S T . B A R T H
Inside the Closed Island Society
B E A C H E S
The Alpha Beaches
R E B E L S & CONTEMPORARY PIRATES
Jean Paul N. , the Founder of Taiwana
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HOWARD’S LOFT / EDEN ROCK – The Howard Hughes Loft
Howard Hughes, Aviator & Adventure Man
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MAISON NOUREEV
Posted by Mick March on 2012/02/04
https://taiwana.wordpress.com/2012/02/04/st-barth-confidential/
A R T B U N K E R
The ART HOUSE Project St. Barth
by Dasha Zhukova + Larry Gagosian
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Damien Hirst the Complete Spot Paintings 1986-2011 Workers install “Bromonucleic Acid,” a Damien Hirst spot painting at Gagosian at 522 West 21st Street in Chelsea.
The good news, of course, is that they’re not all in one place. And none involve dead animals, maggots, encrusted diamonds or vats of formaldehyde. They’re mostly just grids of repeating, neatly made circles, each a different color. How bad can it be?
Well, very bad at times, and yet, at others, not bad at all, in fact rather good. In New York, where 115 of the 331 are on view in the three Gagosian galleries in the city, the quality of the art — and the experience of it — varies tremendously. Parts of Hirst New York are both visually exhilarating and accessible; you can take the kids, take friends who have never looked at art or acquaintances curious about the formal principles of abstraction. Then there are parts so redundant and oppressive as to appeal to only hard-core Hirst devotees. The New York allotment, at least, is a sideshow but one with redeeming qualities, a spectacle with benefits, which is a lot more than can be said of Mr. Hirst’s previous attention-getting shenanigans, like the all-Hirst auctions or the bejeweled skull.
Am I grading on a curve? Probably. Undoubtedly the usual knickers will be twisted by Mr. Hirst’s latest grandstanding: He’s so unimaginative, so crassly commercial, not a real artist and so forth. Mr. Hirst is the post-Warhol, post-Barnum epitome of the artist as impresario, public relations strategist, graphic designer and art director. You can find precedents for just about all of his actions in previous generations. Multiple-city gallery shows have been around since the 1980s; many artists have overproduced, and most are publicity minded. But he has rolled all this, and more, into one big, messy contradictory ball of wax and pushed it to extremes in ways that regularly drive people nuts.
On one level, the Hirst à Gogo is a blatant promotion of both the Hirst and Gagosian brands, and a sitting-duck symbol of the end-time, we’re-doing-this-because-we-can decadence that has subsumed so much of the art world — yet another instance of money celebrating itself. The show is titled “Damien Hirst the Complete Spot Paintings 1986-2011,” and would that this were so. There are more than 1,500 of these things in existence; evidently they will all be accommodated in the show’s catalog, which will live up to the title. (This is not a tome I look forward to paging through.)
But the spot-painting project is more complicated, even paradoxical. It challenges you to hold opposing ideas at the same time. Alongside the promotional character of the undertaking is an aspect of goofy honesty, generosity and even full disclosure. Mr. Hirst, or his assistants, have been making a lot of these paintings; so why not show a lot of them?
The global presentation brings to mind a worldwide rollout for the latest iWhatever. Yet it also reminds me of a weird, commercial version of the Christos’ “Gates” in Central Park, only more spread out, with a lot less orange and greater visual interest. Over the next month or so people in New York, London, Paris, Geneva, Rome, Athens, Hong Kong and Beverly Hills can go to a Gagosian outpost and have a similar Hirst experience. Suggestion: Maybe Gagosian could enhance the collective nature of the experience by having all the galleries stay open around the clock.
Not surprisingly the overblown, up-and-down quality of the whole extravaganza mirrors Mr. Hirst’s overblown, up-and-down career. Yet this is somewhat paradoxical given the narrow focus here. He is showing nothing but fields of enamel dots, smooth discs of color applied to white canvases in orderly grids at intervals equal to the diameter of the discs. The discs can be any color, except the colors can’t repeat on any given canvas (though they come extremely close), and the people making the paintings choose the colors.
The relentless evenness of formula and technique reflects Mr. Hirst’s stated desire to make paintings that seem to have been made by a machine. Yet what’s striking is the unevenness, the variations of touch and finish, and the way that even within their narrow confines the spot paintings do the usual Hirst thing: that is, they range from good to atrocious. Some of them are wonderful; some aren’t really paintings, they’re just expanses of inert spots that happen to be hanging in a gallery. The fluctuations in quality is itself a kind of affirmation of the whole idea of quality.
Up to a point it is interesting to sort through the works, figuring out why some fields of spots cohere, pulse and hold the eye, and others don’t. It is a question of several related proportions: the size of the dots, the height and width of the canvas on which they occur. The paintings with one-inch-diameter spots have an especially high rate of failure. The other huge factor is color, which is a complete wild card and, within the system that determines the paintings, an expressive loophole.
In some works the colors are routine and vapid; in others they really sing, forming rhythms in spite of the fact that they never repeat. It seems crucial that the colors have been chosen by different people; it is part of their randomness and creates a variety that might not be possible if the paintings were made by one person. In this regard Mr. Hirst’s spot paintings are more collaborations than art made by assistants. They are made not only by different hands but also by different minds, and this may be the most interesting thing about them.
