Lots of articles have been written lately about 80′s humor style bible The Official Preppy Handbook and its new sequel coming out this Fall called True Prep. The book first appeared on the scene about the same time as when Ralph Lauren and J.Crew were introducing East Coast style to the masses – and consumers were ready to reinvent themselves in the image of a higher class and taste level. Suddenly you didn’t need to have been born and bred a wasp to look and dress like one.

The best part of the handbook was its perfect tone – was it for real? is it serious? is it satirical? The arch dry voice of the book made it impossible to tell, but made it completely side-splitting. Pointing out the eccentricities of this singular part of society was funny enough on its own…from its etiquette and manners, to the slang, to the very specific fashions and style. The book took on the history of all things prep, from childhood, schooling, college, and onto the adult years. No pink and green stone was left uncovered.

The new book True Prep by Lisa Birnbach and Chip Kidd is coming out this September 7th (from Knopf) and it promises to revisit all the old themes, along with some new ones — cell phones, texting, plastic surgery, online shopping, scandals, and of course..the much beloved happy hour. I personally can’t wait.

Filed under: Art & Culture, Books, Style by Stephen : 2 Comments »

Sometimes a book comes along that just knocks your socks off. I just bought a copy of Modern Americana: Studio Furniture from High Craft to High Glam from Rizzoli and it has changed everything that I thought of as Americana. Get rid of those notions of Colonial style rooms, 50′s mass market, and other cliches of American style.

The book introduces us to 24 furniture designers and interior decorators that either custom made everything, or produced their work in very limited editions. The book claims that 20th century collecting is moving away from modernist mass produced pieces towards these special more one-of-a-kind items. Workmanship, design, style, and scarcity are key.

Included are profiles of some well known furniture makers like George Nakashima and Edward Wormley, to lesser known names like Sam Maloof, Karl Springer, Wendell Castle, and Harvey Probber. The coffee table style book is full of great images – from pictures of the furniture, to entire rooms, to the craftsmen themselves at work. Its an inspiring book that will totally expand your ideas of what American style is all about.

Examples of work by some of the designers featured in the book:

George Nakashima desk

Wendell Castle chair

Wharton Esherick bench and chair

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Corresponding to the show called Archiving Places: Documentary Photography at the University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture Gallery – the opening lecture/presentation will take place Thursday, March 25 at 6pm. The exhibition promoted by HoustonMod features 60 black and white photographs by Lewis Hodnett, Jr. with architectural and interior photography from his many portfolios of photographs taken all over the south.

Also in the show are color panoramic photographs created with a special camera that shoots images in 360 degrees, photos created with a custom built large format camera, graphic designs and prints, and student work from the University of Houston where Lewis Hodnett has been a teacher for 14 years.

Some examples of Lewis Hodnett, Jr’s color commercial/medical work from his website:

Office Building – East Houston

Office Interior – Houston

Office Interior – Downtown Houston

Medical Research Center, Houston

Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, entrance on Elgin St. UH Entrance 18- Architecture Building is straight ahead with parking available in lot 16B.

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Now open at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston is Alice Neel: Painted Truths. This is the first retrospective of Alice Neels work since 2000 – and this exhibition debuts in Houston as the very first stop on a multi-city world tour. Alice Neel was born in 1900 and she painted almost her entire life, discovering fame very late when the artist was well into her 60′s. The show includes 68 portraits and cityscape’s that were painted throughout the artists entire career.

The artist is best known for painting intimate portraits of her friends, family, fellow artists, and other interesting people that struck her fancy. Alice Neels portraits are very emotional renderings that portray real expression and real personality.

Museum of Fine Arts Houston, 1001 Bissonnet Street, Houston, Texas 77055 ph. 713.639.7300

Examples of some single portraits by Alice Neel:

Anthony Barton, 1968. Smith College Museum of Art

Jack Baur, 1974. Brooklyn Museum of Art

Mayor Ed Koch, 1981. Private Collection

Fuller Brush Man, 1965. Private Collection

Arthur Bullowa, 1967. Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Tonight on PBS is a moving documentary called “The Eyes of Me“. The film follows a group of teenagers through a year at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Austin. Part of the Independent Lens series, this is real must-see reality TV.

Airing at 10pm, but check your local listings.

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The Houston Center of Photography will be holding their annual print auction tonight, Thursday, February 25th. Artists works by local, national, and internationally acclaimed photographers will be available for purchase by both silent and live auction. The photographs that up for bidding have been on view for the past month and I’m sure gallery-goers have already picked out their favorites. The best part of the auction is that 100% of the proceeds of the auction go towards the operating costs of the HCP.

