BLOOMING LANDSCAPES, MUSIC and FASHION in NYC (c) By Polly Guerin

Landscape retreats, flowers, fashion and music announce that spring has arrived in New York City where every day is a treasure trove of cultural discoveries that keep us enlightened and entertained. Only in New York my friends, the Best of New York. Here’s the scoop!!!

THE ROOF GARDEN Commission: Dan Graham and Gunther Vogt brings us to the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden to discover a picturesque landscape that is at once unexpected and a sanctuary for contemplative reverie or to simply see the New York skyline. The venue is carpeted with lawn grass that seemingly connects to the green canopy of Central Park. Into this landscape is an installation comprising curves of steel and two-way mirrored glass between ivy hedgerows. Graham’s structure is part maze, part modernist skyscraper façade designed in collaboration with the Swiss landscape architect Gunther Vogt. The venue, called "Pavilions,” is both transparent and reflective, creating a changing and visually complex environment that provides a green camouflage and engages the visitor in a complex mirror-play. Though November 2, 2014 (weather permitting).
ST. GEORGE’S CHORAL SOCIETY presents Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor, KV 427, a large-scale work and the world premiere Manuel Sosa’s “Tabula 1,” on Sunday, May 4 at 3 pm at the Church of the Incarnation 209 Madison Avenue at 35th Street. Matthew Lewis comments: “This concert marks my 10th year as Artistic Director of St. George’s and this work has been a passion of mine for some for some time. The work is a real technical challenge but the choral forces of St. George’s choral are ideal for this piece.” The performance on Sunday features Nacole Palmer soprano, Silvie Jensen, mezzo-soprano, Jonathan Blalock, tenor and Aaron Ingersoll, bass. "Tabula 1,"a work by Venezuelan-composer, Manuel Sosa, will be performed by SGCS’s chamber singers. Tickets $25, available via website
www.stgeorgeschoralsociety.org
CHARLES JAMES: BEYOND FASHION and the New ANNA WINTOUR COSTUME CENTER

Presents the MET'S spring retrospective, the work of the fashion genius, the Anglo-American couturier Charles James. The designer’s incredible creativity was matched only by his tempestuous personality, which is not evident in the gorgeous clothes and gowns he designed, but legend has it that James tried the patience of even his closest friends, not to mention his clients. Fashionistas will flock to the galleries which open May 8th and runs through August 10, 2014. The brilliance of his creations that defined nighttime elegance in the twentieth century has never been more illustrated than in Cecil Beaton’s famous 1948 group portrait of eight models in James’s grand, sculptural dresses, pictured here. One may wonder why James’s reputation as a visionary prevails only to realize that he was the first to use spiral draping, with and without zippers; to make coats entirely out of the grosgrain ribbons; to use dozens of fresh flowers as adornment, and to dream up the quilted jacket in white satin filled with eiderdown, in 1937. Halston was his protégé and admirer as were other designers in the trade who emulated his style. It is sad to know that his impoverished death took place in New York’s Chelsea Hotel in 1978.

OUT OF CHARACTER Decoding Chinese Calligraphy is a fascinating lesson in calligraphy styles stepped in ancient origin---SEAL, complicated character forms to CLERCIAL, bold and powerful character forms and CURSIVE drastically simplified character forms and SEMICURSIVE's fluid lines to STANDARD, the most legible script type. Selections from the collection Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang opened recently at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Out of Character exhibition runs through August 17, 2014. It includes a trove of letters, poems and documents that amaze by the dexterity of the calligrapher’s art.
Ta Ta Darlings!!! Pollytalk is going to the Charles James press opening on May 4 and Polly will have more details on the exhibit in next week’s column. Fan mail welcome at pollytalk@verizon. Visit Polly’s website pollytalk and in the left hand column click on my other Blogs on fashion, visionary men and hidden treasures in New York.

NEW VISTAS, NEW VENUES...YOUR CHOICE!!! (c) By Polly Guerin



The ever engaging cultural life in New York City never disappoints with museum openings, honorary exhibitions and artist venues to perk up our calendar this week. Only in New York my friends, the Best of New York. Here’s the scoop!!!

