Monday, May 24, 2010

THE BIG APPLE PERCOLATES WITH CULTURE (C)


by Polly Guerin


Read all about it “A Race to Recover the Crown Jewels, Light and Sound Shows, Noye’s Fludde and Computers in Antiquity unique cultural headliners, only in New York my friends, only in New York. Here’s the Scoop!!!


HITLER’S HOLY RELICS, a thrilling page-turner suspense novel by celebrated author, Sidney Kirkpatrick, tells the true story of Nazi Plunder and the Race to Recover the Crown Jewels of the Holy Roman Empire (Simon & Schuster). Kirkus Reviews: “A vivid true-crime narrative about a post-World War II investigation meant to prevent Nazis still at large from using several venerable artifacts to reconstitute the Reich…fast moving and intriguing in the vein of Raiders of the Lost Art.” Kirkpatrick speaks June 1st, 12 to 2 p.m., at the “92nd St. Y, 200 Hudson St. The book has moved up high on the Amazon list, available also at Barnes and Noble. Be among the first to read this riveting, groundbreaking book: http://sidneykirkpatrick.blogspot.com/2010/01/purchase-book.html.
MINUCODEs: An unusual VERNISSAGE!!! At Americas Society the Argentine artist, Marta Minujin has collected social data through a series of cocktail parties. Drawing on methods used in happenings and cinema verite, Minujin stages an immersive electronic environment in the gallery using footage from cocktail parties, by installing a series of light and sound shows. Watching the films, footage from each party flickers in multiple synchronized projections on the walls of a darkened gallery. Through June 12th. 680 Park Ave. (68th St.) www.americas-society.org.
BRITTEN’S NOYE’S FLUDDE
Don’t miss this unforgettable spectacle of Britten’s and W.H. Auden’s rarely performed opera, based on the Chester medieval mystery play, at the Church of the Transfiguration (“The Little Church Around the Corner” a New York landmark), 1 E. 29th St. (between Fifth and Madison). The voice of God, Charles Brown, Andrew Martens , Noye. Leslie Middlebrook, Mrs. Noye, conductor Claudia Dumschat and staging Richard Olson. Tics adults $25, students/seniors $15. Call 212.684.4174 www.littlechurch.org.
ASTRONOMICAL COMPUTERS IN ANTIQUITY?
The Antikythera Mechanism In 1900, a shipwreck (dated between 86 and 67 B.C) found near the island of Antikythera, between Crete and mainland Greece contained numerous ancient Greek treasures, including a mysterious lump of calcified bronze which experts determined to be the earliest known manufactured gears and reveals the surprising advanced state of ancient Greek Science and technology of the era. At the Onassis Cultural Center, 645 Fifth Ave., May 25 7p.m. R.S.V.P. is required. Call 212.486.4448 or 212.486.8314.
Ta Ta my darlings. I’m putting each and every one of these events on my ‘must see’ agenda. Hope to see your everywhere. Do keep in touch. Send a fan email to: pollytalk@verizon.net. Polly’s Blogs http://www.amazingartdecodivas.blogspot.com, http://www.thefashionhistorian.blogspot.com, http://www.awakenyoursleepingbeauty.

Monday, May 17, 2010

CULTURE UPDATE, BIG APPLE'S MIXED MEDIA (c)


By Polly Guerin Tra, la la...
Shall we two go walking together through bucolic rustic retreats, visit the Red Mill, view Muslim culture and Go-Green with Eco Fashion all in one week? Only in New York my friends, Only in New York. Here's the scoop!!!

