Archives –
‘the show that never was’
“Above all, art should be fun,” said artist Alexander Calder best known for his huge mobile wire sculptures. And Geoffrey Powell at Twentieth Century Prints wanted to focus on exactly that with his latest exhibition, ‘the show that never was’ which, due to current restrictions, could not take place. Away from the Covid conundrum, the…
Modernism in Nice
In 1878 Queen Victoria, the woman dubbed “Grandmother of Europe” for making her children marry into almost every country on the continent, visited the capital of the French Riviera, Nice. To help her manage the hardship of being away, local business types ran up a home away from home evoking as much Victorian pomp and…
Copenhagen & Bellavista
When it opened in 1960 Arne Jacobsen’s SAS Royal hotel acted as a kind of airport lounge, a place where guests could enjoy a glass before being driven right to the SAS check in, more or less. It has changed, like a lot of things, but, it is still only about 20 minutes from Copenhagen Arrivals before you…
Jacobsen’s London
While it is unusual for us to post a piece about a place where tours are few and far between, we thought you might like to hear about our latest trip to the Danish Embassy. As founding partners of Modern Shows® we put on four shows where dealers and designers gather to sell beautiful wares to an…
Vienna
I thought I knew a little bit about Vienna. Chocolate cake, boys’ choirs, prancing horses, waltzing and a bit of Art Nouveau. That stuff (and some of it very good stuff indeed) is abundant in Vienna. But there’s also a different history, one less known, which puts Vienna pretty close to the centre of modernism…
Silver Lake
You may know Silver Lake for its natural habitat, its sordid past as scene to the Manson murders or for its thriving Indie music and arts scene. Situated five miles North West of downtown LA, Silver Lake is often referred to as “the other LA” , LA hipster’s creative ghetto, but more importantly for us…
Tokyo Suburbs
If you are ever in Tokyo, whether for a business trip or holiday, make sure you book ahead before making a beeline for Jiyu Gakuen Myonichikan, The House of Tomorrow. When you see the looming skyscrapers impinging on its residential quarter from the city it is hard to believe that schoolgirls beetled about this tiny…
Barcelona
Barcelona has such a rich history of Modernism it is difficult to know where to start. But without Gaudi and Miro, ‘Barca’ would not have the colours and sinuey shapes it has become so famous for in everything from the local Graffiti to its architecture. And Spain’s El Bulli would not have its extraordinary food. The…
Poissy
Villa Savoye is about a 20 minute walk from Poissy Station. The stroll takes you past a fine mediaeval church, through what looks like an old priory and up a fairly steep hill. On its own it wouldn’t be a bad walk but the giant wedding cake of modernist glory at the end of it…
Miami
If you look at postcards of South Beach Miami, you may be forgiven for thinking that you were in some sort of Deco Disneyland, all dazzling neon and day-glo palm trees. But once you are away from Ocean Drive, the main drag, you will find streets behind, like Collins and Washington Avenues, that are part…