By far the best New York installation is at the Gagosian on West 21st Street in Chelsea, where a mere 14 paintings ring one enormous space and function as a kind of Hirst primer. The size of the dots ranges from 1 millimeter to 36 inches in diameter, the size of the paintings from 7 inches to nearly 40 feet across. It is amazing to move up and back and consider these contracting and expanding fields of colored orbs.
At the Gagosian Madison Avenue flagship, the display of 74 Hirst paintings in different spaces really should count as four shows, and two are definitely for Hirst-maniacs only. One is the crowded suite of fourth-floor galleries, where the sameness of the paintings and the density of the hanging can make the eyes start to cross. Equally dubious is a long, narrow fifth-floor gallery, where an awkward space and a wide assortment of canvas sizes create a startlingly disjointed installation. (It’s a kind of how-not-to for beginning curators.) Much more successful is an elegantly varied selection of nine paintings in the skylighted gallery on the sixth floor. This includes the very first spot painting Mr. Hirst made, in 1986, when he was a student at Goldsmiths College in London and had not yet figured out his formula; its mass of dripping, blobby spots painted on board suggests a kind of graffiti art abstraction. And back on the fifth floor, an expansive space offers total immersion with 23 canvases, but with enough room that you can see straight.
The show at the Gagosian space on West 24th Street feels like an afterthought, a combination of leftovers and curiosities, including a suite of rather bizarre circular paintings. It is most memorable for an immense gallery presided over by several enormous canvases with equally enormous spots, some up to five feet in diameter. These works seem anomalous, but they clarify Mr. Hirst’s strengths by default. In these giants, the spots have grown into spheres that are surrounded by empty canvas and the work falls silent. The pulsing contrapuntal play of many colors is gone, and with it the sense of multiple decisions made by different minds.
DAMIEN HIRST THE COMPLETE SPOT PAINTINGS
1986-2011
Gagosian Galleries, gagosian.com.
NEW YORK Through Feb. 18.
980 Madison Avenue, between 76th and 77th Streets; (212) 744-2313
555 West 24th Street, Chelsea; (212) 741-1111
522 West 21st Street, Chelsea; (212) 741-1717.
BEVERLY HILLS Through Feb. 10.
456 North Camden Drive; (310) 271-9400.
LONDON Through Feb. 18.
6-24 Britannia Street; 44-207-841-9960.
17-19 Davies Street; 44-207-493-3020
PARIS Through Feb. 18.
4 Rue de Ponthieu; 33-1-75-00-05-92.
ROME Through March 10.
Via Francesco Crispi 16; 39-06-4208-6498.
GENEVA Through March 17.
19 Place de Longemalle; 41-22-319-36-19
ATHENS Through March 10.
3 Merlin Street; 30-210-36-40-215.
HONG KONG Through Feb. 18.
7/F, 12 Pedder Street; 852-2151-0555
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S P A C E SBH
The Island Art House / St. Barth Carre D’Or / http://www.spacesbh.com
Curator Natalie Clifford
EX. / GIRLS, SKULLS + BUTTERFLIES
Artist : Philippe Pasqua / January 16, 2011 – February 14, 2012
Since his first exhibition in Paris in 1990, Pasqua’s work is exhibited in galleries around the world including
New York, Moscow, Hong Kong, Mexico, London, Hamburg. Pasqua is based in Paris.
He emerged as one of the major artists of his generation just being named French artist of the year.
MICK MARCH AT SPACE SBH
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DAVID HOCKNEY : WHY ART BECOMES ‘LESS’
David Hockney thinks that over his lifetime art has become “less”. He blames the art establishment (museums, galleries, art schools)
for becoming over-enamoured with conceptual art: “It gave up on images a bit” the artist laments.
By which he means that the artworld ignored figurative art: paintings, sculptures, videos and installations that aim to represent the known world:
the sort of work Hockney makes: landscapes, portraits and still lifes.
Instead he feels, museums and galleries have jumped too willingly into the unmade bed of conceptual art where lights go on and off in a game of philosophical riddles.
But Hockney says “the power is with images”, and in neglecting them the artworld has diminished the very thing it aimed to protect: art.
It’s difficult to ignore Hockney’s latest images that now fill the vast galleries of the Royal Academy in London.
They are huge (two paintings are about 10-metres across), they are innovative (numerous iPad print-outs and an 18-screen film installation),
and they are very colourful (purple paths and orange tree trunks aplenty).
FOR ALL HIS OUTSPOKENNESS DAVID HOCKNEY IS A CANNY MAN
By and large, they all depict the same subject: the hills, fields, woods and roads of rural East Yorkshire. These things are subjective, but I found them potent and poetic. And exciting.
Exciting because it has been a rarity over the last half-a-century for a supremely gifted painter to take on the English landscape.
Constable and Turner did so in the 19th Century. And John Nash and Stanley Spencer rose to the challenge in the mid-20th Century. But not much has emerged since.
Maybe it’s due to the 30 years he has spent in Hollywood that Hockney blames the camera for the hiatus.
He directs a damning finger at the one-eyed monster in all its guises: photography, film and television.
