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Phillips Is Going Into the Direct Art Sales Business, Commissioning Monthly Drops From Artists and Collaborators

Aug 7, 2023 By Admin in Art World News

Phillips is launching a new platform that will see the auction house partner with individual artists and sell specially created, editioned works directly to buyers. Dubbed Dropshop, the platform will offer limited edition releases of primary-market art and objects in partnership with artists, collaborators and brands.

“Dropshop is the first and only platform in the international auction sphere that partners directly with working artists, disrupting the traditional, long-held dynamics between the primary and secondary markets,” according to a statement from Phillips.

The auction house will collaborate with designated partners on every step, from conception to curation all the way to fabrication and promotion. The items will be available for a limited time through a “buy now” e-commerce model on Phillips’ website. “Offerings are exclusive…once they’re gone, they’re gone,” according to the statement. There will be a new drop and a new collaborator each month.

The first artist queued up to take part is Australian born, Brooklyn-based artist Cj Hendry, famous for her hyperreal drawings and elaborate installations. She has produced a sculptural object in the form of a red crown for the first drop.

“We’re always looking for new ways to engage with collectors and really respond to the impulses we see happening in the contemporary market at large,” said Amanda Lo Iacono, Philllips head of auctions, in a phone interview with Artnet News. “The concept of Dropshop was really something that we were seeing demand for, both from collectors and artists/collaborators. This is way to connect with each other without some of the noise.”

Cj Hendry, Crown. Image courtesy the artist and Phillips.

And there’s an added bonus for the artists who participate: If a buyer resells a work through the Phillips platform, the artist will be entitled to a resale royalty pegged at 3 percent of the sale price, which is commensurate with the resale royalty rate in the U.K. Terms of the revenue and profit sharing, however, are confidential.

Asked about the size and price points of Hendry’s drop, Lo Iacono said “Cj is doing a sculptural edition of 100, she has cheekily said to her following that the prices are between $5 and $5 million.”

The sequence of the offering is also highly specific owing to Hendry’s emphasis on the experiential nature of her practice, Lo Iacono said. She will officially take over the Dropshop platform on August 14, with an “activating” experience happening at Phillips headquarters at 432 Park Avenue on the 19th, and the object dropping on August 20.

“What’s really great about this platform is we can really act as real partners here,” Lo Iacono said. “We’re excited about finding ways to have artists participate in their success.”

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Tonal Bliss: A Chic Melbourne Haven Inspired by Palm Springs

Aug 7, 2023 By Admin in Design

If you’ve ever found yourself yearning for the spirit and laid-back elegance of Palm Springs, take a look at Tonal Bliss – a unique and relaxed family home nestled in the picturesque bay-side suburb of Hampton, Melbourne. This residence captures the essence of Palm Springs with meticulous design selections and a playful touch, creating constant summery vibes all year long.

Built in the 90s/2000s, the original home served as a blank canvas for interior designer David Puckering from The Stylesmiths to work his magic. Recognizing the home’s excellent bones and thoughtful design from its time of construction, Puckering saw the potential to update and reimagine the house to match the vision of the clients – a young family of four.

The heart of design begins with its meticulous use of tones, textures, and natural elements. Stepping inside, you’re greeted by fluted walls that stand as the focal point of the entry and staircase. The rhythmic and impactful fluted design sets the tone for the entire residence, evoking a sense of style and sophistication. Although the fluted walls required some compromises with the builder, the end result was undoubtedly worth the effort, making this house truly one-of-a-kind.

In the main living area, sunlight filters through sheer linen curtains, illuminating the sun-bleached American oak wood floors. With handcrafted terracotta tile surrounding the fireplace, the cozy space becomes the perfect place to unwind. A Jardan sofa, upholstered in rust-toned boucle textured wool, invites casual lounging and complements the overall play of tone and texture in this tranquil living space.

