FASHION VIES FOR TOP BILLING IN MUSEUM VENUES (c) By Polly Guerin

Museums vie for top billing this week; major fashion exhibitions include Stephen Burrows’ at MCNY to Orientalism at Dahesh and the signature styles of iconic shoe creator, Roger Vivier at MFIT all destined to draw viewers in record numbers this week. Only in New York, my friends. The Best of New York. Here’s the scoop!!!

Dahesh Museum and Christie's New York

ENCOUNTERING THE ORIENT: Masterworks from the Dahesh Museum of Art, in a first-time partnership with Christie’s New York celebrates and explores how artists from Both Europe and America interpreted the culture and people of the Middle East and Africa during the 19th-century and offers a fresh approach to Orientalism as a complex, high contextual, cross-cultural encounter. There are three timely reasons the curator organized this exhibition now: the countries of North Africa and the Middle East are in the news daily to include people and cultures in the regime known as ‘the Orient,’ and second, the Orient still has a powerful hold on our imagination and third, the field of 19th- century art history is growing. The exhibition remains on view until April 15, 2013, at Christie's New York, Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m with related programs at 20 Rockefeller Center. Gallery Talks at 2 pm on Friday: April 5 and 12, Saturday: April 6 and 13 and Sunday April 7 and 14. Info: daheshmuseum.org and christies.com.

STEPHEN BURROWS: When Fashion Danced. The Museum of the City of New York is dressed up to celebrate a new exhibition of Stephen Burrows, the first African-American fashion  designer to gain international stature and considered a pivotal player in New York’s glamorous nighttime social scene during the Studio 54 era. His exuberant clothes fringed, color-blocked with their trademark red zigzag stitching were worn by fashionistas and celebrities worldwide. Mr. Burrows acknowledges that the exhibition title is apropos because all of his work “is about movement.” The mannequins are all black and positioned in dramatic poses with elaborate headdresses and masks as accessories, while the retrospective plays up his disco-era rainbow-colored designs. Other Flashbacks include a documentary about the 1973 “Battle of Versailles” between French and American designers. Exhibit runs through July 28, 2013. MCNY between 103 and l04th Streets on Fifth Avenue.

ROGER VIVIER HOSTED AT FIT: The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology hosts ‘fashion conversation’ with Roger Vivier, Creative director Bruno Frisoni and Brand Ambassador Ines de la Fressange to talk with Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of MFIT, about the evolution since 2003 of the iconic Roger Vivier brand, from shoe icon to Parisian luxury brand. They will also discuss a new Roger Vivier book (Rizzoli) followed by a book signing. With innate Parisian style, Roger Vivier (1907-1998) elevated the design and embellishment of ladies footwear to high art during his 60-year career. Vivier’s legendary shoes, embodied artistry, wit and craftsmanship, and were coveted by movie stars and even Queen Elizabeth II, who wore Vivier shoes at her coronation in 1953. When: April 10, 6 pm. Where: FIT, Katie Murphy Amphitheater, Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center, Seventh Avenue at 27th Street. FREE and open to the public.

Ta Ta Darlings!!! I can’t wait to see the Stephen Burrows exhibition at MCNY. Fan mail welcome at pollytalk@verizon.net. Polly’s Blogs are best accessed at her website pollytalk.com. Just click on the link in the left-hand column for visonarymen, womendeterminedtosucceed, poetry or fashion.

THE RINGLING BROS. and BARNUM & BAILEY'S 'BUILT TO AMAZE' A SUPER CIRCUS EXTRAVAGANZA (c) By Polly Guerin

Amazing Elephants

 ‘Built to Amaze!’ an extraordinarily engineered experience celebrates the circus as an exhilarating art form that is a creative expression of the skill, feats of daring and courage, where the fearlessness of circus performers from across the globe has no bounds of amazement. These artists let you find out what it takes to build Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s 143 edition of the Greatest Show on Earth®. The foundation is set and the rising anticipation of high-energy, high-jinx and hilarity is ready to let you be transported by colorful circus machinery and unleashed from shipping crates right before the audience’s eyes from March 20 to April 1 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn and other locations. I didn’t think I would be amazed but with jaw-dropping reaction I joined the crowd of revelers in the cacophony of accolades.



