Fanantique - Art and Antiques

Panton, Paulin, Pesce, three designers ...

2008-05-07T17:45:00.028+02:00

I chose the letter P to introduce three major designers of the 20th century that I particularly admire. First, I will introduce one of the oddest designer of his time, I named Verner Panton, then continue with the french touch of Pierre Paulin and the experimental art of Gaetano Pesce.

Verner PANTON

Verner Panton was born in Denmark in 1926 and got a diploma in architecture. At the beginning of his career, he worked as an assistant of Arne Jacobsen before opening his own studio in 1955. Quickly he created non conformist pieces of furniture such as the K1 Cone chair. The most famous creation remains the Panton chair created from one piece of plastic that he realized in the 1960's, still produced today by Vitra, and seen as a technically and aesthetically sophisticated concept. Along his career, he created flowing, stunning plastic forms, futuristic creations, and was considered as the most controversial designer in Denmark. He died in 1998. To see the object of Verner Panton, click here

Pierre PAULIN

Pierre Paulin was born in Paris in 1927, he created his first chairs for Thonet and realized in the meantime his most innovative creations for Artifort. His chairs reflect the natural forms of nature, the sculptural and soft shapes characterize his organic style. His favourite materials was the foam that he covered with textile or leather. Along his career he was influenced by Arne Jacobsen and later by Ron Arad. In the 70's, he was comissionned to design furniture for the office of Georges Pompidou and François Mitterand, the french presidents of that time. His design sees a revival and remains a source of inspiration for modern designers. To see the objects of Pierre Paulin, click here

Gaetano PESCE

Gaetano Pesce was born in la Spezia in 1939. He started his career as an artist before becoming a designer. He got famous in the 60's with his anthropomorphic Up chairs and became a leader of the Radical Design Movement. Since the 80's, even if his innovative products are mass-produced they are not identical, and this concept applies to many of his creations such as the nobody's perfect furniture collection. With now 40 years of career, he is considered as one of the most experimental and provocative designer, playing with colors and disorder in the forms and materials. Since 1980's he moved to New York to focus on architecture, while still producing surprising artworks. To see the objects of Gaetano Pesce, click here

Incredible Art Basel and other art exhibitions.

2007-06-19T15:38:00.000+02:00

This summer , you won't have time to rest, many quality art exhibitions are to come all over the world. Art Basel has just finished, but I am already getting prepared for the next one, get your most confortable shoes and follow me. The list of art events below is not exhaustive.

ART BASEL

300 galleries representing about 2000 artists from all over the world, and lots of corridors and kilometers to ride through. I started with a nice breakfast at the outside lounge bar before entering the fair where a sculpture by Romero Britto welcomed the visitors.
The galleries came from all parts of the world: USA, Japan, China, Europe, South Africa, Australia to show us their best collections. We could find original paintings by Botero, Miro, Picasso, Chagall, Magritte, Rouault, sculptures by Arp, Moore and many artworks by other talented artists such as Arman, Adami, and Baj.
Andy Warhol was the big star of the fair, and that was, for me, the opportunity to know better his work. Followed by Alex Katz, John Chamberlain, Lucio Fontana, Tony Cragg ... well, you could see the best and the most up-to-date artworks that everybody talk about or has been talking about within the last months.
With a short schedule I couldn't visit all the places the Art Basel fair had organized but I'm already prepared for the 39th edition of Art Basel which will be held on June 4 to 8, 2008. If you want more, let's meet in Art Basel Miami on 6 - 9 December 2007.

ART EXHIBITIONS

Shanghai Fine Jewelry and Art Fair, China
Dhanghai exhibition center, October 13-21, 2007
www.sfjaf.com

Art Toronto, Canada
Toronto intertnational art fair, October 25 -29,2007
www.tiafair.com

Biennale di Venezia, Italy
52nd edition of international art exhibtion, July 10 - November 21, 2007
www.labiennale.org

Le nouveau réalisme, Paris, France
Grand Palais, until July 2nd, 2007.
www.rmn.fr/nouveau-realisme

De Cezanne à Picasso, Chefs d'oeuvre de la galerie Vollard
Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France, June 19th to september 19th, 2007
www.musee-orsay.fr

Toby Wright, Firenze, Italy
Third annual alumni exhibition, Corsini Family stables, June 19 - 23, 2007
www.florenceacademyofart.com

Art Basel Miami Beach
The international art show, December 6 - 9, 2007
www.artbasel.com

Looking forward to the next blog,
Best,
C.G.

Furniture designers, and glassware manufacturer

2007-02-26T19:35:00.000+01:00

Our art gallery counts products from the greatest artists and the best manufacturers of our times, I have decided to introduce you few of them in few lines.
Have a closer look to the artworks and modern creations of italian furniture designer and glass manufacturer.

Ettore Sottsass

Born in Austria, Ettore Sottsass graduates in architecture in 1939 and starts his career as an architect in Milan in the late 1940’s.

