Happy Holidays! from Marilyn Minter and Artco

MAC Viva Glam Spring 2010 - "From Our Lips"

Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper have been added to the ranks of MAC's Viva Glam spokeswomen, which has included Pamela Anderson, Dita von Tesse, and Fergie in past campaigns. MAC Cosmetics' Viva Glam Ads have long been the forum for kitschy, theatrical, burlesque images of celebrities who have lent their naughty side to the promotion of a special line of MAC lipsticks which support global AIDS charities and causes. Money raised by Viva Glam for the MAC AIDS Fund has so far totaled over $135 million. The two new shades, Viva Glam Gaga and Viva Glam Cyndi, will hit stores in March 2010. (Photograph by Ellen von Unwerth)

Wynwood Walls at Miami Basel

There were so many exhibitions and galleries to see at Art Basel Miami Beach. Deitch's Wynwood Walls was among our favorites. Street artists contributed their flare to the concrete walls of Goldman Property's warehouse walls in the Miami Design District. Artworks by Barry McGee, Kenny Sharf, Shepard Fairey, and Stelios Faitakis are pictured below.

Tavi for Rodarte

We love the Mulleavy sisters' Rodarte for Target collection and we love 13 year old fashion prodigy Tavi Gevinson's enthusiasm for all things Rodarte. Take a look!

http://www.style.com/stylefile/#exclusive-rodarte-tavi-and-target-team-up-on-video

Chanel Boutique in Shanghai

Chanel's new Shanghai boutique opens November 25th 2009 at the Peninsula Shanghai on the historic Bund riverfront promenade! Legendary city of Shanghai is known as “the Paris of the East”. Architect Peter Marino designed the store in the sophisticated, warm style of Mademoiselle Coco Chanel’s fabled Parisian apartment, the residential feel enhanced by hand-picked artworks and antiques including original works commissioned by French artist Jean-Michael Othoniel.

"AFRICA? Una Nuova Storia"

Leading African Art collector, Jean Pigozzi, celebrated another opening in Rome this weekend, with "Africa? Una Nuova Storia," featuring works from his private collection. Showcasing 20 different artists, the pieces will be on show until January 16, 2010 at Complesso del Vittoriano.

Performa09: Terence Koh

In his signature white tux, Terence Koh took center stage at the National Arts Club last night as part of Performa09. Koh's memorable cocktail hour, serving up chocolate covered ants, thousand-year-old duck eggs, mussels, and cold Campbells tomato soup straight from the can, preceded a lecture reminiscent of those you remember from art history class: 45 minutes in a dark room watching slide projections of noteworthy art. Koh's surprise twist, however, was delivering the entire lecture in Gibberish. It's safe to say, none of the students dozed off in this class, the room was filled with laughter throughout the performance! Image of Terence Koh pictured with Stacy Engman, in a ThreeASFOUR couture dress and headpiece inspired by Goya, and O. Aldon James Jr., President of The National Arts Club courtesy of Getty Images and The National Arts Club.

RxArt Coloring Book

Last night RxArt celebrated the launch of the second volume of their coloring book Between the Lines with Mickalene Thomas, Inka Essenhigh, and Wade Guyton at a book signing at Gagosian Shop. Featuring over 50 original commissioned line drawings and a series of stickers the diverse roster includes today's best-known contemporary artists: Takashi Murakami, Ed Ruscha, Raymond Pettibon, and Karen Kilimnik, to name a few. Between the Lines is distributed free of charge to children in RxArt's participating health care facilities as an extension of their philosophy to provide creative outlets to relieve patient anxiety about illness. Buy a copy and create your very own artist collaborations!

Koons for Kids

Jeff Koons' next installation will not be in a museum or gallery but rather in a Hospital! RxArt, a New York nonprofit group headed by Diane Brown, will install several pieces by Jeff Koons in the pediatric CAT Scan room of Advocate Hope Children's Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois, as part of an initiative to bring contemporary art into health care facilities. Koons has created a work of four of his signature smiling monkeys directly on the CAT Scan machine itself and every other wall in the room will be filled with Koons' iconic images. Brown explains, "Rather than a scary experience in a cold white space, we hope children undergoing this test will feel like they are entering into a fantastic visual adventure."