 THE WONDER OF IT ALL A fantastic extravaganza with more than 110 of the world’s best performers representing 17 countries along with 95 exotic and domestic animals are assembled, creating never-before-seen heart pounding performances with magnificent elephants and even ferocious tigers taking the spotlight. Several brand new performers join the celebrated artists including awe inspiring acts, like Tower Tumblers, a troupe of competitive aerial athletes from the Ukraine who launch themselves from trampolines to scale, repel and pass through a three-story high translucent tower.



Danquir Troupe

 THE RINGMASTER Andre McClain, Ringmaster and America’s favorite cowboy accompanied by his horse Comanche, leads the performers on a merry round of delightful surprises like the spirited and fiery competition of basketball with the next generation of whirling unicyclists. There’s something for ‘children of all ages’ and the spectacular mind- challenging show does not disappoint and offers dog lovers something to coo about. The legendary King Charles Troupe hailing from New York City and the nine-time award winning comedic animal presenting duo Alex and Irina Emelin of Russia capture your intense focus on the charming antiques of these animal clowns.

THE HUMAN CANNON BALL What’s that overhead? Feel the whoosh of the human cannonball on your face as Elliana flies gracefully overhead. Where in the world did such courage come from? Well, Elliana did not begin her circus ambition to be shot out of a cannon. She honed her skills, went to college and also studied at the Ecole de Cirque de Quebec in Quebec City, Canada, where she spent a year perfecting her circus education. Then serendipity played into her career plans when she heard about the search for the next Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey® Human Cannon Ball. Now at the age of 20-years-old, she is currently the youngest female cannonball in the world.

The Super Circus performances begin today March 20 and continue until Monday April 1, visit www.ringling for complete schedule. Tickets start at $20 and go up to $80 for VIP tickets. Kid (ages 2-12) $12 for select performances. Call Ticketmaster at 800.745.3000.

ASIA WEEK NEW YORK, MARCH 15-23, 2013 By Polly Guerin

Moon on Laurel, Annysa Ng: China 2000, Fine Art

New York’s essential event 'Asia Week New York,' an extraordinary eight-day extravaganza invites New Yorkers, art enthusiasts, collectors and scholars to take a first-hand look at the artistry, ingenuity and antiquities from China, Japan, Korea, the Himalayas and Southeast Asia. In a rare and cultural opportunity visitors will interact with international art dealers in 43 galleries, who have put out the blue and yellow welcome mat at their front doors announcing their Asia Week affiliation, kicking off with an open house weekend, Saturday March 16 and Sunday March 17. Also participating are major auctions houses, museums and Asian cultural institutions with exhibitions, lectures and symposia and special events. Here’s the scoop!!! Selected Highlights!!!

CHINA 2000, FINE ART, 177 East 87th Street features paintings, Scholar objects and furniture. In ‘Moon on Laurel,’ the faceless portrait by Annysa Ng, the ink drawing figure is clothed in combination of European and traditional Chinese costume with Elizabethan collar that seems to reference Hong Kong void of identity. The faceless figure therefore evokes the message, “Never Going to Lose Face.” Scholar objects include a stunning Qiyang Stone table screen with Zitan stand, 18th/19th century; the green layer in the stone is skillfully utilized to depict grasses and shallow water, while the darker outer layer of the stone is carved in the textured shell of two lively crabs.

A Court Beauty Kishangarh, Rajasthan, early 19th C, Prahlad Bubbar

PRAHLAD BUBBAR at Arader Galleries, 1016 Madison Avenue, returns to New York to present his recent acquisitions of Indian paintings with important discoveries from the Mughal, Deccani and Rajput courts. The exuberance of Rajput painting from the Hindu courts of Rajasthan, with its rich colors and stylized forms, is found in a lively court scene from the region of Jodhpur includes an elegant portrait of a court beauty from Kishangarh. A manuscript detailing the exploits of the Asian warrior Timur, displays exquisite portraiture and rich pigments for which this celebrated Mughal painting is known.

