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Art

ONE on ONE

by Mayi de la Vega
Jul 22
Love0

Aspen Summer

By Art, Culture, Dining, Travel

It’s that time of year when my Aspen reveries turn reality. After Florida’s busy season (that seems to get longer every year!), I like to escape to the mountains with my family and fiancé Rich for some well-deserved R & R. The majestic views alone instantly relax me, though I also look forward to getting out in nature and experiencing all the shops, restaurants, culture and events. Here’s a list of new places and fun activities to explore when you’re in town.

Stay

Ideal for personal and corporate events of all kinds, the family-owned Aspen Street Lodge is available for full buyouts only. Accommodations offer a lot of variety, from a two-bedroom penthouse with a full kitchen to nine traditional hotel rooms with a mix of bunk beds, double queens and single kings. Guestrooms feature smart-tech systems and connect to at least one other guestroom for families traveling with small children and other needs. The extensive array of amenities—rooftop, heated pool and hot tub, fire pit, terraces with Aspen Mountain views, game room and outdoor grill and pizza oven—leaves nothing to desire. Sounds like heaven.

Attend

Aspen Art Museum’s annual summer gala ArtCrush takes place August 3-6. Along with AAM’s new director Nicola Lees, co-chairs Amy Phelan and Jamie Tisch, and 2021 Aspen Award for Art honoree Mary Weatherford, the benefit includes silent and live auctions by Sotheby’s. Bid on more than 45 artworks by artists such as Oscar Murillo, Rita Ackermann and Weatherford; Sotheby’s senior international contemporary art specialist Michael Macaulay conducts the live auction of eight lots during the gala at Aspen Skiing Company’s Buttermilk ski area on August 6. Panel discussions, a classical music art performance, tastings and a Pine Creek Cookhouse hike are also part of this year’s extended festivities.

Eat

New restaurants focus on several types of cuisine from the Basque Country (Joonas) to surf and turf (Catch Steak). Italian imports are also making their mark. Based in the West Village, Dante NYC returns for a second collaboration with the Surf Lodge. The partners had such a great time with their winter pop up at the Snow Lodge, that they relocated to the Chefs Club at the St. Regis Aspen Resort through next spring. While Surf Lodge books live music acts, Dante helms the menu’s seasonal fare. Items like whole grilled branzino and a peach, heirloom tomato and goat cheese salad lean to the lighter side. Complete your al fresco repast with a summery spritz within Dante’s famous cocktail collection.

I’m also delighted that a familiar name from South Florida is opening soon—hopefully by August! After running their super successful Casa D’Angelo locations in Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and Aventura, restaurateurs Angelo and Denise Elia are expanding to Aspen.  The couple brightened up the space formerly occupied by Piñons with white oak interiors and Western décor. In addition to signature Italian dishes, the menu increases specialty items (caviar, bison, crudos) that appeal to the Aspen palate. Known for sourcing the finest ingredients, they also plan to celebrate Colorado’s excellent meats, dairy and produce.

Shop

Aspen is as famous for its galleries and designer boutiques as its ski slopes. Balenciaga’s year-long pop up debuted in July, while Prada’s traveling, experiential activation “Prada Outdoor” comes through town from July 29 to September 7. The interactive shop encompasses mountain-friendly gear (tents, frisbees, stainless steel water bottles) and men’s and women’s activewear and accessories (shorts, backpacks, sporty sandals).

While Peri.A devotees wait for its new Los Angeles store to premiere later this summer, they’re hitting the Aspen outpost in droves. Owner Peri Arenas stocks her pint-sized space with coveted labels for women’s fashions and fine jewelry. Her roster features Casablanca, Ikkim’o, Marni, Peter Cohen, Colville and Marie Lichtenberg, among dozens of gems. Don’t hesitate if you fancy something, since it will be gone in a flash!

After popping up in South Florida and the Hamptons during covid, international art galleries next followed their clientele to Aspen. Paris’s Almine Rech operates here through September 12. Catch its back-to-back shows “Genesis Tramaine: Worship Works” and “Wes Lang: Endless Horizons.” Los Angeles-based Honor Fraser displays a meta solo show of Richard Pettibone’s replications of Andy Warhol’s iconic soup can series. London’s White Cube pops up in a 19th-century building through September 5. Works by Tracey Emin, Magnus Plessen, Anselm Kiefer, Antony Gormley, Theaster Gates and Isamu Noguchi, among several established artists, are exhibited throughout its summer program titled “Correspondence.”