THE ART AND POETRY OF NATURE exhibition at The Morgan Library and Museum takes us down scenic vistas, winding paths, bucolic meadows and rustic retreats through
magnificent prints and drawings by European and American landscape artists, including massive works by J.M.W.Turner, John Ruskin, William Wordsworth and other leaders in the Romantic Movement. The image here “View of the Welbeck Estate,” by Humphry Repton, the leading landscape architect of his time draws us in with picturesque scenery. On view May 21-Aug. 29. 225 Madison Ave., at 36th St. www.themorgan.org Free on Fridays 7 to 9 p.m.
THE RED MILL operetta written by Victor Herbert with a libretto by Henry Blossom is a jolly production by the Light Opera of New York (LOONY) at The Players Club, 15 Gramercy Park South at 20th St., this Thursday, May 20 at 8 p.m. In a village in Holland, two American Vaudevillians are stranded penniless in the little Red Mill inn. Trying to sneak out they are thrown into jail but the merry madcap adventure manages to deliver love and riches with disguises and all sorts of jolly good fun with singers Leslie Middlebrook and Lee Moore in the cast.
Telephone: 212.249.9470. http://www.lightoperaofnewyork.org/.
SOCIAL DRAMAS AND SHIMMERING SPECTACLES, Muslim Cultures of Bombay Cinema at The Film Society of Lincoln Center, Walter Reade Theatre includes 14 films that explore the rich influence of Muslim cultural and social traditions on Bombay cinema in a range of breathtaking artistic spectacles from magnificence and melodramas to New Wave reinvention. Three series package $24 for general public, $18 IAAC members. http://www.filmlinc.com/.
ECO-FASHION: GOING GREEN at The Museum at FIT explores fashion’s relationship with the environment and refers to the work of designers who use, produce and/or promote sustainable, ethical and environmentally-conscious products. It shows each stage of fashion production and how it has environmental consequences. On view examples include the earliest object a silk brocade gown, circa 1790, was painstakingly woven on hand looms and then there is Xuly-Bet’s ensemble of multicolor sweaters, circa 1994. FREE Tues-Sat. www.fitnyc.edu/museum. 7th Ave. at 27th Street.
Ta Ta darlings, I’m off to see the Red Mill at the Players…hope you can join me. Fan mail to: pollytalk@verizon.net. Visit Polly’s Blogs at: blogspot.net including amazingartdecodivas, thefashionistorian, and awakenyoursleeping beauty.

Monday, May 10, 2010

NEW YORK CITY FASHION CAPITOL OF THE WORLD (C)

FASHIONING THE AMERICAN WOMAN













Anna May Wong



The Suffragettes


NEW YORK CITY/FASHION CAPITOL OF THE WORLD (C)

By Polly Guerin

Calling all Fashionistas!!! Now hear this!!! The American woman has her day at the MET, American High Style stars in Brooklyn, Eco Chic at SCAN and Luxury shopping at the Limelight. Here’s the Scoop!!!

AMERICAN WOMAN: Fashioning a National Identity” is a rather flashy but delightful tour through visual and panoramic presentations of women’s style with musical sound tracks and 30s movie clips that evoke drama on a theatrical level of performance. Mrs. Astor’s Newport mansion serves to present “The Heiress” icon, Charles Frederick Worth’s gowns recall the Victorian era, the “Suffragists” portray their political message with marches and banners and “The Flapper” cuts a rug to a backdrop of an Art Deco skyscraper. The Costume Institute exhibit, through August 15, explores the American Woman from 1890s to 1940s.www.metmuseum.org/events.
Not to be undone, the Brooklyn Museum’s show, “AMERICAN HIGH STYLE: Fashioning a National Collection,” rivals with its own show, a retrospective of about 85 pieces, with a focus on dresses from the mid- 19th century to the mid-20th century. A whimsical Elsa Schiaparelli butterfly-print dress takes center stage as do some Charles James 40s dresses, Paul Poiret gowns, and a nice assortment of accessories. Major designers of the era include Vionnet, Norell, Claire McCardell and Halston. Brooklyn Museum of Art, 200 Eastern Parkway. www.brooklynmuseum.org
ECO CHIC-Towards Sustainable Swedish Fashion at Scandinavia House, Nordic Center in America, showcases Swedish fashion designers such as Nudie and Camilla Norrback, who take an environmental friendly and ethical approach to their work, without sacrificing an ounce of fashion. Case in point: Fashion conceals an uncomfortable truth. Today’s textile industry destroys natural habitats and shortens people’s lives. Far too many people work under inhumane conditions and these Swedish designers are taking an ethical fashion into mainstream. Through August 21. FREE Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave. www.scandinaviahouse.org.
THE LIMELIGHT MARKETPLACE transforms the former nightclub to an upscale fashion mall turning the massive Gothic Style Church into a fashion venue and luxury shopping experience. The brightly lit multilevel space at New York’s 6th and 20th St. contains 60 shops and cafes to while away the hours in one of the most fascinating array of merchandise. There is nothing like it on Ladies Mile, that houses the string of old world department stores in the area. From fashion to home, beauty and sugary delights be among the first to be there. www.thelimelightmarkeplace.org.
Ta Ta darlings, on May 16th I’ll be at Chanel where “The Secrets of the Chanel Hand bag” displays the inside makings of the iconic bag. Fan mail: pollytalk@verison.net. Don't miss my Blogs: amazingartdecodivas, thefashionhistorian and awakenyoursleepingbeauty, and the newest Blog: http://www.hiddentreasuresinnewyorkcity.blogspot.com.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