Yagi Kazuo, 'Spring Cat': Joan B Mirviss

SEVEN STAGES OF CERAMICS at Joan B. Mirviss Ltd, 39 East 78th St. The exhibition features the work of seven Japanese masters of clay who are enormously popular in Japan who transformed and surpassed the classical standard of classical standard of functional ceramic excellent—devotion to the ancient Chinese traditions of allegiance to the late 16th century Momoyama tea wares, thought to be the golden age acme of Japanese ceramics---and brought to their oeuvres a new, modern and highly influential sensibility. Breaking free from traditional ceramics, Yagi Kazuo (1918-79) looked beyond the medium of clay to poetry, music, surrealism, cubism, ancient art forms for points of departure. In his asymmetrical glazed stoneware vessel, pictured here, Kazuo’s ‘Spring Cat,’ a tiered rounded vessel with irregular rim. Serving as a clay canvas, the surface is covered with powerful Zen-like calligraphic brushstroke, both bold and expressive, capturing the sense of a cat about to jump.

TAISHO PERIOD SCREENS AND SCROLLS at ERIK THOMSEN GALLERY, 23 East 67th Street. ‘Vying Peacocks” by Ishizaki Koyo (1884-1947) is a breathtaking pair of 6-panel folding screens in eye-popping mineral colors with subtle sandy beige silk backgrounds that are backed with gold leaf to evoke a unique feeling of serenity. Contemporary sculpture by Sueharu Fukami has streamlined articulation in pale-blue glaze porcelain reaching for the sky as if on flight. Scholar pieces like a carved lacquer suzuribako writing box is exquisitely carved as is a Yoshio Okada, dry lacquer box with inlaid gold-foil sun.

There are many more wonderful venues to visit this weekend plus courses and lectures at Christie’s, Korea Society, Asia Society and Japanese Art Society of America. Further info at www.asiaweekny.com

ASIA WEEK NEW YORK: A CELEBRATION OF ASIAN ART (c) by Polly Guerin

White Old Man, early XIX century, Buriatia at Wei Asian Arts (Trinity House)

Celebrating and promoting Asian art in New York City, Asia Week New York, from March 15 to 23, is a collaboration of top-tier Asian art specialists, major auction houses, world-renowned museums and Asian Cultural institutions participating in a cultural treasure with thousands of ancient and contemporary Asian works on view---all in venues that can happen only in New York my friends, the best of New York. The non-stop event filled-week draws collectors, curators and the- culturally minded individuals to the Big Apple. New Yorkers, tourists and cultural mavens visiting the installations get a first hand view of galleries, dealer exhibitions, and special events. All I can say is “Wow, Be There.” Here’s the scoop!!!

Jishou Decoration Soutern Song-Yuan Dnyasty at Zetterquist Galleries

THE ART SCENE An unprecedented forty-three local and international dealers are participating in Asia Week New York bringing a wide span of Asian art in diverse vernissages all around town. The ancient and modern works of art range from ancient Japanese roof tiles to contemporary paintings by the abstract artist Zhu Jin Shi, while traditional works include a bronze bodhisattva to magnificent scrolls by ancient artists that transport you to exotic origins and imaginary settings. Over at the auction house, Sotheby’s offers several venues including a lecture by Dr. Britta Erickson, Shulmo/Water Ink: Chinese contemporary ink paintings. Free and open to the public.

