Venice, Palazzo Fortuny, 10th March - 26th June 2012
Press vernissage Friday 9th March 2012 from 10 am to 12 noon
Venice, Italy - The exhibition forms part of the “Spring at Palazzo Fortuny” programme, which in the same period includes the Avere una bella cera. Le figure in cera a Venezia e in Italia (‘In the pink. Waxwork figures in Venice and Italy’) exhibition curated by Andrea Daninos. This is the first major exhibition to be dedicated to the extraordinary and complex Diana Vreeland (Paris, 1903 - New York, 1989). It will explore the many sides of her work and seek to offer a fresh approach with which to interpret the elements of her style and thinking.

The title stresses the need today to decontextualise the many facets that go to make up her kaleidoscopic career and to reconnect them in a new reading of the multiple meanings underlying her now legendary professional and human experience. The exhibition will not limit itself to displaying some garments, although it will indeed be possible to admire many and extraordinary items; it will instead ‘short-circuit’ time, the articles on show and their ‘aura’, showing how fashion is both a complex phenomenon and the perfect observatory for interpreting the tastes and trends of contemporary society. The aim being to restore a sense of the “magnificent gait” with which Diana Vreeland processed through fashion of the 20th century, initially during her years at “Harper’s Bazaar” and “Vogue”, and then in her role as Special Consultant for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

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Linz, Austria - The “Glowing Light Ball Bench” created by Manfred Kielnhofer was present at the Light Art Biennial Austria. The bench, which has a very simple design, consists of three light balls and two wooden board perforates that lay over the light balls. Contrasting structural dynamics of the artist Manfred Kielnhofer provides analytically with his artistic work The "Glowing Light Ball Bench" more than one possible answer to this issue. Kielnhofer asks the viewer literally to an intellectual debate and intellectual, philosophical stimulation. Based on art and design relavante aspects of this work is based on philosophical thinking patterns that are complementary with social impact through the application and interaction.

Materials and urban positioning, more variables which give the work of art this unique versatility and applicability. Whether moving, static, bright, swimming, driving, busy or isolated freestanding - the action itself defines the fine line to use artistic design, or art-oriented design to use. "The moment you try the artwork in my thoughts and words to capture, one realizes that this task almost limitless variations, offers viewpoints and approaches. Kielnhofer redeemed by shape, material, resulting in an avalanche of application functionality and solutions / results on different levels of perception." Follow this link for more information...

Mannheim is one of Germany’s most vibrant and colorful cities, thanks to the people from 170 nations, who have made SouthWest Germany’s second largest city their home. Next year, Mannheim hosts the “Katholikentag”, the German Catholic Convention. From May 16- 20, the gathering is an opportunity for Roman Catholics to discuss and celebrate their beliefs.
To mark the occasion, Mannheim’s Reiss-Engelhorn-Museums will reflect the 1,000-year-old history of monasteries with a special exhibition: Saint Benedict and the Early Monasteries ("Benedikt und die frühen Klöster”). Tracing the life of Saint Benedict, the founder of western Christian monasticism, the museum will display unique historical and religious treasures. This very important exhibition opens on May 13, 2012 and runs right through until January 13, 2013. Follow this link for more information...

Enniskillen, Northern Ireland - The world's first annual festival to celebrate the work and influence of Nobel Prize-winning writer Samuel Beckett is to launch this August in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, where Beckett spent his formative years at school. The inaugural HAPPY DAYS festival will run from 23-27 August 2012 as part of the London 2012 Festival (Cultural Olympiad) and coincides with the 400th anniversary of the founding of Enniskillen which is located in Northern Ireland’s beautiful Fermanagh Lakelands.

The festival will be a major cultural event bringing together local and international audiences and artists, and will feature world and UK premieres of Beckett’s major and lesser-known works. The Irish writer’s music and comedy influences plus those he has influenced, including Irish, UK and international writers, directors, as well as performances by a range of actors, visual artists, musicians, comedians and circus artists – even a range of events reflecting Beckett's favourite sports – will all be represented.

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Washington DC - Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) is generally acknowledged as the greatest draftsman of the 20th century. Through some 55 works, the exhibition presents the dazzling development of Picasso's drawings over a 30-year period—from the precocious academic exercises of his youth in the 1890s to the virtuoso works of the early 1920s, including the radical innovations of cubism and collage. Drawing served as an essential means of invention and discovery in Picasso's multifaceted art, connecting him with the grand tradition of drawing by European masters of the near and distant past. The exhibition will be on view in the West Building of the National Gallery of Art, Ground Floor. Dates: January 29 – May 6, 2012 Follow this link for further information...

