Saint Laurent Babylone. Image courtesy of Saint Laurent …
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A Trove of Out-of-Print Books Awaits in Saint Laurent Babylone
In 1970, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé relocated to an eclectic duplex on Paris’s rue de Babylone, where they amassed a dynamic art collection—Francisco Goya, Andy Warhol, Piet Mondrian—that wove together a medley of styles and periods. The couple’s residence has inspired the Kering-owned maison’s latest outing in the French capital, an intimate bookstore stocking a selection of rare titles and out-of-print records curated by artistic director Anthony Vaccarello. Saint Laurent Babylone makes subtle nods to the house’s recently opened Avenue des Champs-Élysées flagship with hulking shelves, Donald Judd seating, and monolithic marble storage units that forge a gallery-like atmosphere within the building’s raw, stripped-back interior.
Much like Saint Laurent and Bergé’s duplex, treasures abound inside. Find a selection of Leica cameras, François Daubinet chocolates, and a series of new titles under the Saint Laurent Rive Droite Editions imprint created in collaboration with artists Bruno Roels, Daido Moriyama, Jeanloup Sieff, and Cai Guo-Qiang. The rarest books, however, will be arrayed on a vintage Pierre Jeanneret desk stocked with white gloves for handling delicate pages. Black-and-white photographs that Rose Finn-Kelcey took in the late 1970s are up for grabs, as are images by Juergen Teller, who’s planning an in-store book signing there later this month. —Ryan Waddoups
“Judy’s Hand Pavilion” by Tony Tasset, featured in the 2018 Front Trennial. Image courtesy of Front International…
The Front Triennial, a preeminent Midwest art event, has folded due to lack of funding.
The highly regarded Front International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art, founded in 2016 by Cleveland philanthropist Fred Bidwell, has been canceled due to a lack of public and private funding. Bidwell cited shifting priorities influenced by events like the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, and political unrest as factors in the organization’s decision to dissolve. The triennial, which showcased projects at partner institutions across Ohio, including the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, faced financial challenges despite past success. As plans for the 2025 edition were scrapped before agreements were finalized with artists and partners, all contributions will be returned.
A new initiative will digitally record more than 5,000 murals across the United Kingdom.
Art U.K., an art education charity, has announced a three-year initiative to document 5,000 murals across the U.K., adding them to a free public database. Volunteer researchers and photographers will capture a range of painted and sculptural murals, including works by street artist Banksy. The project aims to preserve these artworks digitally, acknowledging the risk of loss due to demolition, defacement, or environmental damage. The initiative will also offer programming and accessibility resources, supported by partners CultureStreet and VocalEyes, with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Pilgrim Trust, and Historic England.
Main entrance of the Lusail Museum. Image courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron and Qatar Museums…
Qatar Museums unveils renderings for the new Lusail Museum by Herzog & de Meuron.
Qatar Museums has unveiled renderings of the upcoming Lusail Museum, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, showcasing a circular structure inspired by local architecture. Set to house one of the world’s largest collections of Orientalist art, the museum will feature diverse spaces including a library, auditorium, and prayer area, while its exterior cladding reflects the coastal surroundings. It will also integrate abstract replicas of historical architectural elements and collaborate with local artisans to preserve traditional practices.
The Chanel Culture Fund banks multimedia artist Julien Creuzet at the Venice Biennale.
The Chanel Culture Fund is backing multimedia artist Julien Creuzet as he represents France at the 60th Venice Biennale. Headed by Yana Peel, the fund hailed Creuzet, a visual artist and poet, as a significant figure in contemporary art. Creuzet, the first artist of Caribbean descent chosen to represent France at the Biennale, draws inspiration from the Caribbean’s diverse cultural influences. His installation, showcased inside and outside the French Pavilion, will reflect his childhood memories and incorporate sound pieces and an artist’s book.
The historic ceramic studio Greenwich House Pottery is opening a second location.
Greenwich House Pottery, a renowned ceramics studio in New York’s Greenwich Village, has experienced a surge in demand for its classes, with waiting lists growing to 140 people in the last five years. Director Fabio J. Fernández attributes this uptick to the art world’s renewed interest in ceramics and a broader wellness trend. To accommodate more students, GHP is opening a 5,000-square-foot annex in a nearby Art Deco building and leading a $7 million capital campaign to modernize its existing facility. The pottery school, founded in 1902, has a rich history, having hosted illustrious artists like Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner.
“Ice Bed’ (2023) by Nima Sarikhani. Image courtesy of the artist and Natural History Museum, London…
Today’s attractive distractions:
A sleeping polar bear snuggling on an iceberg wins a major photography award.
Missed the Super Bowl? Here’s one critic’s list of the game’s best commercials.
Drexel researchers develop an AI-guided robotic structural inspection system.
The contents of Charles Darwin’s entire personal library will finally be revealed.