MoCA 30th Anniversary Gala

The brightest stars in Hollywood may have been out Saturday night celebrating the MOCA 30th anniversary Gala, yet the supernova of the evening was a collaboration between Lady Gaga and performance artist, Francesco Vezzoli. The stunning performance included Lady Gaga donning an outfit designed by Frank Gehry, Miuccia Prada, and Baz Luhrmann whilst at the helm of a rotating, pink Damien Hirst piano.

15x15

Thursday night, makeup and skin care line NARS held its 15th Anniversary party and launch of namesake Francois Nars' latest 15x15 book. Hosted by Marc Jacobs and Daphne Guinness and held at Industria Superstudio, guests included Olivier Theyskens, Erin Fetherston, Selita Ebanks, Russell Simmons, Amber Valletta, and Phillip Lim. The book, which features 15 of Francois Nars' favorite celebrities in scenes inspired by names of his products... Marc Jacobs does a good impression of Dovima, how's that for a Funny Face.

Nicolas Pol: The Martus Maw

From Jean Paul Gaultier to Larry Gagosian, and Mary Kate Olsen to Tom Sachs the worlds of fashion and art came together Monday night over champagne and David Bowie to celebrate the open of emerging artist Nicolas Pol's The Martus Maw. Curated by Valdimir Restoin Roitfeld, and presented by Feedback Ltd. in association with the RVCA Artist Network Program the showcase debuts sixteen new paintings and mixed media compositions in the French artist's first U.S. solo show.

PRISM in LA

Opening Thursday on LA's Sunset Strip PRISM is the latest project by Artist and Gallerist PC Valmorbida. A gallery and project space PRISM bridges the gap between the typical and unconventional art forms that shape urban popular culture. The gallery's first exhibition, "mindthegap," features works by Barry McGee and Phil Frost, best known for their intricate graffiti and complex paintings. Check out the fantastic new building, and preview images from the show!

Contemporary Connecticut

Amidst the fall foliage and colonial housing, contemporary art is thriving in a stone barn in Greenwich, CT. Opened back in May, the Brant Foundation Art Study Center displays works from the collection of founder Peter Brant. Through February 2010, a group show comprised of 25 artists including Koons, Clemente, Basquiat, Currin, Haring, Hirst, Schnabel, and Warhol can be seen, and a solo show of Urs Fischer is scheduled for Spring 2010.

Architizer

Utilizing the blueprints of social networking technology, a fascinating new project have come to be built.

Architizer, founded by Matthias Hollwich, is an architectural open-source website displaying a "new way for architects to interact, show their work, and find clients. It is an open community created by architects for architects."

With this kind of exposure, architects can have their work seen in a completely new light and to a broader audience. "One architectural project has dozens of contributors, from the intern who made the conceptual models to the construction administrator. A project on Architizer links all members of the architectural community."

Containing information regarding worldwide projects, influential people, and prestigious firms, this interesting venture has laid a sturdy foundation on which the architects of the 21st century can build their talent.

Shepard Fairey x Levi's Times Square Art Installation

The Obey for Levi's collaboration was celebrated Thursday night with a live installation by street artist Shepard Fairey in New York's Times Square. Debuting his latest Levi's poster graphics the installation comes in the wake of a capsule collection of propaganda jeans created by the artist famous for his Barack Obama image of "HOPE".

Rob Pruitt's First Annual Art Awards

On October 29th Artist Rob Pruitt presented The First Annual Art Awards at The Guggenheim Museum in association with White Columns and realized together with Calvin Klein Collection. MC'd by the Delusional Downtown Divas, Pruitt conceived the event as a performance-based artwork modeled after Hollywood awards ceremonies. Nominees in nine categories included artists, curators, critics, and gallerists, recognizing projects that took place from January 2008 to June 2009.

The final list of winners is:

• Artist of the Year: Mary Heilmann
• Curator of the Year: Connie Butler
• Exhibition Outside the United States: Jeff Koons, Versailles, Château de Versailles, France
• Group Show of the Year, Gallery: Who’s Afraid of Jasper Johns? Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York
• Group Show of the Year, Museum: The Pictures Generation, 1974–1984, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
• New Artist of the Year: Ryan Trecartin
• The Rob Pruitt Award: Cynthia Plaster Caster
• Solo Show of the Year, Gallery: Manzoni: A Retrospective, Gagosian Gallery, New York
• Solo Show of the Year, Museum: Martin Kippenberger: The Problem Perspective, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and Museum of Modern Art, New York
• Writer of the Year: Jerry Saltz
• Artist Joan Jonas and curator Kasper Konig were honored in the lifetime-achievement category.