Moving further into the home, the kitchen, living area, and dining space blend seamlessly together, providing a harmonious flow for everyday living and entertaining. The kitchen, with its fluted base and natural stone top, is complemented by an azure blue kit-kat tile backsplash and American oak cabinetry.

The dining room features a joinery bar and dining table made from American oak, tying the Palm Spring’s aesthetic throughout the home.

The main bedroom exudes a moody allure, transporting one to a tranquil retreat after a long day. With its dark walls, the bedroom stands in contrast to the rest of the house. A fluted floor-to-ceiling headboard and Memphis-inspired tiles contribute to the atmosphere, allowing soft light to cast patterns throughout the space.

Photography by Gus MacDonald.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.

Should we look? Lakehead prof sheds light on atrocity photography

Aug 7, 2023 By Admin in Photography

Orillia-based scholar Valerie Hébert served as an author and editor for a new book called Framing the Holocaust: Photographs of a Mass Shooting in Latvia, 1941.

The Lakehead University professor is one of eight contributors to the book, which takes a deep dive into 12 photographs that document a mass shooting of Jewish people on a beach in Latvia in December 1941.

“When a lot of people think about the Holocaust, they think of Auschwitz and they think of trains,” Hébert said. “Before the death camps were built, the mass killings began with mobile shooting squads that combed through the Eastern Front as the Nazi army advanced.”

Hébert says the mobile shooting squads would gather alleged racial and political enemies and shoot them to death. More than a million people were killed using this terrorizing tactic.

“These 12 photographs show the sequential steps in one of these shooting actions,” she explained. “Jews were brought to this place, were made to undress. They were separated into smaller groups and brought to a ditch that was dug parallel with the sea, and they were shot. Their bodies fell into the ditch.”

Four men are connected to the photographs, but it’s unknown for sure who took them. The photos were turned in to the Soviet investigators by a Jewish Latvian man and are commonly used today in Holocaust museums but are rarely attributed to the correct time and place.

“This book provides an in-depth study and the historical context for these photos,” Hébert said.

In 2017, Hébert organized a workshop at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., on atrocity photography.

“Photographs are sort of at the cutting edge of Holocaust research in particular,” she said. “There is more and more interest in this field of atrocity photography.”

She invited scholars from Canada, the U.S., Germany and Australia to the two-week workshop to talk about their work in atrocity photography and to look at materials from the museum.

“The idea was to put together a book where we are all speaking about the same images,” she said. “We chose these 12 photos because it’s rare to have so many in a clear sequence.”

The images show partially clothed and naked women and children caught in moments of terror.

“They really push us to the edge of what it is we can bear to look at,” she said. “The key question of the book is if they are so unbearable to look at, why should we even engage with them? What can we gain from them? And what can they tell us?”

Each author in the book brings a different question to the photos.

For Hébert, studying photos goes back to her childhood. Her interest in history comes from looking through her grandfather’s Time Life coffee table book of photographs from the 20th century.

“From the time I was little, I would look at this book and would be really drawn to photographs,” she said.

Hébert, who has a PhD in history, uses photographs often in her teaching at Lakehead University.

“I’ve taught Holocaust courses, I’ve taught courses on the world wars, and at first I was always uneasy about showing photographs of dead bodies and people in distress,” she said.

“There are some really important questions around these people not giving their consent to be photographed. A lot of times, the photographs are a part of the torture and humiliation because the photographer is using the moment to deepen their suffering.”

Through the process of creating the book, Hébert asked herself if bringing light to the photographs continued the humiliation and horror of victims. She also asked herself if the pictures were important evidence that help people understand history.

“The chapter that I contributed to the book looks at that ethical question,” she said. “Should we look at these? Should we not? And what are the arguments on both sides?”

The chapter sets the stage for all of the following chapters in the book, and Hébert hopes readers who pick up the book will gain a new appreciation for how rich and complex photographs are.

“We have this idea that photographs tell us everything, the truth is on its surface, and we understand everything by looking at the photograph, but we don’t,” she said. “So, it’s really important to consider who took the photograph, who was the intended audience, and what that might mean.”

