Best of MyStylery

Livingroom: The painting by Mauritius (1987) shows Sigmund Loewe, the inventor of television next to the physicist Albert Einstein. Sofa by Living Divani, Vintage chair by Hans Wegner

A cool new building in Berlin, in the attic of the summerhouse there is a modern living room with several floors – Japanese Zen-garden inclusive. The man of the house is a bustling businessman, a cosmopolitan, who finds the balance to his intensive travel life in the growing of orchids. Of course with the appropriate greenhouse.

Internet Entrepreneur, author and Art Collector Hubertus Hoffmann – always busy

MyStylery: Growing of orchids is an unusual hobby for a metropolitan amid a metropolis like Berlin…
Hubertus Hoffmann: True. But these plants amaze me since the age of 16. It’s not about money or stocks, but about beauty and exotic. The greenhouse is my romantic little jungle.

Zen garden and green house on the roof top terrace

MS: Your roof garden is a little green dream. Was it the inspiration for the initiative “Green on the Roof”?
HH: Unfortunately there is less and less green in the cities, but huge, unused roof surfaces. Our target of more than 500 supporters of “Green on the Roof” is, to greening half of all roof areas over the next few years. This is technically feasible. Regrettably, the 100 year old, antiquated authority regulations are often in the way, they must be adapted to the needs of today.

Dining area and open kitchen with a portrait of Twiggy

MS: You lived in many international cities. Is there something you miss in Germany?
HH: A lot of the Germans often lack the humor, the airy. Same applies to their flats. Most of them are still fun-free zones and also stuffy.

The reception committee in the entrée is “revolution kitsch” from China. Andy Warhol’s “Cow” keeps an eye on it

MS: Apropos: You draped a funny welcoming committee in the hallway…
HH: …that is revolution kitsch from China. The porcelain-figures I spotted at a flea market in Hong Kong. Above Mao and Co hangs the pink cow from Andy Warhol, that’s a good contrast, isn’t it?

A special souvenir to Hubertus Hoffmann is the biker jacket of the Rolling Stones of one of their last concerts in the US

The photos of Keith Richards have been shooted by Peter Lindbergh

The guitar of the Rolling Stones signed by all band members

MS: Absolutely. What about the framed biker-jacket?
HH: This one’s from one of the last concerts of the Rolling Stones in the USA, beneath is a guitar from a Stones-concert. All members of the band signed it. But I also like the Bismarck-portrait from Lenbach from 1897, which I bought at an auction. Besides stands the officer sword of my father. Every piece has its relevance.

The Bismarck portrait was painted by Franz von Lenbach in 1897, below the officer’s sword from Hubertus father

The home office of Hubertus Hoffmann

MS: Which piece are you especially proud of?
HH: In 1988 I bought a poster from Gerhard Richter for 50 DM in my hometown Goslar by the Harz, when he got the Kaiserring. Back then he also signed the “candle” for me. Today the painting’s value increased a thousand-fold. I also really like my little African collection; especially the antique headman’s chair from Ethiopia or the headman’s jewelry, both pieces cost 700 Euros only.

Gerhard Richter has signed the poster “Die Kerze”

MS: A succeeded lifestyle is…
HH: …when the flat frames as an event, old and new, inexpensive and gallant being combined. My afternoon tea for example simply tastes best from the old Rosenthal-cups from my mother. Important to me are good photographs and paintings on the wall. Many have amazing furniture, but awful art or none at all.

The ensuite bathroom …

… is adjacent to the bedroom. In the background the limited Helmut Newton book “Sumo”

MS: From your point of view, what are furnishing-sins?
HH: TV’s. They are black holes which get bigger and bigger and start dominating rooms. I hang a picture in front of every TV-screen, which, if needed, moves to the side when pressing a button. Often flats are lumbered up. Furnishing should be easy with cozy snuggle-corners.

Art by Christo on the corridor …

… and so it turns to a gallery

MS: Is there an interior-investment, which you wouldn’t repeat?
HH: As a student I lived, probably like most, with Ikea-furniture. Not one piece lived through the years. Since all these years probably around 15.000 DM came about, which I should have invested in art or a good furniture piece. I can only advice against buying mass merchandise. Vintage-furniture and good photo-art however increase in value. By the way, the best deals can be made at online-auctions. BvH

The robot man by Nam Yun Paik

The staircase leads to the upper floor. Again the functional architecture convinced

In the gallery, the photographic work “Pope” …

… and “Dalai Lama”, both by Tom Lemke – created in collaboration with Hubertus Hoffmann – entitled “Champions and The Art of Tolerance”

On the upper floor there is the guest area

A great mix of art and souvenirs

African Art and a photographic work by Michael Poliza

Painting by A.R. Penck

Humor may not be missing in the interior: The figures are flea market finds from Hong Kong. Hubertus bought “Angie” in Berlin. Love it!

