” place

Richly designed facades on the houses around “Burg” place

Here the town hall

Lush Baroque, wherever you look

Long waits and queues in front of the boat launchers for a ride on the canals of Bruges. Tip: Boots take a half-hour trip to neighboring Damme three times a day, the formerly important trading city. Previous reservation required

Beautiful architecture in “Kortewinkel” street as here the bar Groot Vlaenderen

…with impressive door details

…and again …

…and an imposing private door portal

Above the rooftops of Bruges

Impressive I find the roof structures with the winding chimneys and playful towers. What a splendor!

Does Harry Potter live here?

It’s best to always keep your eyes turned upwards so that nothing escapes you

…such as this magnificent house facade

I love the Belgian style with the pale red clinker and the darkened door and window frames. Sooo noble!

Places of silence

Yes, they exist, the tranquil places of peace and silence in Bruges

…like this delightful red-clinker cottage located right by the canal

Meeting point for the ducks and swans of Bruges to the opposite of the Beguinage

Tower with a view and beautiful shutters

The enchanted garden paradise in the middle of the city of Bruges and directly by the water: more is not possible

Idyllic street café Terrastje

Only a few cobblestone streets away from the Bruges hustle and bustle, you enter a quiet residential area that reminds a little of London with its bay windows and front yards

And of course, windmills are as much a part of Bruges as the old rampart along the canals, on which they were once built

Info Triennale Bruges

triennalebrugge.be

More travel tips you find here!

The post A perfect day in Bruges appeared first on My Stylery.

The art expert, Managing Director and Chairman Europe of the traditional auction house Sotheby’s also has a big name as a private person: Dr. Philipp Duke of Württemberg comes from one of the oldest German noble families, which can be traced back 950 years.
In 1996 Philipp von Württemberg began his career as a furniture expert. Today, the half French (his mother is Princess Diane von Orléans), who grew up at Lake Constance, manages Sotheby’s European operations on the continent. When he is not in Frankfurt, Paris or London, the Duke flies to the other end of the world to buy pictures. In Hamburg, I meet the art jetsetter, who has a Bavarian accent, for a relaxing cup of tea.

Philipp von Württemberg: “I decide things with my gut instinct and find old furniture beautiful. Unfortunately, there is no demand for it today, except for rare high-quality pieces and thus the market is selective.”

MyStylery: You joined Sotheby’s in 1996 as an 18th and 19th century furniture expert. But there is no market for old furniture today. Why?
Philipp von Württemberg: The young generation imagines an antique peasant dresser at most as a unique feature in the apartment. While our grandparents’ houses were full of antiques, including a very stiff and uncomfortable sofa set. Today the Zeitgeist is different and traditional furniture is unfortunately no longer in demand.
MS: Unfortunately you say …
PvW: Yes, because I think old furniture is beautiful. But no one is still cleaning silver today. Even porcelain must be dishwasher safe. The castle-like lifestyle is out of style.
MS: You yourself grew up in a castle.
PvW: That’s true, but with modern influences. My mother, who is an artist, has been collecting contemporary art during my childhood. So I had access to modern art very early on.
MS: How do you furnish nowadays?
PvW: I have separated myself from a lot of furniture over time. Instead of carpets, I prefer wooden floors. The move from London back to Germany was the definitive end of heavy, opulent curtains. However, one room is still very English in style, a kind of reminiscence of childhood. I love the stylistic mix, which is why we have some old masters as well. Between two contemporary pictures hangs a big, golden Baroque mirror and I am often asked if it was a Jeff Koons (laughs).
MS: At 14, you wanted to become a furniture restorer. An unusual career aspiration for a teenager, right?
PvW: Indeed. In the castle of my family there was some furniture, where the plaster crumbled. That was the challenge for me. At a restorer in Ludwigsburg I learned the basic craft. Above all, I understood the furniture, its structure and its history. I have no problem with getting my hands dirty. At some point I realized that you earn money faster with the trade. At flea markets I bought beautiful old things for five Marks and then sold them for double. Without the experience of restoring furniture I would not have been able to become a furniture expert.

