BEAUTIFUL EVENTS THIS WEEK
Now that summer is opening up, a whole crop of beautiful events and shows is opening up around the world as well. We’ll be listing some of our favorites each week throughout the summer. Watch for them here, every Friday.
Paris:
“We Were Horses”, the latest show from Bartabas, the inventor of equestrian theater, and renowned choreographer, Carolyn Carlson, just opened in Paris at the Parc de le Villette. “We Were Horses” runs from June 7th through June 23rd, and features the riders from the Equestrian Show Academy of Versailles and dancers from the National Choreographic Centre Roubaix Nord-Pas de Calais, with music by Philip Glass.
Don’t miss this passionate expression of the beauty of horses and dance in this exceptional piece of performance art. For more information, visit the show’s website here.
London:
Every summer, we make sure we go to see the Summer Exhibition at The Royal Academy of Arts in London. It is a massive, eclectic collection of of art, created by names you know as well as many you don’t, as it is open to every British citizen who wields a paintbrush, a camera, or a sculpting tool. Don’t worry, it’s juried :). It opened this week on June 10th and continues through August 18th, 2013. This year, it had the largest open-submission ever, receiving upwards of 10,000 submitted entries. The show is curated by esteemed Royal Academy maestros, and features over 1,000 works.
Highlights this year include one of the largest wall-hanging sculptures ever created, by El Anatsui. See it hanging on the adjacent Burlington House facade. Read more about it here. And watch the time-lapse video of its installation:
Video: The Royal Academy of Arts
Always a favorite, the portrait room, now features new photography and art works by
Frank Auerbach, Tom Phillips RA, Michael Craig-Martin RA, and Alex Katz.
And don’t miss the new large-scale sculptures by Marilène Oliver and Anthony Caro RA as well as artwork by the newly elected Royal Academicians: architect/designer Ron Arad (one of our all-time favorites), Sean Scully, and Jock McFadyen.
“The Summer Exhibition draws praise for being a ‘microcosm of British democracy,” says The Daily Telegraph, pointing to the fact that the show includes work of exceptionally talented newcomers alongside that of globally acclaimed artists such as Anselm Kiefer, Grayson Perry RA, and Anish Kapoor RA. This mix makes it a “truly unique spectacle in the art world.”
Visit the Royal Academy of Art’s website for more information.
Paris:
The Grand Palais, a spectacular giant jewel box exhibition space in Paris, is currently hosting “Dynamo: A Century of Light and Movement in Art 1913-2013.” The show, which runs through July 22, 2013, is a historical exploration of how artists have used space, light, and movement. You’ll see breathtaking pieces by many world renowned contemporary artists such as Ann Veronica Janssens, Anish Kapoor, John Armleder, Carsten Höller, Philippe Decrauzat, Jeppe Hein, Felice Varini and Xavier Veilhan.
Many of the optical and kinetic art exhibits are interactive, making the viewers’ perceptions a part of the artworks, a tradition which began at the Movement exhibition in Denise René’s Paris gallery in 1955, and expanded, with what was later called "perceptual art" at the exhibition, The Responsive Eye, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1965.
Read more about the exhibition here. Visitors are encouraged to download the free “Dynamo” app from the App Store or Google Play which allows you to, “Contribute to a unique collective experience and construction vision and memory of exposure from your photographs, comments, and sounds taken in the exhibition."
LA:
Dwell Design Week returns to Los Angeles this week (June 14th through June 23, 2013). The week long event featuring speakers, exhibitions, and home tours culminates with Dwell on Design (June 21st through June 23rd, 2013) which is America’s largest modern design event.
Produced by Dwell magazine, the event welcomes over 30,000 attendees, more than 400 exhibitors, and over 200 industry leaders from around the world. It includes fabulous house tours, countless works of art on display, seminars, the Dwell on Design Awards, and more.
One cool highlight is Living Mural, a series of murals, in the tradition of LA street art, being created all week long on the show floor, by Norman Maxwell, Marcel Blanco, Colette Miller, and ten other muralists.
One of the houses on display, the Wong Residence, is nice enough on the outside, at first blush. But wait til you see the inside. It has an artist’s studio that is a work of art in and of itself. It caused a major case of envy amongst the artists on our BeautifulNow team!
For a full list of events, visit the Dwell on Design website.
Basel:
Photo: Courtesy of PlanetSiol.net
Art Basel, the world’s premier modern and contemporary art show, just opened, running from June 13th through June 16th (2013). It has been held every June, since 1970, in Basel, Switzerland, drawing tens of thousands of art lovers and connoisseurs each year.
You’ll see a staggering collection works, from over 4,000 grand masters and emerging artists, from over 300 galleries from 39 countries around the world. The show's individual sectors represent nearly every artistic medium: paintings, sculpture, installations, videos, multiples, prints, photography, and performance. Each day offers a full program of events, including symposiums, films, and artist talks. The charming city of Basel hosts additional events and exhibitions.
Guests are encouraged to download the official Art Basel app via Google Play, the App Store, or BlackBerry World for comprehensive maps and event listings. Tickets for the event can be purchased here.
Art Basel’s younger, American sister fair, Design Miami/Basel runs in conjunction with Art Basel. Similarly, it is a world-class fair and forum for design. Top collectors, gallerists, designers, curators, and critics come together to see and celebrate the latest in 20th and 21st century furniture, furnishings, and architecture. You’ll see the most beautiful examples of interior design fodder from the world’s top established and emerging designers and architects.
Be sure to check out next week’s BeautifulNow newsletter for upcoming beautiful events.
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