For more information

about “Grün aufs Dach” (green on the roof) on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gr%C3%BCn-aufs-Dach/1565000283717883?fref=ts

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Everyone wants to be there and take the opportunity once to wander over water

It’s good to have friends everywhere. Particularly if they then also have a house at Lake Iseo, where the American environmental artist Christo has just covered half of the lake. Lago what? I do know the Lago di Como and Lake Lugano, but must confess that I had never heard of the fourth largest of the Italian lakes. Last weekend, our friends asked us to join their terrace party above the lake, from where we were able to see Christos art, ‘The Floating Piers’ on the water from an optimum perspective. An occasion to which all faces from the international art world show up and since its start on June 18*, already more than 500,000 art enthusiasts from around the world made pilgrimages to this contemplative place Sulzano.

Lake Iseo measures at its lowest point 250 meters and extends over a length of 25 km

Since Christos projects ‘The Gates’ 2005 in New York and the veiled Berlin Reichstag in 1995, which he realized with his wife Jeanne-Claude, who died in 2009, the Floating Piers must be the largest and probably the last wrapping project of the 81 years old artist. In 2014, Christo and his team chose the by Bergamo Alps framed, picturesque Lake Iseo. Here Christo installed three kilometer long bridges that connect Sulzano with the islands Monte Isola and San Paolo. The special feature of this floating pontoons is the yellow-orange material which conceals the lands and optically connects the mainland by another one and a half kilometer pedestrian paths in Sulzano and Monte Isola.

Majestically, the Monte Isola overtops the Lake Iseo, it is the largest island in a southern-European inland lake

The influx of visitors – even for the organizer – is larger than expected: more than 55,000 visitors crowd through the narrow streets of Sulzanos every day, and wait patiently at temperatures of 35 degrees partly up to four hours before they can enter the Floating Piers. In the evening, the situation relaxes a little and I was able to enter the Floating Piers without queuing for hours. What a great atmosphere! The low sun made the yellow-orange fabric that was manufactured by a German company, shine. So did the faces of the visitors, who gratefully enjoyed the refreshing breeze after extreme waiting hours in the heat. The atmosphere was so nice, all somehow in a good mood: What a Happening!

MyStylery in action

I walked barefoot on the Floating Piers, wanted to feel the catchy and yet soft surface of the substance. Delightful, this permanent, gentle swinging, that intensified when the patrol lifeboats drove past. Enjoying the view of the mountains and the sightlines of Piers, with slightly fluctuating waves, although I already had mainland under my feet again. The Floating Piers are an appeal to all senses, an absolute highlight, although a temporary one, as all events of Christo are limited in time. On July 3, the show is over, then the Floating Piers are degraded and in the idyllic Sulzano – and the house of my friends – returns to ease.  BvH

View on the shore of Sulzano

Idyllic Sulzano: Here is the access to the Floating Piers

*Info Floating Piers:

Christo’s art installation ‘The Floating Piers’ can be seen for a total of 16 days. Those who want to reach the island Monte Isola and from there San Paolo by foot through the 16 -meter wide, floating in the water lands, can do that until July 3, 2016. After that the by Christo financed, 15 million expensive artwork, will be recycled. Admission is free.

The Lake Iseo is 100 kilometers east of Milan and lies 200 kilometers west from Venice

Tip:

Can’t be bothered to wait for hours? Then you have to get up early. In the morning at 6 am or after 8 pm the Floating Piers are less crowded. Around 10 pm the last visitors were able to enter the ridges. There is the possibility to visit the island Monte Isola by boat. Tickets for this should be booked online in advance.

The house of my friends at Lago D’Iseo

I am completely in love with the lush green of the lake

For Sulzano with its 1917 inhabitants there are usually two or three Carabinieri responsible. For Christos art happening, the police presence was substantially increased

100,000 square meters of dahlias and yellow, shimmering hightech material were processed …

… which had previously been made in Münster and sewn by a Lübeck company, both in Germany

Project Manager Wolfgang Volz, who accompanies Christo for many projects, photographs the visitors and gets celebrated

Wander over water

The village of Peschiera Maraglio – on the by the way car-free Monte Isola …

… enchants with romantic alleys and typical Italian houses …

… its picturesque harbor …

… and small cafés. Tip: With its idyllic location the Ristorante Al Castello looks very welcoming. Above the hotel Residence Castello Oldofredi is located

The island of San Paolo belongs to the Beretta family, the great Italian weapons manufacturer dynasty

The Villa of the Beretta family is secured as Fort Knox: Of course everyone is curious about how weapon-dealers probably live

What a gigantic magnet for visitors

Turn a blind eye: On the 16-meter-wide webs, stewards provide a regulated processes. Sitting down or even a picnic is normally not allowed here

And there’s the maestro himself on a special boat: Christo (with his snow-white hair above right) passes through the applauding crowd: Grazie and thank you, Christo!

By the way, the Floating Piers consist of 220,000 polyethylene cubes, each 35 centimeters high

Also this feathered lake resident likes the Floating Piers

Isn’t this the perfect color combination – my pink dress and glowing orange fabric of the Floating Piers

Scenic evening atmosphere and a beautiful sunset on Lake Iseo: what more could you want?

Contact:

www.thefloatingpiers.com

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