He believes it is the camera that has caused many of today’s artists to forsake figurative art, having decided that a single mechanical lens can capture reality better than any painter or sculptor.
“But they’re wrong,” he told me. “A camera cannot see what a human can see, there is always something missing.” He talks about the inability of a camera to reproduce a sense of space and volume.
He makes the point that a photograph documents only a split second in time. Whereas a landscape painting, portrait or still life
might appear to be a moment immortalised in a single image, but it is in fact the culmination of days, weeks and in the case of many artists
(Cezanne, Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin and Hockney), years of looking at a single subject.
It is a result of vast quantities of stored information, experience, jottings and spatial sensitivity that has eventually appeared in the colours,
composition and atmosphere of a final finished artwork.
For all his outspokenness David Hockney is a canny man. He twinkles when talking about why he chose to tackle the English landscape,
seeing it, I suspect, as an opportunity to make another big splash: a great subject overlooked by most other artists.
When people told him that the “landscape genre was worn out” he thought it illogical. “The way of looking at it [the landscape] might be worn out,
but the landscape can’t be,” he said. “It needs re-looking at…[to] look at it afresh.”
Which is exactly what he has done. And it looks like Hockney on Yorkshire will be a hit with the public as advance bookings are already at the upper end of the Royal Academy’s expectations.
But I wonder if the show will have a more lasting impact than simply to re-assert the general feeling that the Bradford-born painter is the country’s greatest living artist.
I think it is possible that it could mark the moment – together with the Lucian Freud exhibitionthat will be opening shortly at the nearby at the
National Portrait Gallery – when figurative art once again starts to become the dominant genre in the contemporary exhibitions and
displays mounted at the likes of Tate, Paris’s Pompidou and New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
The paintings of urban Coventry by George Shaw were shortlisted for last year’s Turner Prize. He didn’t win.
But maybe this year will be different, and an artist who produces landscapes or portraits or still lifes will carry the day?
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THE first public sighting of Eli Broad, the 78-year-old billionaire philanthropist and art collector, came at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. Quietly navigating the aisles of the Art Basel Miami Beach fair, along with others in the early-admission V.I.P. crowd, he moved quietly and with single-minded determination, a shark in a blue blazer with a curator beside him like a remora fish along for the ride.
“Collecting is more than just buying objects,” said Mr. Broad , who, along with his wife, Edye, maintains a mammoth personal collection of 500 major artworks, runs a foundation with another 1,500 and is the driving force (some would say pile-driving) behind the contemporary public art scene in Los Angeles. Mr. Broad was a key figure in the founding of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, in the 1970s and helped save it from ruin a year and a half ago. His new Broad Museum, designed by the New York firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro, will house a collection that that includes works by, among many, many others, Jeff Koons, Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns.
Of course, collecting is more than just buying objects. It is a disease with no known cure. And like many representatives of the 0.001 percent here, the Broads showed little sign of easing up on their longtime habit of getting and spending, or of easing up, period. “It’s still a great fair, there’s good material and surprises and great parties,” Mr. Broad said nine hours later by the pool at the Raleigh hotel.
Banquettes and low tables had been installed there to conjure a North African mood for a dinner hosted by the kingdom of Morocco for the heavy hitters of the Los Angeles art-collecting scene. Waiters circulated carrying trays of swordfish ceviche in individual spoons. Mr. Broad waved one off and talked acquisitions.
“We bought some things” at the fair, he said. Pressed to say what, the man whose first fortune was made building tract homes, who says often that he intends for Los Angeles to “overfly” New York in cultural terms and whose baldly stated ambition is to turn Los Angeles into the global cultural capital of the 21st century mentioned an early Cindy Sherman photograph. It is probably worth noting that he already owns 120.
Three hours on, at 10:30 p.m., Mr. Broad was spotted again getting his wrist stamped at the entry to the Art.sy party. Held in a tent by the shore behind Soho Beach House, the party featured the inevitable ’80s musical mix, the usual dreadful plonk, the typical motley scrum of celebrities that included Adrien Brody and Naomi Campbell (“I come down to be with my friends,” said the model, who acquires many things, though not art), the dealer Larry Gagosian , the wealthy Russian arts patron Dasha Zhukova and a predictable assortment of the pretty young things that have inherited the spiritual mantle of Sylvia Miles.
Perhaps the name of this actress and indefatigable night owl has drifted into obscurity, but it used to be said of Ms. Miles that, if you put a potato chip on a windowsill, she would come. Those are words to live by here.
Posted by Mick March on 2012/02/04
https://taiwana.wordpress.com/2012/02/04/art-bunker/
Elle March My Island Diary
Mick and me moved 1997 into the Maison Noureev. Every night we had brainstorming conclaves with friends on the deck of the beach house.
Here we created the Island Network ‘A Cool World’. A spontaneous tribe of Hollywood peak performer, rock stars, writers and power people were our guests.