Jun 03
Love0

My Art Agenda

By Art, Culture, Events

I’d like to share my list of exhibits to visit here and during your summer travels.

A clear sign that South Florida is no longer seasonal is the quality of art exhibits that continue long after Memorial Day weekend. I especially enjoy having this time to visit our many incredible museums, galleries and alternative art spaces to see a good show. Here are some of my picks in Miami and other parts of the U.S., in case your summer travels take you there.

I’m so impressed with the level of shows that the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami is curating. They’re groundbreaking and cool, including when the ICA recently exhibited Drake’s custom Rolls-Royce Cullinan x Chrome Hearts in its sculpture garden. It also organized the comprehensive survey “Chakaia Booker” The Observance,” which is on view through October 31. Though most recognized for her sculptures and large-scale installations made with deconstructed rubber tires and rubber conduit, this American artist uses many other tactile materials from bronze to plastic. The show also features two series of abstract paintings in acrylic on various surfaces like wood.

I’m always curious to see what Nina Johnson has going on at her Miami gallery. Her current show “Bhakti Baxter: Heat Transfer” presents new paintings and drawings by the native Miamian who now lives and works in Topanga State Park near Los Angeles. He continues his exploration of innovative techniques, a process that requires drawing grids in blue chalk on raw canvas, soaking the works in water and painting them en plein air. The natural elements affect their outcome, too, thus the “heat” reference in the show’s title.

Every summer, Guild Hall in East Hampton celebrates a major artist. It’s even more special this time, being the 90th anniversary of the treasured cultural institution for art, theater, music and other events. Concurrent with its summer gala, “Robert Longo: A History of the Present” will be exhibited from August 7-October 17. Taking over the entire museum, his massive charcoal drawings offer a critical investigation of history that spans the Abstract Expressionism movement to today. Held the night before the show opens to the public, the glamorous fundraiser features an exclusive preview followed by cocktails, dinner and music at a nearby private venue.

Everyone’s talking about the Alice Neel retrospective at the Met, but I’m also looking forward to “The New Woman Behind the Camera” from July 2-October 3. It’s about the rise of personal cameras in the early 20th century, which became an important outlet for women to express their artistic talents. The show features works shot by 120 photographers during the 1920s to the 1950s. It really gives a global viewpoint, too, since the selected photographers represent more than 20 countries. Subjects range from fashion advertising to portraits to street photography, while some artists are Dorothea Lange, Gerda Taro and Berenice Abbott.

Aspen Art Museum always makes sure to line up premier shows for summer art lovers, and this summer is no exception. “Cerith Wyn Evans: Aspen Drift,” which opens June 11, is the Welsh conceptual artist and film maker’s first presentation at a U.S. museum in nearly 20 years. The witty title references both the state of feeling adrift, as well as the local context, the mountain setting’s snowdrifts. See his sculptures, paintings and works on papers through October 10.

Don’t miss another show by a poet and artist located outside on the rooftop. On view June 11, 2021-September 18, 2022, “Precious Okoyomon: Every Earthly Morning the Sky’s Light touches Ur Life is Unprecedented in its Beauty” is a mixed-media installation combining sculpture and organic matter including plants, soil and water. Since it’s a garden, which the artist will maintain during her residency here, the work will evolve and grow. She’ll also collaborate with other artists and musicians for live performances and seasonal soundtracks.

Apr 21
Love0

Luxe Landscaping

By Art, Florida Finds

Create the garden of your dreams with these top talents along Florida’s East Coast.

Springtime makes me think of flowering gardens and the talented visionaries who create them. We’re lucky that so many premier landscape architects and designers call Florida home. Their touch affects every facets of our lives—our residences, whether single family or high rises, our state’s famous resort culture, and our welcoming public spaces and commercial centers. Here’s a short list of some top names.

