Photo By Gail
I spied this softly glowing Pink Neon Light Fixture from where I was seated at a corner table in the bar-adjacent dining room at Quality Eats, and at first I thought it looked like a pair of pink birds. But once I walked out past the bar, I could see that this illuminated sculpture depicts a pair of hands, grasping delicate cocktail glasses (or possibly champagne flutes, if the tiny, neon bubbles are any indication) and about to raise a celebratory toast. Cheers to that!
Photos By Gail
In line with other surrealist artists’ engagements with the ready-made, Wilhelm Freddie’s objets-mannequins, such as Sex-Paralysappeal (1936, shown here as a 1961 artist’s copy) were scandalous in their day for their explicit references to sex. With a prominently painted penis, both the 1936 and 1961 versions of this work were confiscated by the Danish authorities soon after they were exhibited.
Installation View
In Sex-Paralysappeal, Freddie transforms the classical bust into a surrealist object by treating it like a mannequin head and adorning it with various accessories. Placing the head inside an incomplete picture frame, he indicates the desire for the image to become dimensional, more lifelike. The work’s composite title vacillates between sex appeal and paralysis, amplifying the incongruity of its constituent elements.
Photographed in The Met Breuer as Part of the Exhibit, Like Life: Sculpture Color and The Body.
All Photos By Gail
If you happen to pay a visit to the Museum of Arts and Design, be sure to take the stairs to travel between floors, because it is in the stairwell that you will find the museum’s stunning goblet collection.
MAD’s collection of goblets reveals the diversity of approaches taken by artists and designers to create this common vessel. The goblets range from those inspired by historic Venetian masterworks to mass produced pieces, to non-functional works by artists who make reference to the basic form.
There are advantages and disadvantages to having the goblets right up against the glass window, in that the natural light and transparency create favorable display conditions, but it’s challenging to get photos that don’t have, say, a crosstown bus, or the facade of the CVS Drug Store across the street in the background. First World Problems.
Open 24 Hours!
The center goblet, above, appears to pay homage to Bee Keeping. Nice.
The orange, spiny goblet reminds me of some of the pieces in This Post.
I love that this one has a collection of tiny goblets inside the cup!
The Museum of Arts and Design is Located at 2 Columbus Circle in NYC.
Gluttony
If you enjoy a little decadence and danger with your evening’s glass of the grape, you may not be able to live without Hamilton Design’s collection of the Seven Deadly Wine Glasses. According to the website: These glasses are based on the 7 Deadly Sins. Each glass encapsulates a sin, which is revealed through the ritual of drinking. The 7 Deadly Glasses are about celebrating passion and encouraging the user to be sinful in a theatrical fashion.
Handmade in England. Limited Edition. Available to order. Price on Request. (I bet they cost a bloody fortune!)
Thanks to Tracy over at Modern Urban Livingfor the tip!
Collect All Seven!