GOYA and the ALTAMIRA FAMILY You’ve seen him once and you can see him again!!! This adorable little boy, known as the “Red Boy,” Francisco de Goya’s portrait of the beguiling 5-year-old Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuniga now in residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art opens tomorrow, Tuesday April 22 and stays on display through August 3, 2014--painted between 1786 and 1788 when Goya was beginning to experiment with aristocratic portraiture. The tiny tot (pictured here) who sadly died in infancy is dressed from head to toe in red with his pet magpie, assorted goldfinches in a cage and three cats. His apparel and manner reflects a privileged lifestyle but Goya was deeply touched by the child and captures the quality of innocence. He was the son of Count Altamira, governor of the Banco de San Carlos (now the Banco de Espana) who commissioned the portrait along with three others: a beautiful portrait of Manuel’s mother and sister; Countess de Altamira and her Daughter, Maria Augusta and a portrait of Manuel Osorio’s brother Vicente Joaquin de Toledo. A fifth portrait depicting Count Altamira’s middle son, Juan Maria Osorio, who also died in childhood, was painted around the same time by Augustin Esteve, one of Goya’s pupils. Worth the trip to the MET, no need to go to Spain to see all four portraits reunited. www.metmuseum.org

FACADES "Feting New York’s BILL CUNNINGHAM," is a ‘must see’ exhibition at the New York Historical Society. Although the celebrated phtogrpaher is celebrating his 85th birthday Cunningham is still running stronger than ever on his bicycle or on foot catching the fashionistas and curiosities on the streets of New York. A tour of the photos in the exhibition, from the Sixties and Seventies of his muse Editta Sherman, posed in high fashion in front of New York City’s famous facades chronicles the architectural riches of the city. About the costumes Ms. Sherman wears Cunningham recently remarked to Women's Wear Daily, “Most everything was collected from street fairs and thrift shops. Back in the Sixties no one wanted the old clothes. Balenciaga would be $3 in a thrift shop and Courreges, I think, was $2.” A book accompanying the exhibit is on sale and public tours and lectures are scheduled. A special screening of the of the Bill Cunningham film was shown last week. Info contact: www.nyhsmuseum.org/212.485.9275.

ERTE—The Life and Art of Erte the famous artist and illustrator is the first time the Ziegfeld Society is feature a designer from the world of Florenz Ziegfeld, so you won’t want to miss it this Saturday, April 26 at the Lang Hall at Hunter College 69th street, 3:30 to 5:30 pm. (doors open at 3:00 pm). The show features performers from Broadway, New York, California and Pennsylvania. Joining Stephan Artist-in-Residence, California Art Deco Society will be Merrill Grant (the Ziegfeld Society’s Sweetheart, the First Marilyn Miller, Vagabond lover, the Real Mama Rose), Walter Willison (Two By Two-B’way, Grand Hotel B’way, Pippin-Bway and the Dolly Sisters to name a few. Stephan will take you through the life of Erte and you will hear songs from the various famous revues that Erte designed such as The Ziegfeld Follies 1923, George White Scandals, The Hollywood Review of 1929. Admission: $20 for non-members, members $14. Tickets on line at the ziegfeldsociety.com

BULLETS OVER BROADWAY “THE MUSICAL”---is based on the screenplay by Woody Allen and Doulglas McGrath of the 1993 film Bullets Over Broadway, which made cinematic history for the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York at 20 W. 44 Street, where a scene for the movie was shot. The Musical version at the St. James Theatre is a riveting, high-roller, gangster characters, show gals is a non-stop romp with music high jinks and familiar songs such as “Up a Lazy River,” “I’m Sitting on Top of the World” and “There’ll be Some Changes Made.” One scene after the other pumps up the energy with choreography---tap dancing gangsters---and chorus girls seemingly scantily dressed to show off their acrobatic talents. There are some shoot-outs but all in good humor with scene décor favoring an Art Deco sensibility. The scenic designer deserves recognition—a gangster car seemingly glides though the skyscrapers in the canyons of New York Worth the price, worth the nearly three and half hours that flies by with the lighting speed of a bullet. It is a must see, best musical of the year!!!

Ta Ta Darlings!!! Pollytalk went to see Bullets Over Broadway and has been dancing in her seat ever since. Go and enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime entertainment. Fan mail welcome at pollytalk@verizon. Visit Polly’s website pollytalk and in the left hand column click on my other Blogs on fashion, visionary men and hidden treasures in New York.

URBAN LANDSCAPES IGNITE NEW YORK'S CULTURAL SCENE (c) By Polly Guerin

Landscapes and gardens are still on the agenda in cultural venues that brighten the outlook that spring is the best time of the year to visit museum and nearby gardens. It’s the best of New York my dears, right here waiting for your visit. Here’s the scoop!!!