Raymond Jungles

It’s impossible to escape the prolific Raymond Jungles’s contribution to the local landscape. His signature design schemes—modern, yet lush with native plants that attract pollinators and other fauna—are ubiquitous. His firm, which launched in the early Eighties and is currently located in Coconut Grove, specializes in both residential and commercial projects. Among the latter, a few are 1111 Lincoln Road (a direct homage to his mentor, the famous Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx), Miami Beach Botanical Garden and Pharrell Williams’s new hospitality venture. It’s always delightful to stay at one of the many Florida and Caribbean resorts whose grounds he’s designed, too, like Casa Morada in the Keys.

Fernando Wong

Panama City-born landscape designer Fernando Wong founded his namesake firm with his business and life partner Tim Johnson in 2005. Their partnership has blossomed into offices in Miami, Palm Beach and the Hamptons for numerous residential and commercial projects including Four Seasons properties in Surfside, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach. Town & Country recently featured Wong’s gorgeous garden makeover for a John L. Volk-designed home; among many feats, it required relocating a century-old, 90-foot kapok tree.

Enzo Enea

Landscape architect Enzo Enea’s headquarters are based in his native Switzerland, but he opened a Miami office to accommodate all the work he has here. I’m especially proud of his design for One Thousand Museum, a mindful mix of swaying grasses, palms and mangroves that links Zaha Hadid’s futuristic architecture with its natural setting along Biscayne Bay. Though he’s completed many other luxury residential towers like Park Grove, Apogee, the Setai and Oceana, Bal Harbour, he also designs landscapes for private homes. When you’re in Zurich, I suggest visiting his curated arboretum, the Enea Tree Museum.

Nievera Williams

After working solo and collaborating for years, Mario Nievera and Keith Williams went into business together as Nievera Williams in 2011. Their Palm Beach firm with offices in Miami and the Hamptons is behind luxe residential and commercials properties from Shanghai to the Caribbean to their home base like the beautifully restored Royal Poinciana Plaza shopping center. They’ve also dived into other creative areas including outdoor furniture design and garden books. Williams just published his first title, “The Graphic Garden,” which features select estates around the island. Nievera is active in nonprofits, too, including the Cultural Landscape Foundation and the Horticultural Society of New York.

Hayslip Landscape

Heathcote Botanical Gardens board member Sam Comer founded the acclaimed Hayslip Landscape in the 1970s. The recent retiree sold his firm to powerhouse landscape and irrigation company Down to Earth, whose name is often associated with golf courses. Comer’s signature elegance and attention to detail continue with the changing of the guard. For Windsor, the new urbanism, luxury residential community in Vero Beach, Hayslip created much of the common areas including its olive orchard, oak allée and new beach club vegetation, as well as landscaping for many of its private homes. The firm’s work can be seen at other exclusive enclaves such as John’s Island, among its large footprint up and down the Treasure Coast.

Raymond Jungles

https://raymondjungles.com/project_categories/cultural-educational/https://raymondjungles.com/project_categories/single-family-residential/

Fernando Wong
Enzo Enea
tree museum
Nievera Williams
Feb 18
Love0

Moving to Miami

By Art, Beauty, Culture, Dining, Events, Fashion, Florida Finds, Interior Design

Here are some of my local tips for new residents.

Being in real estate, I’m often the first person someone meets when moving to Miami. It’s only natural that they want to know everything about their exciting new town and ask for local tips. Since so many people are in the process of relocating here, I thought I’d put together a quick guide to some of my favorite places, services and events. I hope you enjoy discovering them, as well as cultivating your own gems over time.

Shopping

Miami is a shopper’s paradise. I can’t get over how many incredible stores keep opening here. For a local lifestyle boutique, I recommend the Showroom. The owner has been in retail for decades and knows the market. The South Miami location is geared more toward homewares including Tina Frey’s handmade resin pieces, while Coconut Grove carries more denim. For home, I also shop the extensive collections at Luminaire and Artefacto. Both have huge showrooms in Coral Gables, among many locations, if you’re pressed for time.

For fashion, you can’t go wrong with Neiman Marcus’s two stores here. They cater to the stylish side of Miami with more runway looks and interesting designers. I can always count on their personal shoppers, too. The Miami Design District has really taken off in the last few years. It’s become a major worldwide destination for designer brands like Dior and Hermès, as well as contemporary labels. Recent openings include Alexander McQueen and Stone Island, and there are rumors that Chanel’s coming.