HIDDEN TREASURES IN THE BIG APPLE

A large-scale printed silk kerchief made during the Civil War from "SEEING STARS" Politics and Patriotism at Union League Club exhibit by Ameircan antique dealer:Jeff R. Bridgman

THE EMPIRE ROOM
















THE HERALD SQUARE HOTEL

Hidden Treasures in the Big Apple ©
By Polly Guerin

Historic hotels, a nostalgic Art Deco cocktail lounge, Greenwich Villages’ Lion’s Den and “Seeing Stars “at the Union League Club celebrate the hidden treasures on the side streets of Old New York. Here’s the scoop!!!

In the heart of midtown Manhattan the charming Herald Square Hotel , 19 W. 31st Street welcomes guests through its portals with “Winged Life” the winged cherubic mascot by sculptor Philip Martiny , which perches above the main entrance in gilded glory on the Boldbuilding where LIFE magazine was born and published. The iconic cherub, the symbol of LIFE throughout its entire existence reappears in the hotel’s refurbished front lobby. Built in 1894, the hotel still retains the charm of its original celebrity occupants including Charles Ames Mitchell creator and publisher of “LIFE” magazine and Charles Dana Gibson, the creator of The Gibson Girl and The Gibson Man. Framed “Life Magazine” covers throughout the hotel by celebrated artists of the day includes the iconic cherub on the cover, “What makes it go ‘round?” and the answer is Love! By artist William Balfour Ker in 1907. With all the amenities of modern day comfort the hotel’s slogan is “Spend a Night, Not a Fortune.” www.heraldsquarehotel.com. 212.279.4017.

THE EMPIRE ROOM, New York newest hospitality landmark, is a toast to another time with an Art Deco themed interior and plush barrel chairs and sofas, polished stainless steel in cozy conversational settings. The color and décor evoke the warm glow of the sophisticated cocktails themselves. Vintage selections include Martinique Daisy, Ramos Gin Fizz and today’s signature libation, The Empire Cocktail. The menu of accompaniments include Truffled Popcorn, Rib Eye Sliders, and the Cobb sandwich. Located on the lobby floor of the Empire State Building, there is a side entrance on 33rd Street. 212.643.5400. www.hospitalityholdings.com.
SEEING STARS: POLITICS & PATRIOTISM: Jeff R. Bridgman, the leading dealer of American Antiques presents “SEEING STARS,” American Flags, Political Textiles and Patriotic Folk art on view at the UNION LEAGUE CLUB OF NEW YORK, 38 East 37th St., a venerable building founded during the Civil War to aid in Lincoln’s quest to preserve the Union. On view from May 12-19 the exhibition features a very important portrait of George Washington, a very unusual, homemade Civil War flag, a large-scale printed kerchief featured Confederate President Jefferson Davis and eight of his staff members. info@jeffbridgman.com. The firm is located in Historic York County: 717.502.1281.
THE LION’S DEN, Chef John Delucie’s new digs on a leafy stretch of West Ninth Street in Greenwich Village, set in a landmark brownstone features a spacious dining room with double height ceilings and a skylight canopy. A comfy, cozy restaurant antique furniture and decorations complement the stone fireplace and round iron chandeliers. Eyes will focus on the art and numerous vintage photographs from the Daily News archives. If you’re a fan of the Waverly Inn, where DeLucie dished up the menu, then you ought to check the Lion’s Den out. 62 W. 9thSt. 212.353.8400.
Ta Ta darlings!!! I’m sashaying over to The Empire Room to toast to tradition and join the swells in the Art Deco cocktail lounge. Fan Mail to: pollytalk@verizon.net and Blogs: amazingartdecodivas, thefashionhistorian, awakenyoursleepingbeauty.