In the 1950’s he becomes famous for the design of Elea 2003, the first Italian-made computer for Olivetti, using a friendly interface and a modern look. Promoted senior consultant, he designs for Olivetti many successful products.
In the 1960’s he develops his artistic skills, creates many provocative anti-bourgeois artworks to block the Radical Design Movement. He exhibits at the MOMA New York few years later and takes part of Anti-Design movement.

But it is in 1981 that Ettore creates for the avant-garde Memphis Design Group (that he has co-founded) the colourful laminated Carlton Room Divider, now an icon in Modern furniture, but also in 1982 silverware products like the Murmansk fruit bowl. He later founds the Sottsass associati, a design studio dedicated to creations of consumer goods. During his career, he works for renowned companies such as Alessi, Artemide, Knoll, Poltronova, Vitra, Zumtobel.

Alessandro Mendini

Born in Milan in 1931, Alessandro Mendini graduates in architecture in 1959 in Milan. He works for Zanotta and Alessi for many years and for Olivetti in the 1960’s.

In the 1970’s he starts criticizing the established Design culture and writes articles for Casabella, Modo and Domus, magazine for which he becomes managing editor until 1985. He supports strongly the Global Tools avant-garde design school and the experimental design group of Studio Alchimia.

He exhibits at the Venise biennale in 1980 and opens nine years later the Atelier Mendini in Milan and the Paradise Tower in Hiroshima. His work includes many artworks for Venini, Zanotta, Swatch.

Considered as one of the most controversial artists of the revolutionary Design movement, he is famous for the Proust armchair 1978, the Alessandro M. corkscrew and the Grande Alzata vase for Venini in 2003.

Paolo Venini

Born in Milan in 1895, Paolo Venini associates to Giacomo Cappelin and opens a glassworks in the Venetian island of Murano. They soon represents the avant-garde glass blowing figures, and creates vases, sculptures, and many other artworks in opposition with the exuberant Venetian art of the time.
Acclaimed in the 1920’s at the exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels in Paris in 1925, Paolo Venini remains the only proprietor. He then collabores with the greatest artists and glass blowers to produce innovative artworks and to develop new techniques together withhis artistic director Martinuzzi Napoleone such as the pelugoso glass (tiny air bubbles).
In the 1940’s and 1950’s, Glassworks of Carlo Scarpa, such as the murrine serpente plate, chandeliers of Gio Ponti and vases of Fulvio Bianconi contributes to the fame of Venini.

Paolo Venini dies in 1959, his son in law takes over the business and uses the same strategy collaborating with great figures of Italian design : Ettore Sottsass, Alessandro Mendini, Versace and many more.

Source the AZ of modern design, ed.Merrell

Contemporary artists for planetary changes

2006-11-06T19:30:00.000+01:00

Discover the works of some of the most influential artists in modern art, architecture and Design of the twentieth century. Max Bill, Pablo Picasso, Franz West, Le Corbusier... contemporary artists for planetary changes.

ABSTRACT ART - CONCRETE ART

Max BILL, 1908 - 1994

Swiss architect, artist and designer, Max Bill was a member of the Swiss Zurich concrete group. He studied at the Bauhaus art school where he followed the training of Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee and many others. Influenced by the De Stijl group and Piet Mondrian, he reduced his palette to the primary colors and his forms to lines and angles, He defined his work as concrete rather than abstract, which means that the work has a life in itself and does not need external perception (world) to be significant. (meaningful).

Get your original lithograph by Max BILL >>

ART AND CERAMICS

Pablo PICASSO, 1881 - 1973

Founder of the revolutionary movement of the cubism, Pablo Picasso contributed to the development of modern art. All over his career, Picasso created many artworks: paintings, sculptures, lithographs ... and ceramics. His influence was worlwide and is still spreading out. In 1946. he met Suzanne and Georges Ramié who owned the Madoura ceramic workshop where he started his first creations. From this moment on he dedicated himself mostly to ceramic creations. In about twenty years, he created thousands of objects, some of them realized on unexpected bases and with stunning materials.

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DESIGN AND PLASTIC ARTS

Franz WEST, 1947

Austrian Sculptor and installation artist, Franz West is considered to be one of the most important contemporary european artist . Franz West presents works which are at the frontier between Design and Plastic arts, and which are not created to be practical but to be part of the world of contemplation and reflexion. In the 80’s he is one of the first to look for this frontier and creates mainly uncomfortable pieces of furniture which give only the illusion to be practical. Followed by many artists this reflexion influences the world of art, Design but also architecture or space organization.

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ARCHITECTURAL ARTS

Charles-Édouard Jeanneret dit Le Corbusier, 1887 - 1965

Born in Switzerland and later becoming a naturalized French, Le Corbusier is known for his skills as an architect and for being a pioneer in modernism and a member of the progressive movement.

During his travels around Europe he took an interest in architecture and met the best architects of the moment. In 1917, he settled in Paris, discovered the cubism and started to paint. His paintings usually represent different sides of the objects rejecting the view from a fixed point. He was dedicated to providing better living conditions for the residents of crowded cities, and was one of the most influential architects of the 20th century.

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