Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/338975
DECORATION S uperstar French designer Jacques Garcia evokes awe amongst his peers — and not a little envy, one might surmise, now that this book has launched. Garcia purchased the imposing Château du Champ de Bataille 20 years ago in a crumbly state of ruin. Not one to embrace shabby chic, Garcia meticulously restored the imposing pile to such magnificent and sublime heights that it takes 400 pages to detail the sweeping pastoral views, hectare after hectare of formal gardens, rare Sèvres porcelain, sculpture and art, even a hall of taxidermy in this fantastical folly. Jacques Garcia: Twenty Years of Passion by Jacques Garcia and Alain Stella (Rizzoli $125) is a meticulous accounting of the restoration of Garcia's 17th- and 18th-century château. And since this is Garcia's personal home, and we might not be invited over anytime soon, we'll revel in the 355 sumptuous photographs. Holly Moore JACQUES'Château Baroque my T wo of the most lavish shows this summer bow to the Baroque. Houston's Blaffer Art Museum turns porcelain on its head with a lavish play on 17th- to 18th-century ceramics in "Francesca DiMattio: Housewares" (through August 30). Riffing on refined chintz teacups, dainty chinoiserie-festooned teapots, confident Delft and the florid flourishes of porcelain produced for royal courts, DiMattio confronts us with deconstructed structures — often as tall as the onlooker — that evidence an extraordinary totemic presence. Don't miss the artist's exuberant three-tier chandelier, which looks like an explosion in a porcelain palace. All delicate, lacy appendages, it fills an entire room in the Blaffer's upper galleries. Also considering 17th-century antecedents is "Beauty Reigns: A Baroque Sensibility in Recent Painting" at the McNay Art Museum — — reason enough to take a trip to San Antonio (through August 17). This survey of 13 contemporary painting talents, organized by senior curator René Barilleaux, is a sensory overload of riotous swirls, whorls and patterns; bold, often dramatic scale; and a dazzling, occasionally Day-Glo palette. The result is a succulent summer show recapped in the accompanying catalog (McNay, $29.95), which oozes attitude and its own Baroque joie de vivre. blafferartmuseum.org; mcnayart.org. Catherine D. Anspon COLLECTION LUCY SCHWALBE, PHOTO COURTESY THE ARTIST Clockwise from above center: Nancy Lorenz's Red Gold Pour, 2013, at McNay Art Museum Rosalyn Schwartz's The Big Perfume, 2006, at McNay Art Museum Kamrooz Aram's Incident at Varick and Harrison (Palimpsest #23), 2013, at McNay Art Museum Francesca DiMattio's Augarten Fetish Sculpture (detail), 2014, at Blaffer Art Museum PHOTO COURTESY THE ARTIST PHOTO COURTESY THE ARTIST AND GREEN ART GALLERY, DUBAI IS OUR CHÂTEAU HEART This fall, international design retailer Home Identity makes its eagerly awaited American debut in a swank spot designed by partner Marcelo Saenz on the West Alabama corridor. But why wait? You can enjoy a tasty preview of the furnishings, wallpaper and fabrics right now, thanks to the temporary shop that Salamanca- educated Saenz and his colleagues — U.S. CEO Adrian Dueñas (Ecuador), Francisco Araujo (Ecuador) and Vassili Tsipianitis (Greece) — just popped up at the 4411 Montrose Gallery Building (through July; check web for closing date, which may be extended). Home Identity's main flagships are in Ecuador, as well as a strong presence in Spain, so expect a European-South American HOME IDENTITY Pops Up Home Identity's Marcelo Saenz and Adrian Dueñas Vibia's Halley Collection outdoor lamp, designed by Jordi Vilardell and Meritxell Vidal, at Home Identity vibe — a smart global design language that needs no translation. Names include Kartell; architectural Vibia lighting, including Halley arc lamps; Barcelona brand Nanimarquina of the opulently sculptural Little Field of Flowers carpet; Élitis wall coverings and fabrics, informed by a polished approach to natural materials such as mother-of-pearl and understated metallic and cork; cheeky Tres Tintas wallpaper collections (we adore the Heritage Party pattern depicting hundreds of Chinese paper lanterns); and accessories by avant-garde Madrid firm Envés. Houston updates, homeidentity. us; entire collection, homeidentity.com.ec. Catherine D. Anspon Francesca DiMattio's Chandelabra, 2014, at Blaffer Art Museum COURTESY THE ARTIST AND SALON 94, NYC; PHOTO TOM DUBROCK COURTESY THE ARTIST AND SALON 94, NYC; PHOTO JEFF ELSTONE Francesca DiMattio's Augarten Fetish Sculpture, 2014, at Blaffer Art Museum COURTESY THE ARTIST & SALON 94, NYC; PHOTO JEFF ELSTONE