MAISON NOUREEV
Posted by Mick March on 2012/02/04
https://taiwana.wordpress.com/2012/02/04/maison-noureev-st-barth/
N E X T S H E L T E R / The next Living Zones + Projects
unconventional, pure + simple projects for the next lifestyle
Beach House No. 7 Z
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THE SKYLINE HOUSE / Hollywood Hills
Perched atop a ridgeline in the Hollywood Hills, the presence of the Skyline Residence represents an honest approach to creating an environmentally sensitive building without sacrificing beauty nor budget. The pre-existing site presented a challenge in terms of constructability, the client presented the challenge of limited allowable expenses, and the architect was resilient to marginalize beauty and originality. The requirements of an architecture to satisfy each of these constraints are found in that which is constant and continuous at a given site.
Capitalizing on and working within the physical, visual, and psychological characteristics of a given site fosters value in the relationship between building and site. Beyond incorporating various sustainable strategies out of pure concern for the environment, the budgetary limitations imposed on material choice forced the architect to implement strategies for using resources in close proximity to the site. While the building is not fused with the ground formally, it’s relationship to ground, sky and the elements through a comprehensive understanding of locality is symbiotic.
The project site exists along a steep ridgeline. Beyond the physical constraints typically associated with ridgeline projects, an opportunity presented itself by realizing viewing angles in comparison to solar angles. Each had the capacity to compliment each other in order to maximize natural lighting and views without increasing future cooling demands. On the interior, a single-loaded corridor was created to act as a heat buffer between the glazing and the bedrooms. In addition to deep shadowing eaves, a solar screen was created made of Extira, a low-formaldehyde emitting composite lumber.
Winds are created through the valleys on either side of the house and move linearly along the length of the house. Oversized, hinged double-doors open on either side of the living room invite the prevailing winds to flow uninterrupted through the interior space. The corridor leading to the bedrooms open at either end, facilitating airflow past each room and openings from each room to the rear yard draw on the cool moving air from the corridor through the length of the house.
There was also a constant interest in reducing emissions resulting from the transportation and importation of materials, specifically those materials which are commonly used in bulk at construction sites. While choosing eco-friendly furniture, fixtures and equipment is an obvious avenue to reducing energy consumption, the hidden elements of construction and structure were considered in this design as well. Re-using the earth eliminated shipments of excavated earth out of the site and reduced the shipments of other decomposed materials into the site. Local-manufactured low-e glazing, steel, CMU blocks, and indigenous aggregates support this initiative as well. The remains of wood framing and flooring acquired from a nearby construction project were put to use in this project, and the landscape is comprised of low water consumption flora from a residence to be demolished in the area.
Both the main house and the guest house are enclosed by a single folded surface with infill glazing and screened walls. The objective of such a strategy is to capitalize on framing extrinsic conditions and using the solid walls of the fold itself to affect the adjacent spaces. The absence of one solid wall in each room also reveals the fold as a framing device. The strategy for removing the guest house from the main house and including an auto court in between stems from the idea that complimenting forms which spatially could be perceived as once being united allow the interstitial space between a sense of connection, if only visual. In this design, the faces resulting from a separation in form created areas for videos and films to be viewed. The deck above the garage is now a gathering space for social events and a viewing platform for projections onto the Southern face of the guest house. This interaction between the main house and the guest house utilizes a normally singular and stagnant space in the auto court and activates the solid surface of the fold through an engagement with the surrounding space.
The communication Shelter at Los Angeles
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THE URBAN CONTAINER SQUARE
An Urbantainer shipping container turned pop-up store showcased the mobile app services of Naver, the most popular web portal of South Korea.
The store, designed using hydraulic systems, was furnished inside as though a cardboard box that was playfully decorated with labels, letterings and symbols.
‘We designed this oversized box using a one-material approach,’ the architects say.
‘Naver App Square was an offline space containing a wide range of contents and was configured to experience music and apps offered by Naver.’
Visitors passing the massive box were suddenly introduced to a unique ‘wonderland space’ populated by chairs, tables, loudspeakers – all made from paper and cardboard.
Naver App-Square – the next communication office shelter. Designed by Jiwon Baik, Younjin Jeong, Gayoung Lee and Evan D. Hall.
Posted by Mick March on 2012/02/04
https://taiwana.wordpress.com/2012/02/04/next-shelter/
THE CUBE / MILAN
Overlooking the Piazza del Duomo, the cultural and social heart of Milan,
The Cube lets some of the most famous Italian Chefs
combine Michelin star cooking with state of the art design and breathtaking views.
Seating only 18 guests, it is an exclusive gastronomic experience not to be missed by the food aficionado.
NORTH DESIGN MEETS MICHELIN STAR
The Cube by Electrolux marries the Scandinavian design heritage of Electrolux with its experience
from working with some of the best chefs in contemporary Italian cuisine, in a unique gastronomic experience.
Manarola / Cinque Terre / Italy
WITH its miles and miles of breathtaking trails, the Cinque Terre along northern Italy‘s Riviera has long been a magnet for hikers. And while trekking through the five villages is certainly a backpacker’s dream — each town is a unique destination carved rather amazingly into the steep terraced-vineyard coastline — that shouldn’t preclude lesser jocks from heading to this wildly charming region. In fact, the only way to truly experience the sensory overload that this small area has to offer is by getting off those well-trodden paths. It’s almost unfair how much intense beauty, great cuisine and amazing aromas are jampacked into such a compact space.
