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Edgar Degas: Renowned French Painter

1st November 2012

Major Exhibition at Foundation Beyeler Basel

1st November 2012 From a very young age, I had the good fortune to be introduced to painting by Edgar Degas. My aunt was enchanted with Impressionist paintings, and Degas was her idol – as he is among many art connoisseurs. His influence in the art world continues to this day, and now for the first time ever, there is an exhibition in Switzerland devoted to the latter part of the French painter’s life. Above: Trois Danseuses jupes violettes, pastel on joined paper c. 1895-1898 Photo: Maurice Aeschimann, Onex/Geneva

Deagas horsejockblesse_25x30cm — Jockey Blessé Oil on Canvas Edgar Degas c.1896-98

Foundation Beyeler in Basel, has assembled 150 works by Degas – rich and various artistic expressions – that include paintings, pastels, drawings, sculptures and photography. It is a rare opportunity to see important works by a 19th century master, as many pieces are from private collections, and rarely on view. Edgar Degas continues until 27th January 2013. www.foundationbeyeler.ch JG

LOFT Santa Monica Show October 16th and 17th

MIDO 6-8 February 2027. Welcome to Eyewearland

Photo of Jockey Blessé Kunstmuseum Basel/Martin P. Bühler

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Rolf Spectacles

1st November 2012

All in the Family with Austrian Creators

1st November 2012 The spectacular beauty of the Austrian Tyrol region, and a fascination with classic cars, has produced one of the more unusual – and successful collaborations in eyewear. A chat with any member of the Rolf team usually begins with how beautiful the weather/scenery/trees/snow is in their area. Rolf founders – Roland Wolf, his partner Marija Lljazovic, Marija’s brother Martin, and Christian Wolf (above photo, left to right) – draw upon nature’s mountainous bounty and beauty to create their eyewear. I’ve had the pleasure to chat with Christian on various occasions, and most recently, with Christian’s brother Bernhard, who is Sales Director, during SILMO. Bernhard reiterated how the Tyrol area has influenced their work. “Our parents are natives of this region, and our love of the land is the foundation for our frame creations, with trees and stone enabling us to realise our dream of perfect natural eyewear,” says Bernhard.

ROLF-SPectacles-hornet — Excellence in Wood – Hornet by Rolf Spectacles

Rolf Spectacles burst onto the eyewear scene in 2009 with beautiful wood frames sourced from the Tyrol – and immediately they won a Silmo d’Or, and again in 2010. They won two Red Dot Awards (2010 and 2012); they received the Eyewear of the Year Award in Japan this year; and last month, Rolf Spectacles were the Gold winners in the Hall of Frames/Eyestylist.com Newcomer Awards. Very impressive for a three year old company! The other driving force for Rolf Spectacles is old cars – because decades ago, cars were made by hand. “Nowadays, only a few car companies build cars by hand – this happens everywhere – also in the optical business,” says Christian, “however, at Rolf, everything is made by hand, and crafting just one pair of glasses requires hours of handwork, and a high degree of craftsmanship. The sanding stages require lots of concentration and precision.

“At Rolf, we are always searching for new materials that correspond with the company’s philosophy of using natural sources. One of our challenges was to try a material that was not yet used in eyewear. So stone is the perfect addition to our wood and bamboo frames, since stone also offers unique characteristics.” Rolf Spectacles adhere to the fine traditions of classic crafting and detailing precision, and these qualities are realised in each innovative design in natural materials. www.rolf-spectacles.com JG

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Red Alert!

30th October 2012

Warm Tones for Winter

30th October 2012 There is nothing like a splash of vibrant red to uplift the spirits! This season red eyewear is plentiful, in a variety of tones, and sometimes teamed with black, for a hint of mystery. If concerned that red is too harsh for your skin tone, designers have taken this into consideration. The beautiful transparency of Lafont’s Lido (above) provides a lovely, luminous glow to the skin. www.lafont.com

Didier Voirol Odile C04 — Odile by Swiss Designer Didier Voirol

Swiss designer Didier Voirol is also a sculptor, and these skills are handsomely crafted in Odile (above). The acetate front is striking in black and red, and the temples are deftly sculpted in stainless steel. www.metalartconcept.com JG

Arts + travel

Alex Katz: Give me Tomorrow

27th October 2012

Turner Contemporary, Margate, UK

27th October 2012 On a first very windy trip to the Turner Contemporary at Margate’s seafront, we visited the Alex Katz exhibition, running until January 2013. This is an exciting space to visit – especially as we were able to enjoy the views of the stormy sea from inside – and downstairs the children spent time exploring Maria Nepomuceno’s installation, “Tempo para Respirar” (Breathing Time); they said it was a really nice feeling walking on tiny coloured marbles which massaged their feet and they went back in for another go before we left. Upstairs we visited the exhibition, Alex Katz: ‘Give me Tomorrow’, which brings together paintings – large and small, oil studies and collages, as well as some unusual cutouts of people canoeing (painted on both sides); the works on display span the American artist’s whole career – he is now 85 – and their diversity provided lots of talking points for youngsters. If you admire Katz’s work you will love this and the gallery is an atmospheric place to see his work. ‘Black Hat’ (above) features the artist’s wife Ada who appears in a number of the works of art.

Painting above: Alex Katz, Black Hat (Bettina), 2010, Oil on linen, 152.4 x 213.4 cm Private Collection, London © Alex Katz/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Image courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris – Salzburg.

6th October 2012 – 13th January 2013, Turner Contemporary, Margate, UK. www.turnercontemporary.org www.alexkatz.com CN

Boutiques

The Box Boutique, London

12th October 2012

12th October 2012 It may have been set up as a fine footwear destination, but the Box Boutique has now become one of the most striking destination stores in London for accessories, including some of the most sought after creative sunglasses. Eyestylist.com visited the store to meet co-owners and sisters, Elena and Yulia Pashevkina.

“We are one of a kind,” explains Elena, “our shoe brands include exciting names like Ruthie Davis, Chrissie Morris and Crisian & McCaffrey. “We pick our labels without really following trends, and so we have been able to introduce something new in London, sophisticated, and diverse.”

Alongside the shoes, three complimentary sunglass brands are showcased: Anna-Karin Karlsson, a-morir, and Mykita. “We started with Kerin Rose’s embellished sunglasses, and we introduced Anna-Karin’s designs last year. The two designers are different and individual, but both fit so perfectly with our concept. Mykita is desirable; our customers relate to the gold sunglasses they created with Bernhard Willhelm Franz, worn by Sarah Jessica Parker, and the collection also offers something intriguing for our male customer.”

The setting of the Box Boutique is also glamourous and sophisticated, with neon and neo-baroque placed side by side. The sunglass brands are a perfect pick in this context, an exciting find for Eyestylist.com.

The Box Boutique, 45 Maddox Street, London, WIS 2PG. www.theboxboutique.com