THE NEW YORK CHINESE SCHOLAR’S GARDEN: This oasis of incredible silence offers another serene venue for meditation. Its presentation reflects on our understanding of life in ancient China. The Garden’s design, based on the Suzhou Couple’s Retreat Garden built in the 18th century during the Qing Dynasty features unique rockery that resemble mountains that used to inspire poetry and paintings of Confucian, Buddhist and Taoist monks and scholars. Now it is your turn to explore the eight pavilions--just walk the bamboo path, take time to gaze at waterfalls and visit a Koi-filled pond. As you come upon the Chinese calligraphy and a variety of Ghongshi scholar’s rocks you will be amazed by the fifteen-foot tall formation that towers over the central courtyard. It was designed by Zou Gongwu and is one of the two authentic scholar’s gardens in the United States. A team of 40 Chinese arts and craftsmen spend a year in China creating the Garden’s components and then another six months on Staten Island as craftsmen in residence at Sung Harbor to complete the construction. Open 10 am-5pm. Closed Mondays. You simply take the Staten Island ferry, a short bus ride, walk a little and presto you arrive in a magnificent Chinese garden right next door to New York City.

URBAN LANDSCAPES The Paris-born author of the Last Garden of Versailles: Marie-Antoinette at Trianon (Rizzoli 2008) Christian Duvernois open a gallery at 648 Broadway, Suite 804. Duvernois is an expert on classical European landscape design and regularly lecture on the subject. Yet, he is equally rooted in the present, seeking to incorporate contemporary art into the high-end residential projects—many of them an oasis in the sky on Manhattan rooftops. His new gallery showcases contemporary art related to landscape and the environment, as well as limited-edition garden sculptures. Come May, the space will be turned over to the abstracted landscapes of the Paris-born, New York-based artist Vicky Colombet. The Christian Duvernois Gallery: Tel: 212.268.3628.

RENE LALIQUE; Enchanted by Glass at The Corning Museum of Glass (CMoG), Corning, N.Y. is another chance to escape from the city. Indulge yourself and discover how Lalique designed decorative glass for every part of the home, his early success in the French perfume industry and how he introduced decorative glass in architecture, luxury trains and cruise ships and established a legacy of excellence and innovation in luxury glass production. The exhibition which opens May 17th, traces Lalique’s transition from jeweler to industrialist, including his leading role in creation of bijouterie (the incorporation of semi-precious stones with non-traditional materials like glass, enamel, horn, and bone). His triumphant display at the 1925 Paris Exposition had a marked influence on the Art Deco movement. CMoG is located in the heart of the Finger Lakes Wine Country of New York State. More info: cmog.org

A DIALOGUE WITH NATURE: The Morgan Library and Museum collaborates with London’s Courtauld Gallery to explore the beauty and innovation of British and German Romantic landscape drawings that again engage our attention with the works of artists such as J.M.W. Turner, Samuel Palmer, Caspar David Friedrich and Karl Friedrich Lessing. The exhibition traces the unfolding of this new Romantic sensibility with a selection of drawings, watercolors, and oil sketches chosen from the renowned collection of the Morgan Library & Museum. It is relatively rare to see British and German drawings side by side but it gives us a chance to take a fresh look as the artists’ “dialogue with nature.” A Gallery Talk: A Dialogue with Nature; Romantic Landscapes takes place June 13 at 6:30 pm. At the Morgan Library and Museum 225 Madison Avenue, at 36th Street. 212.685.0008.

Ta Ta Darlings!!! Pollytalk is crossing over the pond to visit The Scholars Garden in Staten Island, you should, too! Fan mail welcome at pollytalk@verizon. Visit Polly’s website pollytalk and in the left hand column click on my other Blogs on fashion, visionary men and hidden treasures in New York.

NEW YORKER'S ESCAPE to a GARDEN (c) By Polly Guerin

In the cacophony of New York sitting in a garden or manicured park oft provides the solace to contemplate and meditate, releasing all tension and restoring one’s connection with one's imagination and nature. Such is the theme of this week’s column. Here’s the scoop!!!