Beauty

I can’t say enough good things about Gee Beauty. I wrote about this family-owned spa and boutique’s 15th anniversary in my blog last year. The Gee women constantly amaze me with their knowledge and service. Their facials are the ultimate luxury, and I love loading up on skin care, cosmetics and supplements on my way out.

If you’re from New York or Los Angeles, chances are you’re already familiar with IGK Hair. The partners behind the salon’s initials actually opened their first location here. They’re also known for their inhouse line of healthy hair products like Good Behavior Blowout Balm, the perfect protection for Miami elements.

Fitness

Miami has a serious wellness scene. There are many state-of-the-art gyms like Anatomy, but I trained one-on-one with Faheem Mujahid. Beyond being a master personal trainer, whose practices extend to yoga, meditation and breathwork, he’s a licensed life coach, mental conditioning expert and mindfulness speaker who’s helped moguls to corporate teams from major brands get on the right track. Check out his podcast and website for upcoming workshops. https://www.faheemmujahid.com/about

Dining

I like to eat light without missing out on flavorful ingredients and beautiful settings. Located on the bay in Brickell, Cipriani has one of the most gorgeous dining rooms in the city. It works on so many levels from power lunches to special occasions. Old World details and authentic cuisine instantly transport me to Italy. Milos in Miami Beach offers a similar vacation vibe. I feel like I’m in the Greek Isles with its airy décor and fresh Mediterranean seafood like whole, salt-encrusted fish and charred octopus. Its homey, private dining room is often booked, and the three-course, prix-fixe lunch is super popular.

Annual Events

Miami is as famous for its nonstop events as its moonrises. Many tourists time their holidays here around them, and locals never get any rest during season. Attending the Miami International Boat Show is a must. But of all of the events, December’s Art Basel fair is tops. Not only did it permanently transform Miami in remarkable ways, but the exchange of ideas and the people you meet during art week can’t be compared to anything else here. It feeds my soul, and I learn so much. I always come away with new inspirations and friends.

 

Feb 01
Love0

Miami, Mi Amor

By Art, Culture, Events, Fashion, Florida Finds, Interior Design, Real Estate, Travel

An ode to our vibrant city’s many charms and its new chapter.

Miami is my home. It’s where I grew up, received my education, discovered my career, built my business, raised my family and invested my time and energy into the community. I’m not alone. People have been seduced by its charms going back to early settlers at the turn of the 20th century. They love to vacation here, too, and attend tony events like Art Basel, but many are just discovering our best-kept secret—that it’s also a great place to live and work. Florida has been one of the fastest-growing states for years, and the pandemic has compounded the trend, especially in South Florida.

Every day I hear about a new company, celebrity or mogul relocating to Miami, or at least strongly considering it. Mayor Francis Suarez has been very vocal about collaborating with big tech and startups to establish headquarters or open satellite offices here. He even exchanged words with Elon Musk, who’s already put down roots in the Sunshine State with his SpaceX program.

Goldman Sachs is also scouting South Florida to potentially relocate its asset management arm. The firm’s openness to leaving Manhattan makes sense with the shift to WFH, which should continue post-pandemic for reasons beyond saving significant costs in leasing office space. Other factors for saying, “Yes,” to Florida are our residents’ tremendous wealth; tax incentives including no state taxes, and gorgeous weather to cater to clients on the golf course. It’s really kind of a dream situation for Goldman Sachs.

As an entrepreneur, I can also vouch that Florida offers a favorable climate for businesses of all kinds. Miami attracts a lot of people who are company founders and work for themselves. I always enjoy hearing my clients’ stories about how they worked hard and would like to enjoy the good life now but still stay in the game. The city was built on this independent spirit from visionary developers to the large population of Cubans who came here to be free and flourish.

Besides Miami’s professional opportunities, people are pleasantly surprised about how family-friendly it has become. There are numerous private schools to nurture every child’s personal needs and interests, and several of our neighborhoods offer coveted, A-rated public schools that parents strive to enroll their children.

Local institutions foster our young minds, too. In addition to the new Frost Museum of Science, our plentiful art museums, botanical gardens and even shopping districts provide regular kids’ programming. Sports and an all-around active lifestyle are very accessible to all ages. Indoor and outdoor soccer fields, skating rinks, private and public clubs for sailing, swimming, rowing, tennis and golf, and abundant parks and nature preserves are available to our kids.