4 p.m.
1) GAIN SOME PERSPECTIVE
Before you start connecting your Cinque Terre dots, bouncing from one village to the next, take a 15-minute uphill trek through gorgeous vineyards, to the Santuario della Madonna di Montenero (entrance is a five-minute drive west of Due Gemelli, a hotel at Via Litoranea, 1; 39-0187-920-111). The storybook journey, replete with fragrant wildflowers and colorful butterflies, is topped with uninterrupted views that allow visitors to size up the region’s entire 11-mile coastline from 1,100 feet above sea level. The sanctuary, an active church with a pink and yellow bell tower, is a spectacular example of the 14th-century buildings that put these small towns on the map.
5:30 p.m.
2) LOVERS’ WALK
Drive down to Riomaggiore proper, park your car and head downhill to explore its marina. Then double back to the main drag and look for signs pointing to the village’s biggest attraction: the Via dell’Amore, the first segment of the Sentiero Azzurro or the Blue Trail — a five-hour and somewhat challenging hiking trail that connects all five hamlets (5 euros for a daily pass). Connecting Riomaggiore and Manarola, this patch is just a leisurely stroll, offering a relatively flat coastal path that was carved into the mountain almost a century ago. The inspiring views and romantic nooks have earned it the nickname, the Path of Love. What will you really love? It’s super easy.
7 p.m.
3) TASTE TEST
The tiny town of Manarola is a sight to behold: a confection of pastel houses that climb up the side of black cliff, next to the region’s most productive vineyards. This small area is known for not one, but two specialty wines: Cinque Terre white, a dry, tangy blend of three different grapes, and sciacchetrà, a super-sweet late-harvest dessert wine generally reserved for special occasions. To create your own special occasion, grab a table at the lovely Marina Piccola (Via Lo Scalo, 16; 39-0187-920-923), next to the waterside hotel of the same name. Ask to sample a Manarola Cinque Terre and then compare it to one that’s made from grapes blended from all five villages (8 to 12 euros for a half-bottle). While you’re at it, order the Cinque Terre sciacchetrà, too.
8:30 p.m.
4) FAMILY-STYLE DINING
For a taste of a home cooking, head to Trattoria dal Billy (Via Rollandi, 122; 39-0187-920-628), a quaint three-story restaurant tucked into Manarola’s lush mountainside. An enchanting climb through the village’s mazelike alleyways leads to a set of garden terraces where you can sample local specialties like anchovies with salt or lemon, and taglierini with tomato, pecorino, pine nuts, baby shrimp, pepper and olive oil (both 8 euros). Sweeping vineyard and sea views abound.
Saturday
10 a.m.
5) SECRET BEACH
With three towns to hit in one day, take the quick regional train via the Spezia line (www.ferroviedellostato.it, 1 euro) to Corniglia, the smallest and most remote of the five villages. Forgo the 365-step climb to its tourist-filled center. Instead take the road much less traveled, to the clothing-optional private beach, Guvano, that only locals seem to know about. It’s not easy to find: above and to the right of the train platform head down a narrow flight of stairs, follow a brick coastal wall and turn right, until you come to an industrial tunnel with a metal gate. Ring the bell to the left. Someone on the other end will buzz you in. Walk through the 10-minute-long path to a private vineyard overlooking two phenomenal beaches. Pay the gatekeeper 5 euros for your little slice of sunbathing heaven. Be sure to stock up on water and snacks at the train station; there are no concession shacks at the beach.
1:30 p.m.
6) SQUARE MEAL
Vernazza, the next village over, could certainly nab Miss Congeniality in a Cinque Terre pageant. Everything from its historical attractions and manageable size to its somewhat chic vibe make this port arguably the most agreeable of the five towns. From the train station, walk along Via Visconti, the town’s bustling main street, until you reach its adorable main square. Have a leisurely lunch at Trattoria Gianni Franzi (Piazza G. Marconi, 1; 39-0187-821-003), a 45-year-old institution that still serves scrumptious dishes like ravioli with fish sauce (13 euros) or baked fish with potatoes (20 euros). Finish things off with a glass of limoncino (3.50 euros), Northern Italy’s answer to limoncello, the lemon liqueur popular in the south.
3 p.m.
7) HIGHS AND BUYS
With a full belly and a slight buzz, you’ll want to check out these sights in the following order: Santa Margherita d’Antiocha, a 1318 church built on sea rock with an odd facade that seems to turn its back on the piazza; the lookout towers of the 11th-century Castello Doria (1.50 euros) where you’ll be rewarded with magnificent aerial views of the entire region; and La Cantina del Molo (Via Visconti, 27; 39-0187-812-302), a high-end enoteca that sells the most divine delicacies, along with wines from the owner’s vineyards.
5:50 p.m.
8) SAIL AWAY
You’ve been stealing glimpses of the Mediterranean Sea since you’ve arrived; now it’s time to seize it. Board the last ferry (www.navigazionegolfodeipoeti.it; 3.50 euros) to the westernmost and largest village, Monterosso al Mare (or Monterosso by the Sea), which, as its name suggests, is the sandiest and most resortlike of them all. Upon disembarking, hang a left toward Fegina beach and join the locals enjoying sunset aperitivos after a day in the sun. Top-notch wines and terrific bruschettas (6 euros), as well as fantastic promenade people watching, can be had at the outdoor wine bar and shop Enoteca 5 Terre di Sassarini Giancarlo (Via Fegina, 94; 39-0187-818-063).