Dr. Philipp Herzog von Württemberg, at Sotheby’s Chairman Europe Managing Director Germany and I over a cup of tea

MS: The art market has changed since the turn of the millennium. Art is becoming more and more an investment object.
PvW: When you collect with passion and consideration, art automatically becomes an investment object. You should look more closely at established artists than at young ones, in which you maybe invest 10,000 euros a year. Well-known artists are fast with 100,000 and more. Here one should very carefully consider whether these are artists who are evolving.
MS: How do I know if and how an artist develops?
PvW: You never know that. One has an idea, a feeling. Watch young artists over a couple of years and see what happens. Some disappear after two or three years from the scene. I find some artists schirch …
MS: … Schirch?
PvW: … Schirch is Bavarian and means awful in the sense of outwearing (laughs). What applies to Jonathan Meese. I just had to have that. My advice: to buy a big and a small picture from artists, then – if one artist develops successfully – you can sell the bigger one, keep the smaller one. Not advisable is a purchase just for investment. After all, art comes from the heart and not by calculation. People invest in limited watches and rare luxury cars and already think about the possible resale value when purchasing them. I find that sad.

“From the heart and not by calculation…”

MS: Art collecting is now considered to be bon ton and many collectors are willing to pay astronomically high sums of money. Can the market still serve this hype?
PvW: The hype will continue to be served for eternity. In the past, there were fewer artists, but fewer collectors. The demand today is huge, according to the offer, which is certainly justified by the globalization. There are various art academies, an army of gallery owners is ready to establish the young graduates. And then they serve those who think they have to collect. 20 years ago there were maybe 100 collectors in Germany, today there are 700 top collectors in this country alone.
MS: The art market has developed rapidly and internationally. Where else can you find niches?
PvW: The Asian market is interesting, both for us as an auction house and for collectors. My wife and I are collecting contemporary Chinese artists such as Kusama, Liu Ye, Czeng Fanzhi, Xu Bing, Yue Minjun and some European contemporary artists such as Anselm Kiefer or Gregor Hildebrandt, who inspired me from an early age. I do not buy art because it is hyped by the big galleries, but because I like it.
MS: Are the new ones different from the old collectors?
PvW: Yes, because they are faster, risk-takers, the money seems to be no big issue. Something like 20,000 Euros are spent quite easily, while our grandparents had to think about such a high investment for a long time. People today race over the big fairs like the Frieze and before Art Forum, sometimes buying without watching the artists. It feels like winter sale. 70-80 percent of all artists fall through the grid.
MS: Have you ever been mistaken?
PvW: I bought artists whom I was convinced by. Suddenly they were gone, perhaps unable to withstand the pressure. Even if the investment went down in such a case, I still love the pictures. Not always consistent with my wife’s idea. Art that my wife does not like hangs in my office (laughs).

“Germany is a great country. I really like Berlin when it comes to action. Munich stands for quality of life,” says Philipp von Württemberg, who lives privately in Frankfurt

MS: What do you recommend to young collectors?
PvW: Who builds a collection, must take his time and constantly observe and compare the market. It’s like a stock package that you do not leave to yourself. There is enough art today for smaller budgets, such as editions, fantastic paper works, photographs. Nevertheless, do not buy everything that is called art. Rather, the danger for young artists is that they go up too fast with their prices. An artist must be allowed to develop and not be at the same level as, for example, a Picasso.
MS: Are there any new trends in the collectors scene?
PvW: The so-called luxury goods, such as cars, jewelry, photography, design. A market that has grown tremendously fast. At the Frieze Masters in London, I was fascinated by an African mask that was very contemporary in its clean lines. For 20,000 euros it was offered. In contrast, a work by Tom Wesselmann from the series “The Smoker” for one million. One can certainly discuss which one is of better quality.
MS: Can you even compare that?
PvW: Not really. But it shows that you have to have a sense for aesthetics. The beauty does not always have to be expensive.