While the photographs in the book were taken as a celebration of the crime, they’re also an indictment, which makes it important to understand the many meanings photographs hold, Hébert says.

“It helps us think more critically about historical photographs that we see,” she said. “We are a more visual culture now with social media and Instagram. It’s all image based now.”

She says photographs can transcend language, time and geography, which makes it important to have a more critical and nuanced way of understanding pictures while being aware of their ethical complications, which makes people better consumers of present-day photojournalism.

“The ones in the book help us understand this particular event in the Holocaust,” she said. “The way that the authors model how we read and interpret these photographs, there is a lot of crossover to how you may engage in photographs of other historical events or present-day crises and human rights issues.”

Framing the Holocaust: Photographs of a Mass Shooting in Latvia, 1941 will be available for purchase on Amazon starting Aug. 22.

Phillips Enters the Primary Art Market

Aug 7, 2023 By Admin in Art World News

Cj Hendry, *Crown*

Courtesy of Phillips

Phillips is moving from the auction block to the primary art market by partnering directly with artists and other collaborators to sell limited-edition pieces each month through a digital platform it’s calling Dropshop.

Cj Hendry, a Brooklyn-based Australian artist, will offer the first Dropshop artworks in the form of brilliant-red bronze crowns that appear as inflatables and an original 60-inch by 60-inch drawing in her hyper-realistic style. The works are the first in her upcoming Crown series, Phillips said.

The price for these items, to be revealed when the artwork is made available for sale at 10 a.m. EDT on Aug. 20, could be anywhere from US$5 to US$5 million, says Christine Miele, Phillips retail sales director for ecommerce.

Phillips is taking this step apart from secondary-market auction sales to directly connect artists or other collaborators (think galleries, curators, artistic academies) with their collectors, says Amanda Lo Iacono, Phillips global managing director of 20th-century and contemporary art.

Dropshop is “in response to how much collectors’ habits changed in the pandemic and how much more comfortable they became with seeing something on social media, engaging with it there, and then transacting off of that engagement,” Lo Iacono says. “It’s kind of a structural shift in the market that’s here to stay.”

Phillips will host the platform for selling the works, but it also will be collaborating with artists and others through the process, “from conception and curation through to fabrication and promotion,” according to a news release. Any items purchased and later resold at Phillips will entitle the artist to a resale royalty commission structured similarly to the Artist’s Resale Right in the U.K.

“It felt like a natural extension of this kind of partnership to retain that relationship,” Lo Iacono says.

Hendry, 35, who is self-represented, “is going to be a great first partner because she has a very rich way of storytelling through multimedia.” Lo Iacono says.

Hendry’s presentation on Dropshop will include text and images and video. “It’s going to be very reflective of Cj’s kind of artistic personality and ethos.”

After the month is over, Hendry plans to recycle whatever materials aren’t used. “She’s already thought so far ahead that she’ll have an example of the item,” Miele says.

Dropshop is launching primarily with a pipeline of limited editions of contemporary art, “but there is scope for us to offer jewels and watches, and yes, it could also be a space for digital art as well,” Lo Iacono says. “We can offer works on [Dropshop] that are complementary to all of our collecting categories.”

When a collaborator takes over the platform for a month, they have free rein to talk about their practice or things that are important to them, Miele says.

“We can really be responsive to what the artist’s vision is for the presentation and what they want to communicate,” Lo Iacono says. “Because we are part of the fabrication process with our partners, we have this kind of lead time, which allows us to craft something really interesting for the month.”

Phillips chose to focus on editions because they are a means for artists to “expand or interrogate their practice, and also solidify concepts that are kind of integral

to their working method,” she says. “What we’re seeing is that there are not always so many clear opportunities for them to take that moment and kind of crystallize that.”

There’s also a lot of demand from collectors to be able to purchase works at more affordable price points, Lo Iacono says.

