art, Events

Design Miami | Basel 2024

This year, Design Miami's 18th edition runs from June 10-16, coinciding with the Art Basel fair. More than 25 international galleries are participating, showcasing a blend of historical and contemporary design pieces. Noteworthy exhibitors include Galerie Patrick Seguin, Galerie kreo, Downtown-Laffanour, Lebreton, and Ketabi Bourdet Design. The show booths feature works by interior design luminaries such as Jean Prouvé, Gio Ponti, Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, and Philippe Starck. A special tribute is dedicated to the late Gaetano Pesce, who passed away in April. Swiss art gallery Eva Presenhuber makes its debut with a presentation of Franz West's furniture. My personal highlights include: 1. Galerie Meubles et Lumières (Paris, France) showcases Max Sauze's Cassiopée chandelier and Jean-Pierre Laporte's Anemone sofa, recipient of the Best Gallery Presentation Award. 2. Galerie Gastou (Paris, France) features Shiro Kuramata's “Ephemera” vases and Gaetano Pesce's "Senza Fine" armchair. 3. Angela Weber Möbel (Zürich, Switzerland) presents a furniture set by Gio Ponti from the 1930s. 4. Downtown+ gallery (affiliated with Downtown-Laffanour, under Luna Laffanour's ownership) highlights Japanese design in the Curio section. 5. Friedman Benda gallery (New York, NY) showcases the Rosa Tank Lamp by Enrico Marone Cinzano, made with real recovered tank prisms. Basel, Switzerland June 15, 2024

art, Events

Design Miami / Paris 2023

The French capital is busy this week of October not just because of the Art Basel. International collectors and art aficionados get to catch several design events in the Left Bank’s tony Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood . Thema is a brand-new design fair housed in a historic Parisian townhouse. The show is small, 11 galleries on two floors featuring mainly up-and-coming artists and designers. According to the founder of the Thema, Michael Hadida, what distinguishes this fair is its commitment to sustainability and inclusivity. The long anticipated launch of Design Miami fair finally happened. The Art Basel's sister show is housed in a 18th century mansion with an interesting history, L'hôtel de Maisons. Many of the 27 participating galleries have to share rooms. Over half of the exhibitors are Paris-based displaying pieces by iconic French designers such as Jean Royère and Jean Prouvé. American galleries are presented here as well. I caught up with two New York galleries, Friedman Benda and Hostler Burrows. Design at Large section features oversized installations and sculptures in the garden in the back. And the icing on the cake are the sweet designs by the Milanese café Cova, which set up a temporary counter here and the deserts look delicious. Paris, October 18, 2023

art, Events

ICFF 2023

The International Contemporary Furniture Fair brought together over 400 emerging and established design brands to Javits Center in New York. Among my highlights are: the Norway pavilion with the emphasis on sustainability; and original design studio Faina by Victoria Yakusha from Ukraine. The fair program also features students' work. Some brands and artists in the video (no sponsorship*): Michael J. Brolly Moooi Morelato Dounia Lighting Varier HeyMat Yiting Hou Wang Yichu New York, NY May 21-23, 2023