HEAVEN IS A GARDEN- Designing Serene Outdoor Spaces for Inspiration and Reflection (St. Lynn’s Press) The book, Heaven is a Garden, by landscape designer and author Jan Johnsen is of interest to everyone, especially all gardeners and landscape designers, and to wit it has been chosen as an Amazon “Big Spring Book 2014. Anyone seeking peace and reverie will find it through the pictorial imagery and themes such as: The Power of Place, Creating Music for the Eye, Calling on the Trees, The Magic of Water, A Rock’s resonance, Color-Nature’s Catalyst. The book gives us pause to reflect on the health inducing qualities of a natural, beautiful setting which impacts on mind, body and spirit. Just reviewing the pages can be bliss itself, an escape the noise of the world revealing the deep connection of the natural world and its impact on serenity. Jan Johnsen illustrates how we can create an oasis that transforms our hectic lifestyle into one instilled with calm and a sense of oneness with nature. With lush color photographs throughout, her book illustrates how any garden setting, be it only a balcony or even a tiny space, her design philosophy and practical ideas inspire even the neophyte gardener. This book takes its cue from Jan’s popular garden blog, the same name as the book, and Facebook page, Serenity in the Garden blog. In her varied role as designer, gardener, teacher and writer, Jan Johnson’s insights on gardens teach us how to create a divine, unhurried landscape, a sanctuary of contemplative reverie. The book also lists Gardens and places to visit. Contact jan@johnsenlandscapes.com
THRIVE:The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well Being, Wisdom, and Power (Crown 2014) by The Huffington Post, founder Arianna Huffington says, “How we play the game of life, will be determined by what we value.” She advises that if we worship power, recognition, and fame, we will never feel that we have enough. Instead we should find our place to stand, a place of wisdom, peace and strength. Was she speaking of finding a garden of serenity to balance our lives, that even Jan Johnsen advocates? I wonder! Huffington recommends mediation which is not a new concept. The cognoscenti know that this is an ancient wisdom for centuries practiced by mystics, new age individuals and followers of the great American psychic, Edgar Cayce’s philosophies on meditation and natural healing. Ms. Johnsen’s garden or beautiful landscape can also do this for us. So here is another book worth investigating. Huffington says, “Find your place to stand and remake the world so we can ‘THRIVE’ and live our lives with more grace, more joy, more compassion, more gratitude, and yes, more love.”
GUIET NEW YORK Author Siobhan Wall introduces her book, Guiet New York in the Lecture Series at The General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen of the City of New York tonight at 6:30 pm. Profiling over 120 quiet places and covering all five boroughs the book is a guide where tired tourists can enjoy enticing small museums and peaceful gardens, and harried natives can discover places to relax and recuperate--places of sanctuary and worship, eclectic shops and cafes, libraries, galleries and waterfront parks. The evocative photographs and short description of each location (including travel, access and contact details) Guiet New York reveals the tranquil corners of the world's most stimulating city---only in New York my friends, the best of New York. Location: GSMT 20 W. 44th St.  FREE ADMISSION, advance registration call 212.840.1840 or email: karin.taylor@generalsociety.org.
A DIALOGUE WITH NATURE: Just in time with this garden/nature thee The Morgan Library and Museum collaborates with London’s Courtauld Gallery to explore the beauty and innovation of British and German Romantic Landscape drawing opens May 30 through September 7, 2014.The exhibition features the works of artists such as J.M.W. Turner, Samuel Palmer, Caspar David Friedrich, and Karl Friedrich Lessing, to name a few. These romantic artists delighted in the particular rather than the general and found pleasure in things transitory more than things permanent. They celebrated the individual imagination. Perhaps above, all, they understood and explored the inherent tension between direct observation of the visible world and that of the imagined---a tension that Caspar David Friedrich aptly summed up as a “dialogue with nature.” More on this exhibit in a May posting of pollytalk.
A GARDENS THEME: Swedish fashion designer Gudrun Sjoden, who is celebrating 51 years as a designer this year, presents her summer collection "Inspired by Gardens," Swedish design with a green soul and just in time to coordinate with today’s pollytalk garden theme. Gudrun says: “The most beautiful summer collection of the year offers lush florals, lively contrasts and loads of color--all inspired by gardens. Timeless garments and delightful home ware in nature’s own materials made for colorful garden-lovers all over the world.” The designer’s inspiration for her “Shadow” dress is a the play of light and shadow among the leaves. Location: 50 Greene Street in SoHo. Visit: www.gudrunsjoden. or call toll free 1.877.574.1486.

Ta Ta Darlings!!! Pollytalk is visiting, The New York Botanical Garden where Jan Johnsen teaches and lectures, you should, too! Fan mail welcome at pollytalk@verizon. Visit Polly’s website pollytalk and in the left hand column click on my other Blogs on fashion, visionary men and hidden treasures in New York.