8:30 p.m.
9) A MODERN FISH TALE
Traditional Ligurian cuisine, while entirely delectable, can also get repetitive. For something regional yet refreshing, head to L’Ancora della Tortuga (Salita Cappuccini, 6; 39-0187-800-065), a new spot housed in a converted bunker that was used during World War II. The contemporary kitchen specializes in fish dishes, including a seafood carpaccio with country vegetables (11 euros) and the daily catch served on grapevine leaves (12 euros). Be sure to reserve one of three tables that overlook the sea, or a spot on the upstairs terrace.
10:30 p.m.
10) BEACH PARTIES
You didn’t come to the Cinque Terre to party, but if you’re looking to keep the torch burning in Monterosso al Mare, you might be in luck. During the warmer months, day trippers and locals alike will stage beach parties along the Via Fegina. All are welcome. Or mix with the congenial crowds at one of the mellow, pub-style bars on Via Roma in the historical district.
Sunday
8:30 a.m.
11) DOUBLE DELIGHT
The sweet and savory goodness at Il Frantoio (Via Goberti, 1; 39-0187-818-333) should be enough of a reason to get you up before your alarm clock rings. Bring your euro coins to this unassuming alleyway shop and make a breakfast of its unique dolci castagnina — warm circular pastries baked with chestnuts, salt, milk, pine nuts and raisins (1.60 euros each). Be sure, too, to grab a selection of the superior focacce to go (1.50 euros a square). The varieties are endless, and they’ll make for the perfect lunch at the beach later on.
11 a.m.
12) GET YOUR GLAM ON
Soak up the town’s biggest selling point: it’s Riviera-ness! Not far from the entrance up to Convento dei Cappuccini monastery, you’ll find the Bagni Eden beach club (Via Fegina, 7-11; 39-0187-818-256), a postcardlike world of colorful chaise longues (with matching umbrellas), turquoise water and bronzed beauties playing Kadima paddle ball. For 16 euros you get the chaise longue, umbrella and use of the changing cabin. Pellegrino, focaccia and salty air never tasted so jet set, especially after all that hiking.
VISITOR INFORMATION
While there are no regularly scheduled direct flights between Genoa and the United States, Delta Air Lines offers direct service between Kennedy Airport in New York and Pisa. It may be easier to fly to Milan’s Malpensa airport and then drive three hours to reach the Cinque Terre.
Leave your car at the Autosilos garage, at the tip of Riomaggiore, and retrieve it at the end of your trip (40 euros for two days). Driving is not permitted within the villages. Shuttle around by foot, by train (one-day pass for 5 euros) or by ferry (except to and from the port-less Corniglia).
Lodging is scarce in Manarola, so book early to snag one of the 10 rooms at Ca’ d’Andrean (Via Discovolo, 101; 39-0187-920-040; www.cadandrean.it), a charming hotel converted from an old oil press and wine cellar. The lemon-tree garden and cozy fireplace lounge are nice bonuses. Doubles start at 92 euros.
Expect a wider range of hotels in Monterosso al Mare. Avoid the well-worn warhorses and opt for the sharp new Hotel Margherita (Via Roma, 72; 39-0187-808-002, www.hotelmonterosso.it), the closest thing to a boutique hotel in the area. The 25 rooms have plasma-screen TVs, cosmopolitan mini-bars and luxurious bathrooms. Rates begin at 90 euros.
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NHOW BERLIN
Hotel
NHOW Hotel
nhow stands for a new generation of hotels: offbeat, lively, dynamic and with a local flair that simultaneously has worldwide appeal.
nhow centers on music and design and is the only hotel in Europe offering two professional music studios.
FABRICS RESTAURANT
What happens when you throw together the digipop design of a star architect from New York and a contemporary interpretation of Franco-German cuisine by Berlin’s top chef? A summit meeting of creativity, resulting in a sensuous feast for both the eyes and the palate.
Germans may find the name confusing – but it doesn’t have anything to do with their factory (Fabrik). The English word for textures is intended here – or by extension, fabrics: suggesting not only surface structures but also the way something feels in the mouth. So the name succeeds in encapsulating what is distinctive about the restaurant: the unusual design by star architect Karim Rashid, and variations of flavour of the first water supplied by Executive Chef Patrick Rexhausen. fabrics is located on the ground floor of the hotel, adjacent to the lobby and the bar. With its corner position and fully glazed frontages, it offers a spectacular view of the river Spree and the Oberbaum bridge. In summer you can sit on the garden terrace – an attractive rendezvous for a quick business lunch in the sun, or a romantic dinner by the riverbank. Inside, the green tables and chairs are in stark contrast with the completely pink wall, which separates the restaurant from the kitchen.
The chef and his philosophy
This is Patrick Rexhausen’s domain. The career of the 33-year-old Berliner has been unconventional, but his creations are authentic. The pop art interior of the nhow Berlin is given an additional spin by Rexhausen’s concoctions. It’s a culinary interpretation of the architecture. Rexhausen is not afraid of contrasts, or even of confrontation. His modern interpretations of classic Franco-German cooking bridge an avant garde arc of suspense – characterised by economy of ingredients, a regional emphasis and unexpected surprises. Every six weeks Rexhausen creates a new menu. The chef knows his suppliers, so he knows just what goes into his creations and who is behind it. This is important to him. ‘The more nutritious the food, the better chance you have of thinking creatively,’ as he says – summing up the core of his philosophy.
Rexhausen is a real ‘Berlin lad’, whose passion for cooking saved him from a number of scrapes in his youth. He learned his trade in a Moabit canteen, but his enthusiasm for good
honest cooking was inherited from his grandmother. Even if the start of his career hardly offered the most propitious conditions, he soon cooked his way to the top kitchens of the German capital. His first post as an up-and-coming chef, under Paul Urchs at the Vivaldi Restaurant of the Hotel Ritz-Carlton, was followed by another at Hotel Adlon under Karlheinz Hauser and Tim Raue. The latter then helped him to get a place at the Venti at Aspria Berlin, where he worked with Raue’s wife Marie-Anne. After this he took on responsibility, as Chef de Cuisine, for the Grand Hyatt Berlin’s two restaurants, the Titian and Dietrich’s Lounge – before finally moving to NH Berlin in the Friedrichstrasse, where he was Executive Chef from 2008 to 2010. During this period he also had the opportunity of looking over the shoulder of the celebrated Ferrán Adrià (known as ‘El Bulli’). All the same, he doesn’t see his creations as ‘molecular cuisine’, even if he often makes use of its techniques. Not as an end in itself, though, but only with the aim of adding small and subtle highlights, and surprising the palate with new experiences and flavours. This, in his view, is the meaning of ‘avant garde’. Since it first opened Rexhausen has been Executive Chef at the nhow Berlin, where the modern approach to hospitality matches his own character.
As is well known, taste is a matter about which there can be two opinions. Rexhausen has taken this very much to heart. His kitchen is open to anyone who wants to take a look behind the scenes. He hasn’t anything to hide. On the contrary – his kitchen is clear, transparent and furnished in practically minimalist style. He eschews modern gadgets that speed up the process. Instead he has introduced more stoves and cutting boards. It’s a back to basics approach, but very far from old-fashioned. He wears black tattoo gloves, incidentally, when he works. ‘You just cook better that way,’ he says. So much unconventionality you have to allow him.
fabrics restaurant at nhow Berlin
Stralauer Allee 3, 10245 Berlin
Opening hours: 6.30 am to 11.30 pm, Friday and Saturday till midnight Tel.: +49 (0)30 2902994107
www .nhow-hotels.com/berlin
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E D E N R O C / CAP D’ANTIBES SOUTHERN FRANCE
The Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc: parkland settings, cabanas, and a kind and elegant staff. Sunsets on the terrace and beef tartare overlooking the sea.
Such a grand old hotel filled with so much history—and, of course, the pet cemetery.
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ESCAPE : LA COLOMBE D’OR
Saint-Paul-de-Vence / Southern France
Tintin Roux, La Patronne
Bar de La Colombe d’Or
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KARL LAGERFELD : THE INTERVIEW
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‘ST. BARTH SOCIETY’
Carine Rotfeld / Dasha Zhukova / Kate Moss / Shala Monroque / Julia Rostaing – Roitfeld /
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RISKY IDEAS
Karl Lagerfeld, long-time friend and fellow multi-hyphenate, spoke with Roitfeld in Paris.
KARL LAGERFELD: How far can you take an image?
CARINE ROITFELD: I think that when you’re taking pictures with my principles, you can try anything. Dare to do a lot of things—dare with sexuality, dare to break taboos as long as it remains photogenic. As long as I find an elegance and beauty in it, I am not afraid to tackle anything.
LAGERFELD: I think it was Marlow who said, “There is no beauty without some strangeness in the proportions.”
ROITFELD: Exactly. I think that something needs to be weird in order to have a real beauty. Beauty can be quite boring, especially if you’re talking about beauty that doesn’t last. And what lasts is exactly the thing that maybe wasn’t pretty at first—it comes over time to be beautiful or interesting or exciting—
LAGERFELD: For example, during the golden age of movie stars, there were plenty of actresses who were deemed unattractive at the start of their careers, but struggled and finally appeared more beautiful and more iconic. Sometimes that idea of being truly iconic has something to do with not necessarily being beautiful and thus trying harder.
Posted by Mick March on 2012/02/04
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MY ST. BARTH BLACK BOOK
by Franca Sozzani / Vogue.It Editor
A Weekend on the Island
During the Forties, and amidst the waves of the Caribbean Sea, on board his beloved barge Pilar, Ernest Hemingway wrote many of his most celebrated novels. And here Hugo Prattset Corto Maltese‘s last adventures. Frank Lloyd filmed here his Mutiny on the Bountywith Charles Laughton and Clarke Gable, andGillo Pontecorvo did the same with hisQueimada, starring a captivating Marlon Brando. Many masterpieces are inspired by the sea, by the shores and the sparkling atmosphere of the Antilles. From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea in the version starring Kirk Douglas and James Mason, to the more recent The Firm directed by Sydney Pollack, with Tom Cruise and Gene Hackman.