The auction will be held tonight from 6:30pm-9:30pm at the Junior League of Houston, 1811 Briar Oaks Lane, Houston, TX 77027. Reservations are recommended and tickets are $95 and include cocktails, dinner, catalog, and seating. Auction items are priced separately. You can register to attend online HERE and tickets are still available.

This is a very cool way to get out and see some cool art and perhaps build your own collection at the same time! Happy Bidding!

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Next to Boston and New York, Houston has one of the largest numbers of paintings by John Singer Sargent owned in private collections. Right now at the MFAH, you can see two exhibitions of Sargents work that include many of these local holdings. Currently on view are the shows Sargent and the Sea, and Houston’s Sargents. Houston’s Sargents has over thirty local paintings on display, either owned by the museum or on loan from local collections.

I love the Sargent society portraits – the studied poses, deliberate high fashion, the implied status. I always wonder what it must have been like for Sargent to do these paintings for the rich upper class. I also like to imagine what todays equivalent status symbol might be for someone of similar standing. Owning a certain car? Your own plane? A photo portrait by Annie Leibovitz?

It would also be really great to see the Barkley L. Hendricks show at the Contemporary Arts Museum along with these Sargents to compare the two. I bet the shows have a lot in common.
Museum of Fine Arts Houston, 1001 Bissonet at Main, Houston, Tx 77005 ph. 713.639.7300

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I’ve been waiting for this show to open for months- the Maurizio Cattelan exhibition has finally arrived here at the Menil Collection. One of the most important modern artists of our time- this fantastic show debuts in Houston, and it is the very first solo show of Cattelans work in Texas. Famous for his site-specific installations, four brand new works have been created just for the Menil Collection.

Often using wit, humor, and shock, the work of Cattelan is always exciting. His works comment on morality, mortality, politics, religion, and of course, the art world. His work challenges the viewer to see things in a way that always inspires. Don’t miss this one – Houston is very lucky to have this show – now through August 15th.

Some examples of work by Maurizio Cattelan:

The Menil Collection, 1515 Sul Ross Road, Houston, TX 77006. ph. 713.525.9400 Hours 11am-7pm, Wednesdays thru Sundays.

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Back in 1968, John Milkovisch, a retired upholsterer for the Southern Pacific Railroad, started on his epic project now known as The Beer Can House. Decorating his Houston home with over 50,000 beer cans after finishing the landscaping for his front and back lawns, Mr. Milkovisch was compelled to do this because he “got sick of mowing the grass.” Covering almost every square inch of his home with some form of aluminum or tin can, he unknowingly created one of the greatest examples of pure American folk art.

John & Mary Milkovisch

Continuing to work on the house for the next 18 years, the home features beer top garlands, flattened can siding, and fences created out of linked beer pull-tabs. The work is staggering.

Houston has some of the finest art museums in the country, but isn’t it amazing when you see something thats done purely for the unexplainable joy of creating? There are many fantastic quotes from Mr. Milkovisch on the house’s website, but my favorite has to be “People say this is sculpture, but I didn’t go to no expensive schools to get these crazy notions” – “I don’t consider this art. Its just a pastime, but sometimes I lie awake at night trying to figure out why I do it“.

If that’s not art, I don’t know what is.

The Beer Can House, 222 Malone Street (between Memorial Drive and Washington Ave) Open to the public Saturdays and Sundays from 12-5. Admission is $1 and tours are $5 for a guide to walk you through.

“He didn’t think anybody would be interested in it. He just loved drinking his beer and loved being outside cutting up his cans“- Mary Milkovisch

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Opening tonight at the Contemporary Arts Museum of Houston is a fantastic show called “Barkley L. Hendricks: Birth of Cool“. Best known for his giant portraits of friends and local people from the artists hometown community in Connecticut, these oversize canvases portray everyday regular people on such a large scale that it elevates them to iconic status. This is the first painting retrospective of Mr.Hendricks work, and the show includes over 50 canvases from 1964 to the present. This Houston show is the last stop on a tour of US museums including the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Santa Monica Museum of Art, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. As you can tell by these images posted below, this show is as much a documentation of style, as each elegant painting gives you a glimpse into a certain time period of fashion and personal expression. Don’t miss it.

You can catch Barkley L. Hendricks: Birth of Cool now through April 18th at Contemporary Arts Museum of Houston. 5216 Montrose Blvd. Houston, Tx . 77006 ph. 713.284.8250 Admission is free.

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