Healing nature is just one key element in our growing wellness scene. New residents soon learn that Miami shed its party stereotype a while ago. They partake in yoga and meditation classes and dine on plant-based cuisine at stunningly beautiful wellness centers like The Sacred Space in Wynwood; run and bike Miami Beach’s lengthy beach path, and grab paddle boards and kayaks for a day on the water. Being outdoors is rejuvenating, especially now, and Miami excels in this advantage.

These are only some of my brief initial thoughts on why we’re a hot spot now. And I didn’t even touch on all of our incredible culture. There’s so much to love.

 

Sep 14
Love0

Let There Be Light

By Art, Events

Maison&Objet, Paris’s home, design and lifestyle fair, goes virtual for its September edition.

 While Paris trips are on hold for many of us this year, we can travel to the City of Light in our minds. Its internationally renowned Maison&Objet fair for home, design and lifestyle introduced a digital edition through September 18. Normally each of its biannual events receives 80,000 visitors. This year’s attendance is expected to balloon to hundreds of thousands on its Maison&Objet and More (MOM) platform, which launched in 2016 as a way for industry insiders to stay connected.

The platform pivoted with newly added digital showrooms that enable design professionals and the general public to walk the show from their laptops and other devices. Dial your interior designer and meet online to learn about the latest trends and to shop for brilliant items. Filters make it convenient to zero in on categories from furniture to fragrances. The website’s Inspirations section also helps with browsing. Here, the fair invites design experts who own firms, showrooms and boutiques as well as home and design editors from magazines all over the world like AD France and House & Garden to share their favorite pieces. Pieces are broken down into themes, too, like eco-chic and tea time. I’ve included photos of some of my picks that work well for the Florida lifestyle.

A fun fact is that Maison&Objet staged a U.S. edition of its show in Miami Beach for two years. It’s easy to see why since South Florida is a hotbed for forward design. We are lucky to have iconic projects from a plethora of revered architects like the late Zaha Hadid who designed Miami’s One Thousand Museum Residences proudly represented by OSIR. The region offers so many luxury home showrooms as well, including B&B Italia’s first Southeast location that recently opened in the Miami Design District. I definitely recommend a visit.

Maison&Objet also hosts daily digital talks on its MOM platform. I’ve noticed that this year’s programs focus a lot on the return to nature and how to protect the environment—themes we’re all experiencing these days. A few to look out for are sustainable interiors on September 15; post-pandemic hotel design by Miami architect Chad Oppenheim (he just spoke to Forbes about the timely topic) on September 17, and a chef’s point of view on the natural world by Christophe Aribert, the alpine culinary visionary and farmer’s son behind Maison Aribert resort in France’s mountainous Uriage-Les-Bains park—I’d love to take one of his coveted cooking classes.

The fair’s Designer of the Year installation has been postponed until the next event from January 22-26, 2021. The honor goes to architect Franklin Azzi, whose Paris-based eponymous firm is known for whole landscapes that often involves urban planning—his Left Bank promenade along the Seine is similar to New York’s High Line. His impressive portfolio also features stores for French fashion houses like Isabel Marant, Lacoste and LVMH’s brands. I look forward to returning to the real deal in winter and toasting him with a glass of champagne, bien sûr.


Aug 07
Love0

The Art of the Online Art Fair

By Art, Events

Untitled launches world’s first virtual reality art fair for the times.

When people talk about going to Art Basel Miami Beach, they don’t just mean the main fair. There are approximately a dozen satellite fairs around the city that offer their own special niche during the December art week. One of the most respected of these satellite fairs is Untitled, which takes place in a glamorous white tent on the beach. It also hosts a San Francisco event. When the pandemic hit, it pivoted by premiering a virtual edition.