Spotlight: Tom's Sachs

Now featured for sale in the Gagosian Gallery's new retail venture on madison Avenue. The work of art costs $12,000 a piece and was produced in an edition of five. Sachs plays on the idea that the Hermes Kelly bag, also priced up to $12,000 in materials like lizard or ostrich skin, is "the holy grail of handbags." But he demotes its status by fashioning the bag from hardware store supplies, commenting on how our society values the name brand.

KAWS for Vogue

The November 2009 issue of French Vogue includes an incredible spread called "GRAFFI-COUTURE" starring model Raquel Zimmermann with background designed by artist KAWS.

Bravo Art Series

The latest in the wave of reality TV Bravo wraps taping on Monday for their next big competition based show... and it's all about ART! Receiving assignments each week breakout talent creates works for group openings. Evaluated by gallery go-ers, qualified judges, and the art world elite, the untitled art project is produced by Sarah Jessica Parker's company, Pretty Matches, and Magical Elves of Project Runway and Top Chef fame. Sure to include flinging paint and lots of drama the series is scheduled to air come spring.

Drive-Through Art Museum: Winding our way through history

NOW: The new Automobile Museum planned for Nanjing, China enables visitors to drive their cars into the building, and up a ramp to the roof. Intended to mimic the sensory thrill of driving the architects at 3Gatti dedicated their design to the car.

THEN: Plans for the Automobile Museum are not the first example of architecture designed with cars in mind. The Guggenheim Museum's radical spiral rotunda was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's love of the automobile. Wright's intention was for visitors to take an elevator to the top level and allow gravity to help descend the ramps while admiring the museum's art collection.

Murakami x McG x Dunst

Japan and Hollywood have more in common than one would think! Our newest favorite collaboration is a 4-minute film from Takashi Murakami, Japan's King of Pop, directed by Tinseltown's McG (Terminator Salvation) and starring the young Kirsten Dunst, who plays a singing Majokko Princess. Set in Akihabara, the signature bright colors and anime theme is nothing short of wild and magical. Murakami has succeeded yet again in eroding the great divide between high and low art...and he looks fabulous as a flowerball.

Irving Penn: 1917 - 2009

A good photograph is one that communicates a fact, touches the heart and leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it. It is, in a word, effective. - Irving Penn

Mickalene Thomas: Odalisques

With an established following for her sparkling paintings, Mickalene Thomas' "Dress Codes" at The International Center for Photography highlights a new dimension of the artist's work: photography. Initially the preliminary studies for her paintings the photos pay homage to the Blaxploitation era. Swathed in colors, fabrics, and prints the strong, black, female subjects of the "Odalisques" series depict the artist's reinterpretations of racial stereotypes. Stimulating viewers, the images are set against lavish backdrops inspired by the 1970's.

Pop Life x Tate

Now on display at the Tate Modern "Pop Life: Art in a Material World" riffs on Andy Warhol's saying "Good business is the best art" considering his legacy the inspiration for subsequent pop artists who have engaged with mass media since the 1980's to cultivate a signature “brand”. Exploiting channels that engage audiences both in and outside of the gallery these artists prove that culture and commerce is not a betrayal of the values associated with art, but rather an affirmation and an inherent association. Beginning with Warhol’s late works, the show includes highlights from eighties and nineties pop art, such as reconstructions of performative, ephemeral, and installation works: Keith Haring’s former Pop Shop in New York's SoHo, Tracey Emin and Sarah Lucas’s shop in Bethnal Green, and a re-staging of Damien Hirst’s '92 performance at Cologne’s ‘Unfair’ in which identical twins sit beneath identical spot paintings.

Graffiti Art Commissioned on European Train

Jon One 156

SEAK

The Thalys highspeed train parked in Paris' Gar du Nord is due for some retouching this September. Thalys, whose trains service France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, commissioned Graffiti artists Jon One 156, SEAK, Sozy, and Zedz to create a series of custom works on their cars. The project, titled Wholetrain, is a giant step towards the legitimization of graffiti art in Europe. In an interview Jon One acknowledged the progressive stance of the European Government, “Only in Europe…Maybe NYC will pay homage to the old school one day." The Wholetrain will run between Paris, Cologne, Brussels, and Amsterdam.