A MYRIAD OF VENUES The venues are too numerous to mention here but here are a few highlights. Zetterquist Galleries at 3 East 66th Street presents a collection of Jizhou ceramics, a rare opportunity to view over thirty works from the Northern Song and Yuan Dynasties which are known for their beauty and for the breadth of decorative techniques and patterns. Over at Arader Galleries, 29 E. 72 Street on view are Santos of London, Buddhist Art, Christophe Hiroco and Xanadu. Wei Asian Art, at 24 East 64th Street (Trinity House Paintings) presents a thematic exhibition, “Devotion and Protection,” a collection of the finest miniature thangka paintings from Buriatia and Mongolia. For a complete schedule go to AsiaWeekNewYork.com

Ta Ta Darlings!!! With such a rich offering of ancient and contemporary Asian works on view as you go about town, remember to wear good walking shoes. Fan mail welcome at pollytalk@verizon.net. Polly’s Blogs are best accessed at her website pollytalk.com.

MUSEUM MILE DRAWS CULTURE SEEKERS (c) By Polly Guerin

Culture seekers’choices offer varied venues for a day’s outing. Take your pick; Contemporary Art from Asia, The Woolworth building at 100, Toile de Jouy inspiration, search for the Unicorn. Only in New York, my friends. The best of New York. Here’s the Scoop!!!

No Country: Contemporary Art for South and Southeastern Asia. This inaugural exhibition expands the Guggenheim’s Global dialogue and its holdings of art, rarely seen before, from the dynamic communities. The Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative presents the works of 22 artists from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam representing some of the most compelling and innovative voices in South and Southeast Asia today. On view in the Annex Level 2 and the New Media Theater are painting, sculpture, photography, video, works on paper, and installation, the majority of which are on view in the United States for the first time. Visit the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, at 89th St., 1071 Fifth Ave. March through May 22, 2013. 212.423.3500

Photographer: John Bartlestone (Woolworth Front Facade)

THE WOOLWORTH BUILDING at 100 The Skyscraper Museum celebrates the centennial year with an exhibition that honors its ambition and architectural artistry. On the night of April 24, 1913, the Woolworth building illuminated the New York night as 80,000 incandescent bulbs throughout the tower flashed on, activated when President Woodrow Wilson flipped a ceremonial switch in Washington, D.C. The brilliant spectacle was a career-crowning achievement of the tower’s owner, the five-and-dime store king Frank W. Woolworth who paid for the skyscraper with his personal fortune. Architect Cass Gilbert, who once defined the skyscraper simply as “a machine to make the land pay,” aspired to elevate his tower beyond the realm of real estate to the status of a civic monument. The Woolworth building was the world’s tallest from the time of its construction in 1913 until the Empire State Building was completed. Today office space in the Woolworth remains below and luxury residences are planned for the upper tower. The Skyscraper Museum, 30 Battery Place. Exhibition runs through July 13, 2012. Tel: 212.968.1961.

TOILE DE VIENNE The Neue Galerie Design Shop at the Neue Galerie Museum presents Toile de Vienne, a new textile for spring 2013, created in collaboration with the artist Sara Nesbitt, who was inspired by the architectural beauty of Vienna and the nineteenth-century beau monde that lived there. Toile de Vienne captures the loveliness of the city and carefree mood of Viennese life. On a historical note: Toile de Jouy (“cloth of Jouy”) was first produced in France during the eighteenth century and often feature rustic or bucolic scenes for both fashion and interior decorating. Playful and richly detailed, Toile de Vienne honors this tradition with a contemporary interpretation of the historic textile motif. At Neue Galerie, 1048 Fifth Ave. Tel: 212.628-6200.

SEARCH FOR THE UNICORN: The world-renowned Cloisters museum and gardens---a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to the art and architecture of the Middle Ages---will celebrate the 75th Anniversary of its founding with more than a full year of exhibitions. This is a heads up notice, more to follow next week.

Ta Ta Darlings!!! It is worth the trip uptown to see the “No Country” exhibit and then of course there is time to enjoy Central Park’s joy to the awakening of spring. Fan mail welcome at pollytalk@verizon.net. Polly’s Blogs are best accessed at her website pollytalk.com. Just click on the link in the left-hand column for visonarymen, womendeterminedtosucceed, poetry or fashion.