PollyTalk from New York,

April 7, 2014

By Polly Guerin

NEW YORKER’S ESCAPE TO A GARDEN ©



In the cacophony of New York sitting in a garden or manicured park oft provides the solace to contemplate and meditate, releasing all tension and restoring one’s connection with nature. Such is the theme of this week’s column. Here’s the scoop!!!



HEAVEN IS A GARDEN - Designing Serene Outdoor Spaces for Inspiration and Reflection (St. Lynn’s Press) The book, Heaven is a Garden, by landscape designer and author Jan Johnsen is of interest to everyone, especially all gardeners and landscape designers, and to wit it has been chosen as an Amazon “Big Spring Book 2014. Anyone seeking peace and reverie will find it through the pictorial imagery and themes such as: The Power of Place, Creating Music for the Eye, Calling on the Trees, The Magic of Water, A Rock’s resonance, Color-Nature’s Catalyst. The book gives us pause to reflect on the health inducing qualities of a natural, beautiful setting which impacts on mind, body and spirit. Just reviewing the pages can be bliss itself, an escape the noise of the world revealing the deep connection of the natural world and its impact on serenity. Jan Johnsen illustrates how we can create an oasis that transforms our hectic lifestyle into one instilled with calm and a sense of oneness with nature. With lush color photographs throughout, her book illustrates how any garden setting, be it only a balcony or even a tiny space, her design philosophy and practical ideas inspire even the neophyte gardener. This book takes its cue from Jan’s popular garden blog, the same name as the book, and Facebook page, Serenity in the Garden blog. In her varied role as designer, gardener, teacher and writer, Jan Johnson’s insights on gardens teach us how to create a divine, unhurried landscape, a sanctuary of contemplative reverie. The book also lists Gardens and places to visit. Contact jan@johnsenlandscapes.com



THRIVE: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well Being, Wisdom, and Power (Crown 2014) by The Huffington Post, founder Arianna Huffington says, “How we play the game of life, will be determined by what we value.” She advises that if we worship power, recognition, and fame, we will never feel that we have enough. Instead we should find our place to stand, a place of wisdom, peace and strength. Was she speaking of finding a garden of serenity to balance our lives, that even Jan Johnsen advocates? I wonder! Huffington recommends mediation which is not a new concept. The cognoscenti know that this is an ancient wisdom for centuries practiced by mystics, new age individuals and followers of the great American psychic, Edgar Cayce’s philosophies on meditation and natural healing. Ms. Johnsen’s garden or beautiful landscape can also do this for us. So here is another book worth investigating. Huffington says, “Find your place to stand and remake the world so we can ‘THRIVE’ and live our lives with more grace, more joy, more compassion, more gratitude, and yes, more love.”



A DIALOGUE WITH NATURE Just in time with this garden/nature theme The Morgan Library and Museum collaborates with London’s Courtauld Gallery to explore the beauty and innovation of British and German Romantic Landscape drawing opens may 30 through September 7, 2014.The exhibition features the works of artists such as J.M.W. Turner, Samuel Palmer, Caspar David Friedrich, and Karl Friedrich Lessing, to name a few. These romantic artists delighted in the particular rather than the general and found pleasure in things transitory more than things permanent. They celebrated the individual imagination. Perhaps above, all, they understood and explored the inherent tension between direct observation of the visible world and that of the imagined---a tension that Caspar David Friedrich aptly summed up as a “dialogue with nature.” More on this exhibit in a May posting of pollytalk.



SUMMER 2014 With a GARDENS THEME: Swedish fashion designer Gudrun Sjoden, who is celebrating 51 years as a designer this year, presents her collection Inspired by Gardens, Swedish design with a green soul just in time to coordinate with today’s pollytalk garden theme. Gudrun says: “The most beautiful summer collection of the year offers lush florals, lively contrasts and loads of color. All inspired by gardens. Timeless garments and delightful home ware in nature’s own materials made for colorful garden-lovers all over the world.” The designer’s inspiration for her “Shadow” dress is a the play of light and shadow among the leaves.” Location: 50 Greene Street in SoHo. Visit: www.gudrunsjoden. or call toll free 1.877.574.1486.

Ta Ta Darlings!!! Pollytalk is visiting, The New York Botanical Garden where Jan Johnsen teaches and lectures, you should, too! Fan mail welcome at pollytalk@verizon. Visit Polly’s website pollytalk and in the left hand column click on my other Blogs on fashion, visionary men and hidden treasures in New York.