~ESTE LEWIS MEETS JAMES MONT: VOILA DESIGN MAGIC !! LAST 3 DAYS !! MORE PIX – GOING LIVE !! RIGHT NOW – WED MAY 4 !!
‘A STEP BACK INTO THE FUTURE’ – JAMES MONT LIVING ROOM c. 1950 with CONTEMPORARY CUSTOM WALLPAPER BY ESTE LEWIS – INSTALLATION SHOT/COURTESY: THE PROPOSITION
LAST DAYS TO CATCH – THIS WONDERFULLY ENGAGING SHOW !! AN TRULY INSPIRED MATCH-UP OF VINTAGE ‘MODERN’ – MEETS CONTEMPORARY CUTTING EDGE DESIGN . . . HEAD-ON.
AND DOES THIS GLASS SLIPPER, FIT. OR WHAT.
SOME TIMES IT’S NOT ABOUT THE FIGHTIN’ – BUT THE CHAMPAGNE BUBBLES !!
THE GOLDEN ERA OF AMERICAN DESIGN – THINK MAD MEN & FRANK SINATRA !! – AMERICA AT ITS – BEST-EST.
YEAH. BRING BACK – THE GLORY DAYS OF MODERN DESIGN !!
‘A STEP BACK INTO THE FUTURE’ – JAMES MONT LIVING ROOM c. 1950 – WITH CUSTOM WALLPAPER BY ESTE LEWIS
MARCH 26 THRU THIS SUNDAY MAY 1, 2011
THE PROPOSITION – 2 EXTRA PLACE – EAST 1st ST OFF THE BOWERY
NOTE: CLOSING PARTY – THIS SUNDAY – MAY 1 / 5-7PM !!
ELIZABETH BUTTERS WILL SING SONGS – FROM HER NEW ALBUM – ‘FOLK BLUES FOR APPALACHIAN DULCIMER and GUITAR’ – so sweet & chic – or what ??!!
at the opening: ESTE LEWIS, her custom wallpaper behind her, and the terrifically slick – JAMES MONT ‘baby grand piano bar’ – in front.
the definition of chic, or what . . .
“back when people smoked cigarettes and drank martinis . . . JAMES MONT was designing outrageous living rooms with sofas covered in exquisite densely textured fabrics and furniture with complex surfaces of tinted lacquers and gold and silver leaf . . .
this exhibit will bring you into a living room of the future set in the past . . . the gallery divided into three segments, all containing arrangements of c. 1950 vintage furniture designed by James Mont – amidst appropriately themed patterned backdrops of custom wallpaper designed by ESTE LEWIS. ”
yo, contemporary edge meets modern sleek – head on: voila, over-the-top design magic. or what !!
detail, ESTE LEWIS CUSTOM WALLPAPER – featuring segments of various condiments commonly found alongside a martini !! – in . . . ZIPLOC BAGS – a 1950s invention – wouldn’t you know.
RONALD SOSINSKI of THE PROPOSITION and graphic design artist ESTE LEWIS, lounging at the bar !! – how more ‘tres chic’ – can you get ?
this wonderful confluence of vintage ‘modern’ and contemporary ‘cutting edge’ – was Mr. Sosinki’s curatorial brainchild. always known to have a unique take on the art scene – when Ronald saw Este’s designs a few spare months ago – a light went off in his head – and, hand me another martini, or two. is all I can say.
MORE PIX – FROM THE OPENING – COMING UP – LATER TO-NITE !!
OK – TIME TO POST JUST A FEW – TEASERS !!
ESTE LEWIS & JAMES MONT – BRING OUT THE MODERN DAY – RAT PACK !! NYC-STYLE.
SINATRA AIN’T GOT NOTHING – ON YOU, HESH.
HESH – YOU THE MAN.
Este’s little sis SARAH LEWIS, Este’s bro, HESH aka HASH HALPER, art mover and groover of the underground moment. sealin’ deals with real copper pennies, for sure – with artlovers’ KATE CERIGO . . .
talk about a NEW YORK MINUTE. (and happening now. not a decade ago.)
kick back – on the 1950 JAMES MONT couch with the fab ESTE LEWIS golden ‘sponge’ wallpaper – shimmering and tapped down opaque, all at the same time . . . happening to great effect – behind them.
between the furniture and the wallpaper – faux, faux and more faux. give me that fab hi-end design faux surface – any day. but esp with freely running hot sake bubbling away in a big pot – on a hot plate !! – in the gallery office.
hey, sometimes its all about – the groove.
Americana ? – you, bet !! a big slice, the golden age of American modern design !! and yo. pass that sake cup. here’s to Este, James and Ronald: the golden age of Vegas and the Sinatra rat pack, right up to, and past the glory days of the MAD MEN ad era – may you live on for ev-ah !!
but wait, there is such an evil side to this silver lining, it’s like the reverse. a cloud in every golden moment ?
read on.
ok, so the exhibit began like this: romantic, or what !!