“The beauty does not always have to be expensive.”

MS: Evidently, insecurity leads one to hide behind big names instead of acting beyond the mainstream.
PvW: Exactly. This also applies to luxury cars. Ferraris, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche are the four brands that run well.
MS: Isn’t the market for old-timers grazed at some point?
PvW: There is a very small group of collectors with big garages. Others buy one or two vintage cars, which they then drive.
MS: What are you driving?
PvW: I have a Mercedes 190, born in 1957. Beautiful. But I do not need a second or third car. The car market is limited. Collecting pictures is something else, because pictures can be stored.

Philipp von Württemberg is an enthusiastic tinkerer: “In Portugal, I love collecting shells on the beach and sticking them on Ikea picture frames at home.”

MS: Your most spectacular experience as an auctioneer was Alberto Giacometti’s “L’Homme qui marche I”, which provided 104.6 million Euros in 2010. The sculpture was at that time the most expensive piece of art ever sold at an auction. Where there other experiences you like to remember?
PvW: I was initially an expert on 19th-century art, and so often in private houses and castles or in their attics, where I had spotted the stocks with a flashlight. I discovered a so called ‘Sleeper’. My first spontaneous impression was that the pale, green-faced Maria on wood could bring between 6,000 and 8,000 Euros. The picture was then identified by topex experts as one of the rare works of the Spanish painter Luis de Morales and went to London at the Oldmasters auction, where it was estimated at 200,000 to 300,000 Pounds. In the end, the Prado in Madrid got the surcharge for 550,000 Euros. And every time I stand in front of it with my children, I say, look, I found that in an attic.
MS: Are there any disappointing moments in your business?
PvW: It surprises me that at charity auctions people are reserved and do not bid. I stand in front of the audience and there is nothing left to do but wave the objects through with a smile. Charity falls by the wayside.
MS: Can you feel at what time an object has been exhausted in the bidding process?
PvW: I notice that within the first second the object is called out. The room lacks any oxygen, people yawn and do not bid. If then even the charm offensive is of no use, you have to remain cool as an auctioneer: sold and gone.
MS: You even waited a minute with the Giacometti. Motionless.
PvW: That felt like ten hours (laughs). The tension was felt despite absolute silence. Just like the will of the individual bidder. And then there is this one crucial moment. In that moment he does not care. Then it happens that he puts one on top of it. The Giacometti went from seventy over one hundred million.

“You should live with the art.”

MS: The today’s collector’s scene does not seem to begrudge each other anything.
PvW: It’s more about saying I have something that you don’t have. I first discovered it, bought it first. A collector who has just purchased something good is understandably proud and wants to show it to others.
MS: You have never parted with any part of your personal collection. Where do you leave everything?
PvW: That’s actually a problem (laughs). I have enough space in the house, a big office and now two warehouses. A real collector does not say that he has no space left.
MS: You should live with the art, you said. But you don’t do that by putting them in the garage.
PvW (laughs): It’s a collector’s principle to know you have it. To the chagrin of my family, I try to hang pictures every now and then. For every newcomer I find a place to admire him. If I buy a new suit, I would like to put it on immediately. I once bought a picture of Gregor Hildebrandt, it was so big that I could not hang it anywhere. That’s why my advice is, that looking at a picture in the original, is the most important thing when buying. Colors, shape and also the frame play a role. A bad frame destroys a picture. A good frame, on the other hand, makes a bad picture better. Tea tastes better from a nice cup than from a simple glass.
MS: Do you love tea?
PvW: Yes, although I drink a lot of coffee. The disadvantage of coffee is that I only drink it with plenty of milk and sugar. While I drink the tea black, which is healthier. As a kid, I hated tea. At the school in Friedrichshafen we always had tea with our food, especially herbal tea. Why don’t we drink water? I asked myself. I still do not like chamomile- and peppermint tea at all. It was not until my time in London in the 1980s that I discovered drinking tea again. My favorite is Lapsang Souchong. It has a calming effect on me.

