Niki de Saint Phalle, La Sirène, Stravinsky Fountain at the Place Igor Stravinski (Paris), 1982/83

As we are completely snowed in – already more than 25 cm – I have a desire for colour and sun. So I choose the ‘La Sirène’ sculpture by Niki de Saint Phalle to bright up the day.

Here can you find a short biography on the famous creator of the so-called ‘Nanas’, which is enriched by an introduction in her work: Niki de Saint Phalle.

A3, Gouache technique, digitally altered

Michelangelo Pistoletto
Divisione e moltiplicazione
Division and Multiplication. Corner-Mirror
1976 – 1990, Wood, mirror

Michelangelo Pistoletto
Uomo con barba (Man with beard) 1980
Silkscreen on polished steel

A3, Gouache technique

Deatail of an A3 painting, Gouache techniqe, digitally altered

A3, Gouache technique, marker

ART DECO: 1910-1939
Charlotte Benton, Tim Benton, Ghislaine Wood

This publication has the potential to become the standard book on Art Deco, as everyhting is explained very well and illustrated beautifully. The authors point out that unlike former design movements, Art Deco was eclectic and had many sources of inspiration. And to some extent even revolutionary, as its industrial production made design avilable for the masses.

The books consists of forty essays that are divided into these sections: Sources and Iconography, 1925 Paris Exhibition, Spread of Deco and Deco World. The authors explain how various art styles contributed to Art Deco and how it  spread around the world, mainly as architecture and fashion, but also as fine art style and commercial products. The book’s layout and photos are fabulous and you can benefit from a comprehensive bibliography at the end.

Charlotte Benton is a design and architecture historian, Tim Benton is Professor of Art History at the Open University and Ghislaine Wood works as a curator.

A3, Gouache technique

A3, Gouache, digitally altered