Despite the invasion of mass tourism, including low-quality blockbuster film crews and noisy motorboats, that has made a rush for many Caribbean islands, it is still possible to indulge in a more secluded break choosing the right destination among the many available in the magnificent Antilles.
In the French Antilles, St. Barts stands out for its allure, its relaxed mood and environment, the realm of bon vivre, considered for the last twenty years a kind of tropical version of Saint Tropez in the ’70s.
An enchanting little Caribbean isle featuring a colonial architecture, Saint-Barthélémy, abbreviated into Saint-Barth in French or St. Barts in English, owes his name to Christopher Columbus, who sighted it in 1493 and named it after his elder brother Bartolomeo.
The isle steers clear of tourist-like antics, keeping a sophisticated yet natural, easy and chic allure, where mostly celebs hang out, alongside an élite of true connoisseurs. Like fashion photographerMarco Glaviano and clothes and jewelry designer Olympe Guillaume, true regulars. They suggest, both for a vacation and a long weekend on the isle, to choose, first of all, the right accommodation. Among the various options, there’s the modern Eden Rock hotel, that has recently undergone a deluxe restyling, lying on the cliffs of one of the best-known beaches of the isle. Another choice is the enchantingLe Guanahani resort, merging Caribbean style with European interior design: don’t miss, in the inside store, the Gypsea line by Olympe Guillaume. Featuring generous suites with private patios overlooking the sea is Le Toiny. Large, total-white rooms in perfect colonial style for the Isle de France hotel. A simpler alternative is La Banane, featuring wooden bungalows colored in shocking hues. Also its restaurant is worth a try, serving fusion cuisine dishes ranging from Chicken Thai soup with coconut and lemon to blueberry foie gras. TheCarl Gustav hotel has a more romantic mood, featuring suites with private pools overlooking the Gustavia bay (Carita toiletries are included). To savor a different experience, closer to local lifestyle, choose the Les Cases de Saline B&B, where owner Cat rents cozy bungalows close to home, in a lovely garden.
Crowned by dozens of steep mountains and sweet slopes, the isle ofSt. Barts‘s main attraction is its allure. The allure of its beaches, to start with. Wild beaches, in the midst of nature, like the Saline, Gouverneur and Colombier, super-white unspoilt beaches to bask in the Caribbean sunshine, seeking for a cool spot in the palms’ shade. But you also get highly-equipped beaches, with pools, cocktail bars and SPA’s, to indulge in a deluxe rehab among flawless bays and secluded coves, with coastlines of white sand as soft as face powder. Among the most fascinating beaches, the Eden Rock is worth a stop to enjoy a full day eating at the restaurant of the same name hotel, or indulging in a pleasant massage on the seashore. On the enchantingPlage des Flamands, you will be easily tempted by the food and the SPA at the Isle De France hotel. Don’t miss La Plage and its eponymous restaurant (where Marco Glaviano suggests to ask for Thierry). Or at the Shell Beach, that warms the body and the soul with its amazing view, whilst it tempts you with the delicacies of the Do Brasil restaurant (another tip: it’s better to ask for Bubu).
A tropical paradise: on vacation on St. Barts, beaches are only the starting point. Put some spice in your stay on the isle indulging in the delicacies of the best Creole tradition. The top choice is Eddy’s Restaurant, a real classic on the isle, offering excellent Caribbean cuisine. Spicy as the dishes it serves, Do Brasil is like an adventure in Brazilian gastronomy to be savored in the ocean-view verandah. At L’Entre Deux you may get a taste of French cuisine revisited with a fusion twist, whereas at Maya’s, a historic place in Saint Barth, it is advisable to give in to grilled specialties. After dinner, Carol will welcome you at her Le ti’ St.Barth club, for the hottest nightlife and parties. As an alternative, let yourself be lulled by the relaxed atmosphere of Bazbar sushi bar, right in the port area, listening to live music in a laid-back club. Or head for the Yacht Club, a cosmopolitan lounge with a hip and soft mood.
Don’t miss a shopping full immersion. Extravagant and eclectic, a shopping spree in Saint Barthélemy is like touring among the world’s cultures. From local beauty secrets at Ligne, selling natural beauty products made on the isle, to Sabina Zest‘s boutique, with cotton or silk outfit collections suitable for all occasions. At Gustavia you will find the finest of prêt-à-porter. Don’t miss atelier 100% Capri(ask for Tony for an exclusive treatment) that sells cotton and linen dresses. We strongly suggest you also to pop round to Les bijoux de la Mer, where Maryvonne & Gérard will seduce you with Tahiti’s magnificent black pearls. And, unfailingly, the haute joaillerie and deluxe watches by De Grisogono. Before departing, don’t forget to pack in the scents of St. Barts, with the fragrances created byJacques Zolty: with their retro packaging and featuring a mixture of spices and flowers, they capture the essence of the isle to leave the memory of French Antilles on your skin.
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T A I W A N A 