THE PROPOSITION has re-located to their best space ev-ah. a window-encased storefront ground floor jewel of a space – just at the intersection where the hip Lower East Side meets the gritty Chinatown byway – head on.
JAMES MONT made the lamp, Este Lewis made the custom wallpaper . . . butterflies on gold ‘leaf’ . . . “using gold foil from chocolate bars and butterfly stickers” . . a sweet meet of forward and backwards-looking ‘faux’ . . . if I ever did see one.
detail, ESTE LEWIS custom wallpaper.
JAMES MONT (center) in a vintage photo – from 1937, his wedding day. he is flanked by, his best man, no less than, yes !! a young BOB HOPE, and, his lovely (as in tres chic) new bride.
it’s fun to google him !! JAMES MONT designer, 1904-1978. born in Istanbul as DEMETRIOS PECINTOGLU.
omg – he had a temper, and apparently was as violent as his designs were wicked – as in wicked sleek . . . cutting edge.
apparently according to the most rudimentary web search – yeah I do – my homework – he had a very fiery temper !! no say !!
in 1940 he was sentenced to, and served 5 years !! yes, 5 long years in SING SING for “savagely thrashing” lampshade designer DOROTHY BURNS. (!!).
see: Remembering James Mont/Unbeige !!
OMG X 100,000 !!
it gets worse !! what a scoundrel – is NOT the word. oh my, RONALD SOSINSKI – !! – you sure do love em, bad as bad can be.
apparently that’s 25 yr. old Korean-American actress HELEN JIM – he is marrying in the photo above.
a short 29 days later, she was found dead !! in their Park Ave apt – ruled a suicide, but – whoa. who believed that.
in this next amazing post, you also get the low down on the DOROTHY BURNS episode.
apparently he invited her over, “lured” is the word they use. and when she resisted, he attacked her. poor lady, she felt so humiliated – she actually hung herself during the trial !! apparently he emerged from prison reformed.
oh my, see: JAMES MONT: SHOWMANSHIP & FANTASY/ANTIQUES
now – that’s what I call – a good rainy day read !!
makes the match with Este’s wallpaper – even the more fascinating.
as in: eye candy meets brute sleek and what the hell – just happened. ya gotta love it. you just can’t make that up.
a JAMES MONT living room.
there are several coffee table books on hand to browse . . .
RONALD SOSINSKI and ESTE LEWIS – relax on the fab fab JAMES MONT couch – Este’s wallpaper behind.
you can check out more on ESTE LEWIS: here, at SOY ESTE !!
bye the way, apparently the vintage James Mont furniture comes from Ronald’s own collection.
fab . . .
the art crew of the moment – on the couch !!
from right: JOSH HARRIS, TIMOXA, MS. BLAZE, HESH/HASH HALPER, and GERRIT FLORATOS.
a New York minute, if I ever did see one – the underground art world spins on a dime.
artist and web guru JOSH HARRIS, reliving the glory days – with, artist TIMOXA and friend: MS. BLAZE.
yo, TIMOXA !!
here’s a detail of that golden ‘natural sponge’ wallpaper.
Este had her wallpaper designs arrayed in beautiful full color large scale sample books.
this offering – looks to be composed of plastic toy gun – caps . . .
ESTE LEWIS wallpaper – all the designs derive from common objects – albeit with the colors maximized, usually arrayed in simple grid-like repeating patterns – scaled to an effect that rises above – their everyday roots.
ESTE LEWIS wallpaper: eye – candy !!
this is the sample for the golden ‘sponge’ design – above the couch. it almost looks like cork.
as ESTE LEWIS holds court inside . . .
new faces arrive.
our first encounter with GERRIT FLORATOS. wait til you see – his portraits. hyper real meets cutting edge and never stops.
GERRIT FLORATOS fooling around with artist TRISTAN REGINATO – who looks like he just came from the welding shop !!
in fact his dad is PETER REGINATO, known for his painted abstract steel welding works, see: PETER REGINATO.
photographer BARRON CLAIBORNE with HESH.
check him out: BARRON CLAIBORNE.
and for some real fun on a rainy day: google him.
RAUZAR ALEXANDER – independent filmmaker. check out: HOMINID GROUP . . .
RAUZAR ALEXANDER & HOMINID GROUP FILMS – wow, is all that comes to mind.
a couple of last shots, of the installation . . .
JAMES MONT meets ESTE LEWIS, a most thrilling encounter. – ‘A STEP BACK INTO THE FUTURE’.
full-length mirror, sofa, end table, and coffee table by JAMES MONT. on the wall, custom natural sponge wallpaper by ESTE LEWIS.
faux, fab and glam . . . what else could you say ?
and then. it’s back into the nite !!
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH