Displaying items by tag: metal

On February 27, 2015, an unprecedented exhibition will open at the Gagosian Gallery in New York. Organized in partnership with Paris’ Galerie Patrick Seguin, the show will feature sculptures by the American artist John Chamberlain in visual conversation with two prefabricated houses by the French designer and architect, Jean Prouvé.  According to a press release from the Gagosian Gallery, both men were “twentieth century innovators who harnessed the strength and suppleness of metal to new potential in their respective fields.”

Since its opening in 1989, Galerie Patrick Seguin has collected demountable houses by Prouvé -- one of the most influential designers of the modern era.

Mario Buccellati was the first jeweler to introduce the technique of texture-engraving, such as rigato (parallel lines cut onto the surface of metal to obtain a sheen effect), ornato (based on the forms of animals, leaves, flowers), and telato (fine cross-hatched lines, imitating a fabric surface), which were used to make the metal look and feel as soft as silk, damask, tulle, lace, or linen.

Buccellati masterpieces created over the last 100 years are now on show at the Pitti Palace in Florence, in "The Treasures of the Buccellati Foundation" exhibition showcasing the creations of both the house’s founder and his son, Gianmaria Buccellati, including rings that resemble turbans, butterfly and panda brooches, and a “tulle” tiara studded with brilliant and rose-cut diamonds.

More than $110-million will be poured into ‎a major “facelift” of Canada’s National Arts Centre, an iconic performing venue in the nation’s capital constructed half a century ago.

The renovation adds a 21st century twist to the 1969 building, known for its brutalist architectural style, which features exterior and interior walls clad with concrete.

A significant portion of this upgrade is installing a glass and metal enclosure on multiple floors around a significant portion of the existing building, creating new wings with views and greatly expanding the venue’s capacity for meetings and events.

The Corning Museum of Glass and Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) announced today the launch of a new artist residency program, which will support artists in adapting specialty glass materials for the creation of new work. The first artist selected for this unique collaboration is American sculptor Albert Paley, who is best known for his large-scale works in metal.

Corning Incorporated, which has developed and patented more than 150 specialty glass formulations, will provide the resident artist with access to specialty glass, as well as access to staff with technical expertise in glass formulation, melting, and forming.

The art of French lacquer developed in the late 17th century in response to the rising popularity of Japanese and Chinese lacquerware and quickly led to concentration of gilder-varnisher workshops in the Saint-Antoine quarter in Paris where the cabinetmakers and joiners were already established. The French even developed their own technique, Vernis Martin — as recently retraced in an exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris — that enabled the craftsmen to generate blues, greens, and yellows, in addition to Asian reds and blacks. Vernis Martin was soon used to cover all kinds of materials and decorative objects, from woodwork paneling to musical instruments and even horse-drawn carriages.

While lacquering is most traditionally associated with wood and bamboo, it can also be applied on metal, and it is this technique that the skilled craftsmen and women at Hermès have applied in miniature to a new limited edition collection of three new watches under the Arceau Cheval d’Orient name.

 The Cranbrook Art Museum in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, is currently hosting “Paul Evans: Crossing Boundaries and Crafting Modernism,” the first comprehensive survey of the designer’s work. Paul Evans (1931-1987), a leading figure in the midcentury American studio furniture movement, used metal to create stunning sculptural pieces that defied what everyday objects looked like and how they were made.

“Crossing Boundaries and Crafting Modernism” features 68 works spanning Evans’ varied career. Evans, who studied at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, a leading institution of American contemporary design, began working with metal in the 1950s. During this time, Evans shared a studio with fellow furniture designer Phillip Lloyd Powell in New Hope, Pennsylvania. The pair often collaborated on pieces that melded Powell’s wood prowess and Evans’ metalworking skills. A number of objects from this period are included in the exhibition.

Renowned art collector, Daphne Farago, announced that she will donate 161 works from her stunning collection to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. A longtime supporter of the MFA, Farago’s contribution is the largest gift of contemporary craft the museum has ever received and will greatly improve a once-lacking part of the collection.

Farago’s gift features works from the 20^th and 21^st centuries by artists such as Dale Chihuly (b. 1941), Sam Maloof (1916-2009), and John Cederquist (b. 1946). The pieces range from works of fiber, ceramics, glass, woodcarvings, and metal to furniture, jewelry, basketry, and folk art. The newly acquired works, man of which have remained out of public view until now, will be exhibited in the museum’s Farago Gallery beginning in August 2013.

This is the third major donation from Farago and her late husband, Peter to the MFA; their contributions total $2.5 million to $5 million in art and money, which prompted the museum to open the Farago Gallery in September 2011 as part of the Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art. Edward Saywell, Chair of the Linde Family Wing, said, “Although the MFA has a distinguished history of collecting and exhibiting contemporary craft, this gift broadens and deepens our holdings in truly significant ways. The gift will be a touchstone for the collection and will be a remarkable legacy.”