Untitled Art Online, Powered by Artland was originally slated to end last weekend, but organizers extended it to Sunday, August 9, to accommodate the unexpected amount of transactions and all-around interest. Its success has rocked the art world, thus ushering in a new age of discovery for art lovers worldwide and of technology’s capabilities to deliver an interactive, immersive experience in lieu of the real thing. In attending the first-ever virtual reality art fair, visitors explore aisles and browse booths just like an in-person fair—they’ve even managed to capture the feeling of the natural light-filled tent in Miami Beach—and conduct business in real time with instant chat tools and a 24/7 “Buy Now” button. Art advisor Laura Smith Sweeney said the platform vastly differs from other online fairs’ sequential viewing of artworks.

“A virtual walk through evokes the excitement of discovering a well-curated booth at an art fair,” said Smith Sweeney, of experiencing the conversational mix of sculpture, painting, and photography to curate virtual tours for her clients. “The doll house and floor-plan views allow visitors to arrive at a gallery’s booth very efficiently, and the interactive chat function with an actual staff member makes for a personal and welcoming experience.”

Approximately 40 international exhibitors are participating in the inaugural online fair. Galleries not only have the ability to customize their booths but rearrange artworks and replenish them with new ones as others sell. When one enters the portal, they’re viewing the fair’s inventory in real time no matter the hour or time zone. A transparent fee model minimizes costs to give galleries an edge during this tough year.

Response and engagement have been so strong that they’re already planning a fall edition. Collectors are taking it seriously, too. Galeria Nara Roesler sold two large-scale works by Vik Muniz for approximately $60,000 apiece on the opening day alone according to gallery deputy director Frederik Schampers. A benefit for the New York Foundation for the Arts also sold out; Artspace & Phaidon produced the UNTITLED, ART Charitable Artist Edition of artist Genesis Tramaine’s limited-edition work on paper titled Black Woman University. All proceeds go to the charity.

Hope you enjoy gallery-hopping from your home this weekend and find some great new works to brighten your space. Good luck!

https://www.artland.com/untitled-art-online

 

 

Jul 02
Love0

Aspen Ascent

By Art, Culture, Events, Music

The ski town’s cultural scene moves online for summer festivals and fundraisers.

Come summertime, South Floridians look forward to cooling off in the mountains, wherever their traditions may take them. Aspen, which has become a sister city to our region in many respects, is favored for its rare balance of nature and the outdoors with cosmopolitan perks from designer shopping to chef-driven dining to world-class culture. Though the pandemic has altered many of summer’s beloved festivals and fundraisers, cultural institutions are making the best of it with virtual events.

The Anderson Ranch Arts Center always hosts one of the biggest parties of the season at Hotel Jerome. This year is no exception, because the nonprofit in nearby Snowmass invites donors to attend its “Un-Gala” on July 16, from the comfort of their own homes. It will deliver a “bash-in-a-box” to your door filled with all kinds of whimsical surprises to sip and spark creativity throughout the evening that begins at 6 p.m. MST. Each open access pass includes a raffle ticket to win a drawing. Dozens of participating artists like Cindy Sherman, Walead Beshty, Enrique Martinez Celaya and Fred Tomaselli, among others, are donating works. Proceeds go toward operations and scholarship funds to promote diversity. For tickets, call 970.924.5067, or click here: https://www.andersonranch.org/event/un-gala/.

Anderson Ranch moved its 2020 Summer Series with conversations by artists, critics, collectors and curators online as well. Led by curator-in-residence Helen Molesworth, complimentary Zoom sessions kick off with Mark Grotjahn on July 2; the California native is known for his Butterfly and Face series of abstract, geometric paintings and drawings. Other speakers are Nicole Eisenman on July 9, Michael Shnayerson on July 21, Deana Lawson on July 23, Silke Otto-Knapp on July 30, Christiana Quarles on August 6, and Tavares Strachan on August 13.

The Aspen Music Festival and School also leaps from its iconic tent to the virtual realm from July 4 through August 23. Log on for complimentary live recitals, panel discussions and in-depth seminars, as well as a tribute to music director Robert Spano to celebrate his tenth anniversary with the organization on July 5. His star-studded performance features soprano Renée Fleming, pianist Yefim Bronfman, violinist Robert McDuffie, clarinetist Michael Rusinek and other musicians with long histories here. Expect plenty of guest speakers to share their memories of Spano, too. If you’re feeling charitable, please donate here:      http://www.aspenmusicfestival.com/support/contribution

 

Deana Lawson

Tavares Strachan

Robert Spano

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