Niki de Saint Phalle (1930 – 2002) might be best known for her brightly-colored sculptures of voluptuous, dancing women, which she called Les Nana, but she had a rich career that spanned a variety of mediums. In addition to painting, film-making, and illustration of children’s books, she created unique sculptural furniture, including a series incorporating figures of snakes or serpents, to which this wall Mirror (Le Miroir) and Black Armchair (Fauteuil Noir), both circa 1980, belong.
One of my favorite contemporary furniture designers is Chris Schanck, and I always look forward to seeing his latest pieces when I attend The Salon Art + Design show each fall. Schanck’s work embraces the tension between dilapidation and opulence, asking us to find unconventional beauty in the imperfect. His contribution to this year’s fair was the Stuffed Shell Chair in a copper finish. Let’s take a closer look at this beauty.
Over the course of their nearly twenty-year partnership, Anton Kimbel (1822–1895) and Joseph Cabus (1824–1898) developed one of New York City’s leading furniture and decorating firms. Sons of German and French cabinetmaking families, they defined a new take on Modern Gothic design, a style that originated in Britain and was embraced by a growing middle class in the post–Civil War United States.
Gaming online is now one of the most popular hobbies across the globe as people everywhere are transported from their living room into different worlds. They can be driving F1 cars, drifting games, riding spaceships or being thrown headfirst into the action of a big shooter. Playing online is a massive part of these games as players no longer feel isolated and instead, they feel as though they’re part of a community. These experiences have the potential to be some of the most fun out there, although, if your setup is lackluster, it could be entirely the opposite.
Considered as one of the most relevant and forward-thinking artists of his generation, KAWS (Brian Donnelly) is critically lauded for his multi-disciplinary practice that draws upon pre-existing imagery to comment wittily on consumer culture. With his penchant for collaborations with industry giants, KAWS blurs the boundaries between fine and commercial art as he engages with audiences beyond global museums and galleries.