“Especially with a lot of the artists that Phillips is well known for selling at auction, these are artists who have huge followings through their gallery, have incredibly long wait lists, and this is a way for them to engage with that broader part of their collector base who may never have an opportunity to own something more significant,” she says.

Regional Art and Photography Show and Sale

Aug 7, 2023 By Admin in Photography

Next: Monday, August 7, 2023

Runs until Saturday, August 19, 2023
(See all dates)

Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Venue: Southeastern Indiana Art Guild, Aurora, 47001
Price: FREE

Local artists and photographers will be exhibiting for the next two weeks at the Southeastern Indiana art gallery in Aurora Indiana. All art will be for sale.

More Information
(Eagle Country 99.3 is not responsible for external websites)

Looking for something to do? Our Art Guild will be exhibiting local artists and photographers art work at the gallery located at 302 Second Street Aurora IN opening Saturay August 5th through the 19th. No admission charge and our building is handicap accessible. Depending on what side of town you are from in the Cincinnati area, it is a 35-55 minute highway drive. Come to see what we’re all about. We are highlighting some welded sculpture work by doctor Randy LaDuc from Dillsboro/Lawrenceburg Indiana. You won’t want to miss it.

Venue

Southeastern Indiana Art Guild

302 Second Street (corner Of 2nd And Main)

Aurora

47001

More details for this venue

Dates

The event runs from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM on the following dates.
Select a date to add this event to your calendar app.

David McDaid’s Rube Goldberg-Inspired Kinetic Sculpture Is a Monument to 3D Printing

Aug 7, 2023 By Admin in Sculpture

Driven by an Arduino-compatible microcontroller board and three custom PCBs, this 3D-printed marble run hosts a repurposed gin bottle.

5 Reasons Your Photography Might Not Be Improving

Aug 7, 2023 By Admin in Photography

We all want to be better photographers, but rarely is the path to accomplishing that plainly obvious, and it can be easy to make unconscious mistakes that stop us from reaching the next level. If you feel like you are a bit stuck in a rut, check out this insightful video essay that features an experienced photographer discussing five common reasons photographers fail to improve and how to break free and take the next step forward.

Coming to you from Alister Benn of Expressive Photography, this excellent video essay discusses five common reasons why photographers fail to improve. One that I think we can be particularly prone to these days is becoming overly reliant on external validation. Of course, if you are a professional, you need to be concerned with what clients think. However, if you do photography for your own enjoyment, the only person whose approval you need to be concerned with is yourself. Seeking external validation will only lead you to constantly chase trends and to try to craft your imagery to maximize ultimately meaningless things like Instagram likes, which, in turn, will lead your unique creative voice falling by the wayside, which is a shame, especially since exploring that voice is why most of us picked up a camera in the first place. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Benn.

Discover a Global Collective of Artisans and Makers at elk & HAMMER

Aug 7, 2023 By Admin in Art World News

elk & HAMMER founder Ashley Childs forging hammers in Washington State. Photo by Garrett Grove

It all starts with a story. That’s the premise behind elk & HAMMER, an online gallery featuring a global collective of artisans and makers redefining what it is to live and work, finding a symbiosis between the two in a manner both new and very, very old.

After jewelry designer, blacksmith, knife-maker, and gallery founder Ashley Childs produced her final jewelry collection, she followed a passion years in the making and launched elk & HAMMER. The innovative online gallery connects artists with one another and their respective artforms, those artforms with an audience, and that audience with a story. “We are a world of one-click shopping, everything fast and faceless,” says Childs. “But to pick up a knife every morning and butter your bread is an experience, made even more lovely when that butter knife was hand-forged by a blacksmith who spent decades refining their craft, whose story you know, whose face you’ve seen. That is a beautiful thing.”

elk & HAMMER currently features a growing body of work from sculptors, ceramicists, designers, painters, metalsmiths, and more. Each addition to the gallery represents another story in an ever-evolving tome exalting both the maker and the made. One of those makers is Childs’ oldest friend and mentor, Steve Schwarzer, a hall-of-fame bladesmith who has spent the past 50 years learning from those that came before, honing his craft, and redefining the art of mosaic Damascus steel.