Bath, England - Louis Ghost Chair, a new work by Simon Martin, premieres at Bath’s Holburne Museum in January. This ambitious new work has been jointly commissioned by the Holburne Museum and Film and Video Umbrella. The film continues a line of subtle and engaging works by Simon Martin which reflect on particular moments and directions in art and design history.

The iconic object at the heart of this short, seventeen minute, film is the classic design of the Louis XV armchair. The film considers the chair’s contemporary afterlife in the form of Philippe Starck’s updated ‘Louis Ghost Chair’. From antique period-piece to modern-day style accessory, the chair’s transition from wood to plastic, from artisan workshop to high-tech assembly line is illuminated with commentary, spoken by a young female actor. After its premier in Bath Louis Ghost Chair will tour to Collective in Edinburgh, drawing out the cultural and architectural links between the two cities. Louis Ghost Chair runs at the Holburne Museum from January 21 until April 15. 2012. Admission is free.

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San Francisco, CA - Virgins (or Madonnas) collection, "Laudes" ensemble. Haute couture spring/summer 2007. Tickets are available now for the de Young's upcoming exhibition The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk. This is the first major exhibition dedicated to the French designer with more than 130 iconic haute couture and pret-a-porter ensembles created between the early 1970s and 2010. The exhibition will be dramatically displayed in scenic contexts ranging from the boudoir to graffiti streets and the catwalk. FAMSF members take note: you do not need to book your free tickets for this exhibition in advance. Don't miss La Grande Fete at the de Young on Friday, March 23. This is your chance to party with designer Jean Paul Gaultier at the opening event for The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier. This outrageous occasion celebrates the wild and wonderful world of Monsieur Gaultier. Tickets are $250 for FAMSF members and $300 for non-members.

To purchase tickets now, follow this link...

Loire Valley, France - The new Crossbill Guide to the Loire Valley is the first guide book in English to the area's nature reserves. The compact 210-page guide comes in a handy format, easy to tuck into a rucksack or bicycle basket as you set out to explore the region's tranquil landscapes and rich and varied wildlife. The guide is ideal for ‘experts', offering detailed information on local natural history and up-to-date advice on where to spot particular species - whether they be purple herons, whiskered terns, or short-toed eagles - and the many varieties of plant and insect life. A comprehensive practical section includes walking routes and driving itineraries accompanied by clear maps and instructions.

Non-specialists will also find plenty in this guide to challenge and entertain them. Lavishly illustrated with full-colour photos, the book is a good armchair read as well as a field guide, with such quirky and amusing asides as how to make a Tarte Tatin, an upside down apple tart and regional specialty. The book, which covers the Loire Valley including the lowland heath and woodlands of the Brenne and Sologne regions, is published by the Crossbill Guides Foundation, a European non-profit nature conservation organisation. It can be ordered online from https://www.wildguides.co.uk/our-titles/european-nature-guides/loire-valley-loire-brenne-and-sologne (£ 18.95).

London, England - Spend the most romantic day of the year with a loved one aboard the British Pullman for a special steam-hauled lunch or dinner. The train will depart from London Victoria and guests will settle down and admire the vintage carriages whilst enjoying a sumptuous five-course lunch or dinner with champagne and wine whilst relaxing to the sound of the entertainment on board. To make a Valentine's trip extra special, guests can request a coupé, a compartment set away from the main carriage, and can order Champagne, caviar or a bouquet of 12 red roses to be waiting for them on board. The train manager can also help facilitate a proposal and prepare that perfect moment February 14, 2012

Please follow this link for further information online...

The Black Forest, one of Germany’s most beautiful and rugged regions, is in the Baden district of SouthWest Germany. In Karlsruhe Palace, a special exhibition marks 900 years of Baden, tracing its development from a small margraviate (principality) to a liberal ‘Musterländle’ or model region. The exhibition runs from June 16 to November 11.

In Kinzigtal in the central Black Forest, the famous Vogtsbauernhof celebrates its 400th birthday in 2012. This is a massive thatched farmhouse-cum-barn, with huge hipped roofs and vast rustic sitting rooms. The centerpiece of the Vogtsbauernhof Open Air Museum is surrounded by six more traditional Black Forest farmhouses. The furnished kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms all provide an insight into everyday life in the past. Enjoy traditional activities, such as bread making, during this special 400th anniversary from March 25 to November 4.

Next year, SouthWest Germany is also highlighting its outstanding horticultural heritage. With its blooming gardens and beautiful plants, the SouthWest Germany Garden Show (Baden-Württemberg Landesgartenschau) explores the theme of ‘Green’ cities. In Nagold, on the eastern edge of the Black Forest, the Garden Show runs from April 27 to October 7. Follow this link for further information...