“Our name obliges. We behave accordingly and are down to earth. I have a role model for my employees of being a motivator while at the same time standing behind them. I am a team player. If something does not work out, it will be on my head,” says Philipp von Württemberg

MS: You carry the big name of a former, ruling house. You said that responsibility and tradition mean a lot to you. How does this manifest itself in daily life?
PvW: A name obliges. My children got this taught from an early age. And it’s not just about things such as table manners. Nevertheless, we are in a different context today, living in the big city and not in a castle in the countryside. The children were at boarding schools in England and now study in the USA. They come together with different people and get new impulses. You can only improve if you are open to new things and ready to work on yourself.
MS: You yourself have married within the high nobility, your wife is Duchess in Bavaria. Is that intended by your house law?
PvW: Our house law was unchanged since 1828, until we changed it together with my father for the first time in 1994 and that will not be the last renewal. My parents are very young and open in their thinking, which is why two of my brothers married commoners. We live in another time, the monarchy has not existed for more than a hundred years. Also house laws must adapt to the time. After all, we are no longer living in the Middle Ages.
MS: What would you have become if you had not made a Sotheby’s career?
PvW: Artist. I love to work with my hands. I would like to weld metal and build sculptures. If there is something to fix in our house, the task will automatically be handed on to me. Screwing and sawing is exactly my thing. My favorite store is the hardware store.  BvH

Contact Philipp von Württemberg

sothebys.com/en

The post How about a cup of tea, Philipp von Württemberg? appeared first on My Stylery.

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

The post The Raphael exhibition in Vienna appeared first on My Stylery.

The Livingroom of Thomas Dellert-Dellacroix in his Loft in Berlin-Kreuzberg

In the 70’s, Andy Warhol decided that Tommy Dollar sounds better than Thomas Dellert. That was the time of the ‘Sex Pistols’ and Dellert was a punk rocker and follower of Warhol. Wether ‘Phantom of the Opera’ or ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’: The multi talent Dellert left out hardly any art- and music genre. Since five years, the native of Stockholm, with compassionate connections to the Swedish royal house, lives in Berlin Kreuzberg. The 120 square meter loft of the former Berlin Wall painter is full of memories and dedicated pictures from Yoko Ono and Michael Jackson to Nina Hagen. One isn’t surprised that the antique Samovar was a present of the Russian tsar family to one of Dellert’s ancestral and that he enjoyed the, meanwhile empty, caviar cans together with the erstwhile Shah of Persia and his wife, Empress Farah Diba.

Multimedia-artist, actor, singer, painter & film maker: Thomas Dellert-Dellacroix

MyStylery: Your life took you to many different cities, Paris, London, New York. Today you live in a former chocolate fabric in Berlin. Does an artist have to be here nowadays?
Thomas Dellert: No, to me, Berlin is only a stopover. I’m restless and in thoughts already somewhere else. Maybe I’ll go back to Paris or Stockholm next.

Highheel on telephone: Artpiece by Thomas Dellert

MS: In your loft you live with your wife and two children. And you also work here…
TD: I never separate work and privacy. My life is my work.

This is what the home of a manic collector looks like

MS: Two times within five years you got robbed. Do the things that stayed with you become a different meaning?
TD: Yes, such as Miles Davis’ trumpet or my collection of stockings from the 30s and 40s. Among is also a pair that Marlene Dietrich gave to me in 1973. Especially the things that can’t be replaced are the important ones. Therefore I saved all my projects on harddrive, which I keep in a hundred years old, very thick steal-safe.

Dellert loves provocation – even and especially in his art

MS: Wherever you look around here, you always find something new. Have you always been a collector?
TD: Yes, a passionate one. My style is creative and full of love. The carpets I designed myself. But I also like Danish design, such as the chair from Kjaerholm.

The black leather chair is by Kjaerholm, the carpets are Dellert-Design

MS: How did you get the idea of wallpapering your bedroom with a leopard print?
TD: (laughs) Since I was 18 I always had a leo-wallpaper. It’s the energy from back then, which I hope for and thereby get back. Now I am 60, three times divorced, survived fires and car accidents. Today I’m standing in the Autumn of life and look back.

Wherever one looks, there is always something new to discover

MS: Kitchen furniture, floor, lampshades, nearly all walls are black here. Why?
TD: I never really thought about this. Black isn’t a color, it’s a powerful basis, a symbol and has something sedative. When I close my eyes, I see black, but also all the other colors. Actually black is the beginning and ending of everything.  BvH

Besides Andy Warhol, Dellert is the only artist who ever designed a SL-Edition for Mercedes

Thomas Dellert’s likeness as a bottle label – also an expression of his versatility

Dellert – who was named Tommy Dollar by Andy Warhol – was enthusiastic about pop art and inspired Warhol to his camouflage series

VIP toilet: On the walls pictures, autographs and dedications from Nina Hagen to Michael Jackson

Former Berlin wall painter Dellert, who was born just eight years after the end of WWII, deals in his works with the war theme, the Holocaust and the division of Germany

Thomas Dellert in his bedroom: Here he also keeps treasures of his collection such as the snakeskin-heels of Leni Riefenstahl or a stage outfit of Jimi Hendrix

Dellert’s art is represented among others in ‘The Absolut Vodka’ Collection and ‘The Heinz Collection’ and the Holocaust Memorial Museum

Dellert was already fascinated of leoprints as a jung man. Today his entire bedroom is papered with it

Memories of Africa. Dellert lived in New York, Barcelona, twelve years in Paris, eight years in London, in Barcelona and in Stuttgart

Customized workplace

Dellert has a certain penchant for the morbid

And again Leo: this time not a print, but a real one

Contact Thomas Dellert:

www.thomasdellert.com

The post A visit to artist Thomas Dellert appeared first on My Stylery.

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

The post Christian Dior exhibition in Paris appeared first on My Stylery.

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

The post A visit to Bernar Venet, the most popular artist of France appeared first on My Stylery.

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

The post Judith Milberg’s Exhibition “Out of the Center” appeared first on My Stylery.

The home of the writer Ivana Jeissing in Brandenburg. The historical coloring of the house had to be reconstructed again. It was rehabilitated for two years

A beautiful woman in a beautiful house by a beautiful lake. Sounds almost like in a picture book. And it is. Ivana Jeissing, a native of Austria, lives by one of the most magnificent lakes in Brandenburg. In 1998 the successful writer came to Berlin. At first she lived in a purist townhouse in the trendy center of the capital. By chance, Ivana Jeissing discovered this jeweler’s jewel, elaborated it, and awakened the almost striking mansion with the light outer facade and the green-red wood elements from the Sleeping Beauty sleep. Here the author lives since 2012 together with her Icelandic companion and two dogs on 900 square meters.

In 1998 the successful writer Ivana Jeissing came to Berlin

MyStylery: You can not really complain about lack of space, dear Ivana…
Ivana Jeissung (laughs): Right! I was not aware how big the house actually was at first. But when I first saw it from the lake, it was clear, that it had to be this one.
MS: The house and you searched and found each other?
IJ: I’ve always been a fan of the opposite laying horticulture and have watched the house over the years. It was empty for 15 years. Nobody wanted this object, which was located directly on the street. The property was so grown with plants that you could not see the lake. The roof had partly fallen into place. A complete renovation case, which I approached with great naiveté.
MS: To what extent?
IJ: The third floor was completely removed. Roof and truss were renewed. The house stood under a gigantic shell like a hollow tooth. Despite these enormous interventions, there was nothing that went very wrong. No catastrophes. Most complicated was the construction of the terrace, which did not exist before and which had to be approved. The house served as an old dormitory in GDR times and ran in the immediate border area, which is why terraces and balconies were presumably removed. I cannot imagine a house by the lake without a terrace.