U.K. leather worker and designer Otis Ingrams is similarly inspired by the godfathers of his craft and design vernacular. Ingrams established OTZI Studios in 2013 and has since been carefully handcrafting distinctive British, Spanish, and Italian utility goods.

Otis Ingrams, two Quarto Leather Baskets in tan and black. Photo by Mitchell D. Cohen

T.A.G. (Tom) Smith taught himself the deep-rooted art of intarsia as a teenager, slowly curating the craft into a unique celebration of the feathers and fowl he has loved just as long. Smith’s hanging wooden sculptures marry the natural artistry of wood grain with his own brand of inspired vision.

Genso and Asemi Co.—two Japanese enterprises connecting Bizen pottery with households worldwide—showcase the finest in traditional Japanese craftsmanship and the range of makers reimagining its centuries-old presence for the contemporary world.

Contemporary design innovation is at the heart of British luxury brand founder and creative director Tom Dixon’s vision. An industry maverick since the 1980s, Dixon’s furniture, lighting, and accessories aim to demonstrate the transformative nature of art in utilitarian contexts.

Whether it’s fine jewelry from Kabana or Kurtulan, knives and tools from Banshu Hamono or Messermeister, Kindrie Grove’s bronze sculptures or Nest Homeware’s cast iron kitchenware, the elk & HAMMER gallery hopes to offer an evocative, globally-informed collection that inspires presence and connection with shared stories of everyday life, through traditions dating back to humanity’s inception.

Visit elkandhammer.com to view the gallery and follow them on Instagram @elkandhammer.

You can also find more stories and videos on elk & HAMMER’s Vimeo and YouTube.

Steve Schwarzer, mosaic Damascus gentleman’s folders with gold lip pearl, with canister mosaic Damascus Wharncliffe blades. All photos by Ashley Childs unless otherwise specified

T.A.G. (Tom) Smith of the U.K., “Great Grey Owl Tail Feather” in ash, walnut, sycamore, and Swiss pear wood

Genso, Sangiri and Goma mugs, cups, and Saki cup

Tom Dixon, Brass Bash Bowl & Tray and Large Aluminum Cloud Bowl

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Discover a Global Collective of Artisans and Makers at elk & HAMMER appeared first on Colossal.

Ligne Roset Celebrates 50 Years of Togo With Two Limited Editions

Aug 7, 2023 By Admin in Design

Togo, the iconic sofa designed by Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset, is celebrating its 50th anniversary! The occasion is being marked by the release of two limited-edition versions of the seating: Atom and La Toile du Peintre. One a minimalist’s monotone-speckled dream, the other for lovers of color and pattern.

In the 1970s, new materials – foams, quilting, thermoformed plastics, and more – hit the market, opening up the possibilities for new seating concepts. Ligne Roset developed innovative production techniques to match, and with them came the first all-foam range of modular seating. The spirit of innovation was high, and designer Ducaroy was riding that wave when he thought up the Togo “seat-cushion.”

Advertisement 1974 Photo: Roux Seguela Agency via Ligne Roset Archives

First presented at the Salon des Arts Ménagers in Paris in 1973, viewers of Togo were doubtful, but the fair’s organizers were not. The seating won Ducaroy the René-Gabriel prize, which recognized “innovative and democratic furniture” for pieces which offered the right price/value relationship.

Ducaroy often described Togo’s form as “a tube of toothpaste folded back on itself like a stovepipe and closed at both ends.” The design was a hit with the hippie generation then, and has turned up in the most stylish of hotels and celebrity homes since. The sofa’s soft wrinkles continue to attract attention to this day, becoming Ligne Roset’s star product and bestseller.

The first limited-edition upholstery celebrating Togo’s momentous milestone is Atom. Brought to life by Belgian fashion designer Raf Simons for Kvadrat, it’s an experimental bouclé fabric with no visible repetition, inspired by fragments of pointillist landscapes in expressionist paintings. Birch, labradorite, and confetti colors make up Atom, with the textile featuring speckles of bold and contrasting random color across its surface. Only 878 pieces in the Atom fabric are available worldwide, and only in stores that have pre-ordered.

While the wrinkled nature of Togo’s design is a pattern in its own right, La Toile du Peintre by Pierre Frey acts as a contemporary enhancement. The large graphic pattern that’s bursting with color is a reinterpretation of a piece by painter Heather Chontos, an ode to artistic expression. The Togo Toile du Peintre will be available in Ligne Roset showrooms until the end of December 2023.

To learn more about the limited-edition Togo 50th Anniversary editions, visit ligne-roset.com.

Kelly Beall is Director of Branded Content at Design Milk. The Pittsburgh-based writer and designer has had a deep love of art and design for as long as she can remember, from Fashion Plates to MoMA and far beyond. When not searching out the visual arts, she’s likely sharing her favorite finds with others. Kelly can also be found tracking down new music, teaching herself to play the ukulele, or on the couch with her three pets – Bebe, Rainey, and Remy. Find her @designcrush on social.

Get discounted tickets to Fotografiska in honor of World Photography Day

Aug 7, 2023 By Admin in Photography

New York City’s full of renowned museums, but if you’re on a budget, the admission price can feel a bit daunting. The good news is: If Fotografiska’s been on your list, you can get in for a fraction of the price on Saturday, August 19.

The discounted admission is offered as a part of the photography museum’s World Photography Day celebrations. Tickets are now on sale for just $8 (regular admission is typically $30, so it’s a great deal). Get tickets in advance here; a limited quantity of walk-in tickets will be available at the door.

On your visit, you’ll get to explore floor after floor of stunning photography. Right now, the museum’s showing the first New York retrospective of British photographer Terry O’Neill who photographed stars including Audrey Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, Mick Jagger and Elvis Presley. He’s the one who took that iconic portrait of Brigitte Bardot with a cigarette that you’ve definitely seen. Plus, see a presentation with artist-led organization For Freedoms, featuring works by Hank Willis Thomas, Cassils, Maia Ruth Lee and more.

Located in the Flatiron District, Fotografiska aims to inspire a more conscious world through the power of photography. The Museum produces a broad range of rotating exhibitions featuring the world’s greatest photographers — both world-renowned artists and rising stars. Genres include conceptual, landscape, portrait and documentary.

The Fotografiska museum's cafe and lobby area. — Photograph: Courtesy of Fotografiska

Also while you’re there, buy a drink in the cafe to sip while you walk through the museum. If you’ve got extra time, make a reservation at the museum’s acclaimed Bar Verōnika and the Chapel Bar speakeasy, a feast for the eyes as much as the stomach.

If you share a photo of your visit on social media (using the hashtag #WorldFotoDay), you could get a chance to win a free Collector+ museum membership ($349 value). Additionally, if you spend more than $40 at the museum’s shop, you’ll get a free poster ($40 value).

The museum will be open from 9am to 11pm on Saturday, August 19, so there’s plenty of time to explore. By the way, every weekend, the museum is open until 11pm making for a super fun late-night activity (here are other NYC museums that stay open late).

Green, purple and blue lights in an infinity pattern at SUMMIT. — Photograph: By Matt Ritchie

For more World Photography Day fun on August 19, SUMMIT One Vanderbilt is opening the doors early for a special sunrise viewing event 91 stories high. Visitors can purchase the one-time package which includes access to all three SUMMIT floors during the morning golden hour, beginning at 5am, plus complimentary coffee and pastries. The sunrise will illuminate SUMMIT’s 1,215 mirrors and glass sky boxes 1,100 above the streets of Manhattan creating unrivaled skyline views and perfect photo opps—your Instagram grid will thank you.

SUMMIT’s World Photography Day admission costs $89/person; tickets are on sale here and include Fotografiska admission.