Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/141341
CHERYL FAIR The Art of the Object with TURRELL Talk about a 100th anniversary gift. Rice University's Centennial Campaign — which culminates with this fall's homecoming — got an early present of appreciation from alumna Suzanne Deal Booth that we predict will become a major art pilgrimage site. Get set for a big reveal next month along the creative corridor that intersects the campus' orchestral and commerce buildings. Sited between the much lauded Shepherd School of Music and the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business, the expected-to-be breathtaking new James Turrell Skyspace will stand guard west of the main quadrangle, at the heart of the university, visible from the Texas Medical Center and adjoining residential high-rises. Featuring a 14-by-14-foot rectangular oculus, and with salient components a grassy berm over which floats an elevated, 72-by-72-foot roof, the futuristic concrete, stone and steel open-air creation promises a transformative experience. An LED light show amplifies the ethereal nature of this Turrell, which is reportedly the only skyspace in the world acoustically engineered for musical performances; it also serves as a lab for Shepherd School students and accommodates 150 people. The striking, other-worldly commission — enjoyed to greatest effect at dawn and dusk — brings Houston's tally of Turrells to three, including the handsome, well-trafficked MFAH Law-toBeck light tunnel and the serene Skyspace at the Live Oak Friends Meeting House. FYI: The MFAH is co-curating a major Turrell retrospective, slated for 2013, that will cast additional international attention on the Arizona-based artist and undoubtedly highlight our bevy of sight-specific offerings by this incomparable maestro of light and space. For an update of the Rice Skyspace opening date, peruse publicart.rice.edu. Catherine D. Anspon SARAH CAMPBELL BLAFFER FOUNDATION, HOUSTON This month, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in conjunction with the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation, mounts "Elegance and Refinement: The StillLife Paintings of Willem van Aelst." The landmark compilation of 28 pivotal van Aelst (1627 – 1683) canvases reveals an evolving virtuoso who dramatically impacted late-17thcentury still-life painting. Show curators James Clifton, Arthur Wheelock and Tanya Paul explore how the Dutch artist's sojourns to Paris and Florence (the Medici court, no less) early in life played a significant role in Willem van Aelst's Hunt Still Life with a Velvet Bag on a Marble Ledge, circa 1665, at MFAH the tightening and refining of his work. During these years abroad, van Aelst learned to discern the interests of his patrons and edit his subject matter accordingly. The sheer proportions of his resulting tableaux of luxury and sophistication are disarming. Through the use of lavish pigments such as ultramarine and a meticulous technique, van Aelst instilled in his art an intrinsic sense of value: His sumptuous depictions of the hunt and luxuriously set tables, voluminous draperies and sparkling Venetian glassware — invariably rendered with saturated jewel tones — were perfectly tailored to his elite clientele. Can't get enough of these technically brilliant works? Pick up the book that shares the exhibition's name — the first-ever monograph dedicated to van Aelst's paintings, published by Skira Rizzoli in conjunction with the MFAH. Through May 28, at the MFAH's Beck Building, 5601 Main St., 713.639.7300; mfah.org. Seth Vaughan Mucho Love for Lucho Shoes They say you find love in the unlikeliest of places — and that's definitely the case with Lucho's new collection of women's shoes. Lucho, you see, is a stylish shop in Uptown Park known for men's clothing and accessories. Why the addition of women's shoes? Co-owner Hector Villarreal confesses a lifelong dream of doing something artistic. "I can't paint. I can't play an instrument," he says. "But I could imagine and visualize an elegant and eye-catching shoe." We adore the sexy styles, which include stacked-heel stilettos and laser-cut booties in a variety of colors and materials. From $325, at the Lucho boutique. Kate Allen Stukenberg COURTESY CAMH Transformative THOMAS PHIFER AND PARTNERS James Turrell's Skyspace at Rice University, unveiling June 2012 WILLEM VAN AELST ZIP Who Inspires Us: Dean It Up For decades, I've admired it from afar — and now I'm gawking at it through the glass display case in Van Cleef & Arpels' newest boutique in Neiman Marcus. I'm simply awed by the intricacy Van Cleef involved in crafting the iconic & Arpels zipper necklace. Yes, call Collier Zip me gobsmacked by this clever necklace