July 16, 2012

Fast Forward

Come fall, five blockbuster museums, all conceived by some of architecture’s biggest names, will have art lovers racking up the frequent-flier miles. In Amsterdam, the venerable Stedelijk—transformed by Dutch firm Benthem Crouwel—reopens on Septe...
July 16, 2012

On the Dot

The letter x usually marks the spot, but for artist, filmmaker, and writer Yayoi Kusama, it’s the spot itself that counts—literally.  Since her childhood in World War II Japan, Kusama has been passionate for polka dots, painting them onto h...
July 12, 2012

A prized 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster will shine at California’s annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

When collectors descend upon California’s annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance car show this month, all eyes will be on a prized 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster. Up for sale as part of Gooding & Co.’s headlining auction, the vehic...
July 12, 2012

A modernist dwelling by Richard Gluckman in Austin

Austin, TXSTATS 3 BEDROOMS 3.5 BATHS 5,155 SQ. FT. $4.5 MILLION PEDIGREE: Designed by Manhattan architect Richard Gluckman, this sleek contemporary residence was built in 2003 for a former Dell executive. The split-level home features a front façade...
July 11, 2012

Full Bloom

Growing up on an Arabian-horse farm in Pennsylvania in the 1970s and ’80s, David Leaser honed his photography skills at an early age, taking pictures of champion horses for their owners. After finishing school he worked in the technology field for co...
July 10, 2012

Fantastic Voyage

Most honeymoons blend relaxation and romance. For American heiress Doris Duke, however, a 1935 globe-trotting trip with groom James H.R. Cromwell made a strong impression not only on her heart but also on her tastes. Brought face-to-face with the Islam...
June 26, 2012

Antiques dealer Mallett’s chic new location

Eighteenth-century British prelate Edmund Keene, Bishop of Ely, was a man of style as well as of the cloth, constructing palaces and planting gardens with arguably as much zeal as he brought to saving souls. Considering his pursuit of the finer things,...
June 25, 2012

Knot Now

While on a sailing trip in Nantucket in 2010, Sophie Aschauer, an Austrian-born, New York-based artist, happened upon a book of traditional nautical knots. The illustrations inspired her to create SerpentSea, a collection of woven floor mats made of re...
June 25, 2012

Well Said: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe on furniture designed by architects

Well Said: “A chair is a very difficult object. A skyscraper is almost easier. That is why Chippendale is famous.” So stated the German-born architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969) in a February 1957 article in Time magazine about furnitur...
June 25, 2012

Swede Spot

After operating out of a modest temporary space in New York’s SoHo neighborhood for four years, the Swedish fashion collective Acne has opened a 4,000-square-foot flagship store a block away, on the corner of Greene and Grand streets. It’s the firs...