The beautiful terrace with lake view

MS: You’ve lived five years in Berlin’s wild center. What a contrast program…
IJ: My then husband and I had a townhouse built over five floors in Oberwallstrasse (Street in Berlin). Minimalist and reduced, it consisted only of stainless steel, glass and stone. At that time I wanted only the most necessary, so there was not even a closet. Instead, emptiness where one looked. Not a single little tin in the bathroom, no frills. It was like an inner inventory, which made me feel very well at the time. I also wrote my second novel there.
MS: Your first novel was made in an old Berlin apartment building. Do you move for each of your books?
IJ (laughs): One could think so. But suddenly there was the longing for something old again, a house with a bit of tutelage. I came out of this reduction and found myself suddenly in this old house with all its playful elements.

In the hall the huge original fireplace with its colorful ceramic tiles, the coat of arms of the builders and playful details

MS: Tell us about the magic of this place …
IJ: It is the view you have from here, which is absolutely timeless. There is nothing to indicate at which time we are living, no electric cable, no car, no sign of our high-tech age. The rest. And nature.
MS: And there are many walls for your art. How did you become a collector?
IJ: When I came to Berlin at the end of the nineties, I got to know artists through befriended gallery owners. The purchase of my first pictures came through the personal contact to the artists. I do not see myself as a collector, I just like to live with art. Meanwhile, the walls are full. If something new came along, I would separate myself from the existing one.

Installation „Hydrate“ by Sylvie Fleury and a porcelain figure from the 1940s by Wiener Werkstätten: “The gift of a friend whom I have conceded during his lovesickness.”

MS: What does your focus lie on?
IJ: On contemporary works. I decide intuitively and am not determined in a particular direction.
MS: What art would not come into your house?
IJ: Kitschy craftsmanship or decorative art that wants to please is not my thing. I am interested in corners and edges.
MS: Is there a favorite artist?
IJ: Difficult to answer. In the moment when I say one, many others come to my mind. The last work I bought was from the Frenchman Emmanuel Bornstein. I could not say no.

Working with a view to the lake side: This is the place where Ivana Jeissing writes her new novel

MS: You were a film director and creative director in advertising. How did you get to writing?
IJ: I was an actress too, until I realized I had no talent at all (laughs). After all the turbulent years, I suddenly felt as if I had been thrown out of a high-speed car. It was a real challenge because suddenly I had to start something with myself. I began to write short stories until my agent motivated me for my first novel “Invisible”. Writing went better than I thought. And now I start with my fourth novel.
MS: There are writers who deliver a novel every year.
IJ: I’m definitely not one of them. I need to write longer. Sometimes I come to a point because I have to think a lot or pause for several days. I then need change of scenery and go to the cold store in the supermarket and look at the yoghurts (laughs). Sometimes I also travel spontaneously or meet friends. On other days I write through and am totally immersed in my figures and their parallel world.

“There are no original plans from the house. Also the architect is not known. It was built in 1904 by a Berlin beer brewer family, expanded in 1908 to a total of 900 square meters of living space.”

MS: Workwise, did you get where you’ve always seen yourself?
IJ: I always keep a door open with a willingness to move on. I’ve never been to the point in my career where I told myself, right, this is it now.
MS: You live in a dream villa, have a great man and two cute dogs. Are there any left open wishes?
IJ: I’m very happy. From time to time I dream of a very minimalist house on Iceland in the snow with a view of the North Atlantic and a cozy cottage in the sun. I do not want to live in the city anymore. BvH

Ivana Jeissing in the stairwell of her villa – always accompanied by the dogs

About Ivana Jeissing:

Ivana Jeissing was born in Salzburg and grew up in Austria and Italy. Other stations in her life were Vienna, London and Barcelona. Today the author lives and works in Berlin. She worked as a film director and creative director before devoting herself exclusively to writing. Her first novel “Invisible” was translated into several languages. Her second novel “Felsenbrüter” and the third novel “Wintersonnen” deal with the elementary questions of life. For her debut “Invisible”, Jeissing received the DeLia Literary Prize in 2008.