in white gold with design, which is as functional as diamonds, turquoise and it is beautiful — not to mention chrysophrase utterly limited; I'm told there are less than a handful available worldwide. Nicolas Bos, Van Cleef & Arpels' creative director, admits he's not sure if style setter Wallis Simpson (aka the Duchess of Windsor) designed the piece herself or collaborated with her friend Renee Puissant, who was VC&A's artistic director at the time (circa 1930), or head-huddled with designer Elsa Schiaparelli, who was one of the first couturiers to bring the once-industrial fastener into high fashion. No matter. The handcrafted result — each tooth fastidiously and precisely made with gold — allowed the Duchess and any other woman fortunate enough to drape one about her clavicle to wear it at any length desired. Now, may I try it on please? Price upon request, at the Van Cleef & Arpels boutique at Neiman Marcus. Laurann Claridge Daderko, the New Man Dean Daderko at the CAMH All eyes with be on the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston this month as last summer's new hire, curator Dean Daderko, makes his debut. His first show for the CAMH, "It is what it is. Or is it?," takes us on a wild ride through recent art history with 18 artists who update the concept of the ready-made — all timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Marcel Duchamp's Bicycle Wheel, a radical sculpture of a cyclist wheel and a kitchen stool that rocked the art world of 1913. We'll be lining up to see Daderko's curatorial chops and visual aesthetic (if they're any match for his sartorial style, we'll be delighted). Expect a fresh crop of internationals new to Houston eyes, including Patrick Killoran's cooler filled with rough-cut diamonds and melting ice, alongside University of Houston's illustrious painting prof/purveyor of pop Rachel Hecker, as well as the late, always elegiac Felix Gonzalez-Torres. We're eagerly awaiting opening night, Friday, May 11, 7 to 9 pm. Through July 29, at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, 5216 Montrose Blvd., 713.284.8250; camh.org. Catherine D. Anspon ONE OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES OF THE YEAR: JUNE 2012 { { SOCIAL Whirl Get your dance card ready. Swoon-worthy actor/activist/ humanitarian George Clooney alights at the Wortham Center on Thursday, May 3, for what is destined to be the Brilliant Lecture Series' biggest-ever turnout (brilliantlectures.org) … On Friday, May 4, PaperCity leaps forward as media sponsor for a glittering 10th anniversary fête benefitting Dominic Walsh Dance Theater; the gala segues Clarke Bedford's Vanadu, 1988 to ongoing, rolling at the Art Car Parade from the world premiere of Camille Claudel at the Hobby Center for the Performing Art to a seated dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel Houston. Jo Furr and daughter Erin Furr Stimming chair this evening that honors arts angel Carolyn Farb (Leigh McBurnett; lmburnett@dwdt. org) … Monday, May 7, Holocaust Museum Houston anoints the incomparable Elie Wiesel with the LBJ Moral Courage Award in what promises to be a moving evening at the Hilton Americas–Houston; PaperCity serves as media sponsor, while it-couple Isabel and Danny David preside as chairmen, with Sue and Lester Smith as honorary chairs (hmhdinner@hmh.org) … Saturday, May 12, those amazing art cars roll when Houston's world-famous Art Car Parade, presented by the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, turns 25. I never miss this day and have secured my spot in the VIPit tent along the shaded grounds of the Heritage Society thanks to OS patron extraordinaire, my pal Don Mafrige Jr. If you're in the mood to let your hair down, brave the fabulous Art Car Ball Thursday, May 10, at the Orange Show itself — a happening like no other and not for the buttoned-up. (Ball and/or Parade tickets, Wendy Schroell, wendy@orangeshow.org) … Move to the refined Jones Hall on Sunday, May 20, when the Houston Symphony's Maestro's Wine Dinner beautifully pairs vino and a seated dinner by Jackson and Company. Benevolent Judy and Scott Nyquist chair this classic night, sponsored by PC, that builds your wine cellar while benefitting the Symphony's Ima Hogg Competition (specialevents@houstonsymphony.org) ... See you on the town! In lieu of the champagne flute, I'll be carrying a notebook. Catherine D. Anspon 80,000 CIRCULATION BRIDAL ISSUE BRIDE'S BLUE BOOK BRIDAL BEAUTY BUZZ — BLISSFUL & BEAUTIFUL PRODUCTS THE RETURN OF THE AMERICAN HERITAGE MALE MAN HUNT — TOP SHOPS, PRODUCTS AND GEAR INSIDE THE HEAD OF STYLE PAGE BITES & BOÎTES — BEST NEW RESTAURANTS PARTIES! TO RESERVE ADVERTISING SPACE, TAP MONICA@PAPERCITYMAG.COM, 713.524.0606, EXT. 221