The entrance of the villa built in 1904. The floor is decorated with original tiles

The Chinese vintage shelf was discovered by Ivana Jeissing in Berlin

The picture above the sofa is by Sergej Jensen. In front, the blowball lamp of the South-American designer Jorge Pardo

“I bought these copper deers in Milan in an antique shop”, says Ivana Jeissing. “The Bambis remind me of my childhood in Italy.” Above the fireplace, a picture of Carsten Fock, developed in collaboration with the fashion designer Bernhard Wilhelm

Details of the fireplace

Framed by pictures and sculptures is the white lamp classic „Nessino Tavolo“ from Artemide

Oil painting by Carsten Fock behind a daybed with blue velvet cushions

The Greyhound comes from a gallery in England. “I love greyhounds and find that this one fits very nicely beside the porcelain figure, which I found in a antique store in the Berlin Mommsenstraße.”

Lovely light reflections and a capitoned sofa by AMJ Design, “Babydoll” by Jonathan Meese. The “Fun Lamp” lamp is by Verner Panton

„Come down to Earth” by Daniel Pflumm, beside a sculpture under plexiglass by John Bock

Beautiful view of the intersecting rooms on the ground floor of the villa

The five fireplaces of the house are historic, but not all original: Ivana bought them in England or at auctions. Only the large chimney in the hall with the coat of arms of the builders on colorful ceramic tiles, on which the artist has immortalized, is original

Ivana Jeissing in her custom made kitchen: “I came to Berlin in 1998 and always lived in the middle of the city. Endless parties and nights for example at the Paris Bar. I do not need that anymore today.”

Perfectly arranged and color-matched ball vases on the fireplace mantelpiece in the kitchen

The large kitchen sink is made of wood

In the kitchen tulip chairs and table by Eero Saarinen, behind it a brown leather sofa by Piero Lissoni

Almost like on vacation: Lunch on the magnificent terrace overlooking the lake

From the living room you enter the terrace with a large round table and chairs by Verner Panton

Everything in sight has Jack Russell Mr. Pipo: the cognac colored Egg Chairs infront of the fireplace are from Arne Jacobsen

Image with Pitbull Terrier: A work of Russian artist Kalonin. “When I acquired the picture, the concept of ‘fighting dog’ did not exist yet.”

In the large hall with the original fireplace the Ball Chair by Eero Aarnio …

… and the historical stucco ceilings, which were no longer available and were reconstructed according to old models

Always there: The Jack Russell Terrier Lady Ena (7) and Mr. Pipo (4)

The colors for the walls had to be mixed: “Two shades of blue, which vary depending on the room and the light incident. From light blue to blue-gray.” The ceilings are white as a contrast.

In the guest room the oil painting “Alice” by Stefan Rinck

The façade with the green-red wooden elements reminds us more of architecture from southern Germany

Watched through the wooden pier: From here you can admire a wonderful view …

… that is also loved by the two dogs

Living where others go on holiday

Lush rosaries line the 4,000 square meter lake property

Under the terrace is a sheltered seating corner …

… where you can sit comfortably even in indifferent weather

Ivana Jeissing loves gardening

In her garden there are roses, lavender and fruit trees …

… and shady places under old trees

Mr. Pipo checks the situation: The doggies like to take over the water

Pure idyll on the boat bridge – it doesn’t get any better, I think!

Ivana Jeissing found her first Jack Russell Ena over a note in the horse stable. “My Greyhound had just died. I cannot imagine a life without a dog. “

Small still life with apples from the garden

Contact Ivana Jeissing:

metrolit.de

Merken

Merken

Merken

Merken

The post At home with Writer Ivana Jeissing appeared first on My Stylery.