The Artful Life: 5 Things Galerie Editors Love This Week
From a swanky new cocktail bar inspired by Victorian-era theater to an exhibition celebrating 50 years of Pomellato iconic designs
1. Celia Rogge Welcomes the Next Chapter with Meaningful Enfilades Show
Fine art photographer Celia Rogge has always been fascinated with doors and what they represent from both an architectural and figurative standpoint. In terms of architecture, Rogge appreciates the way a doorway leads into a spectacular interior, which is often the subject of her work. But in a figurative sense, doorways also represent the possibilities of moving forward and heading into a new chapter. “They are entryways in, as well as exits out, and everything in between,” says Rogge. Her latest show, “Enfilades – Passageways to Another Perspective,” at Galerie Mourlot, is an ode to her appreciation of these structures, with subject matter sourced from all over Europe including Portugal, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The exhibit, which opens November 8, presents a series of Enfilades in an endless procession, representing infinite options and opportunities alike.—Alexandria Sillo
2. John Derian Debuts Collaboration with Summerill & Bishop
John Derian‘s NoHo boutique in Manhattan is a must-stop on every design connoisseur’s holiday route. Here, the multi-hyphenate creative crafts a wonderland-like jewelbox of decoupage tableware, Astier de Villatte ceramics, ornate textiles, and vintage goods, all wrapped in a joyous environment of seasonal splendor. Now, his expressive oeuvre is adding table linens, made in collaboration with Summerill & Bishop. The assortment of tablecloths, placemats, and napkins translates three of Derian’s most recognizable motifs into whimsical designs. Feast recreates a lush tablescape of loaded platters, spritely florals, and fabulous tableware, bringing an extraordinary dinner party directly onto the table, while Fungi renders a multitude of colorful mushrooms into a vibrant all-over print. For a truly transportive display, Central Park transforms a dreamy 18th-century illustration of Central Park Lake and the Bow Bride into a heavenly tableau certain to add an artful backdrop to all your festive entertaining.—Jill Sieracki
3. Michele Oka Doner Debuts Art Jewelry Collection at Salon Art + Design with Elisabetta Cipriani Gallery
Michele Oka Doner has a gift for channeling nature. From her permanent, 1 ¼-mile terrazzo and bronze installation on the floor of the concourse of the Miami International Airport, titled A Walk on the Beach, to her most recent exhibition at New York’s Marlborough Gallery during the winter 2024, her work invites the viewer to take a closer look at the organisms inhabiting the world around them. Along this same theme, she has long created jewelry that functions as wearable sculpture. For this week’s Salon Art + Design fair, she brings her signature artistic genius to a limited-edition collection with Elisabetta Cipriani Gallery.
“Though I have always created jewelry that is derived from the natural world this collection for Elisabetta Cipriani is different,” says the artist. “I’ve spent the past few months writing a manifesto, The Botanic Age, at the same time I’ve been getting ready for Salon. The brooches with their branching forms extended like multiple arms and legs became characters in my script.”
The limited-edition pieces include Winter Branches: An Ongoing Conversation, which is a series of one-of-a-kind brooches made of bronze, 18-karat white gold, and old-cut diamonds; a pendant in bronze, 18-karat yellow gold, and diamond called Talisman; and Mitosis, a series of electro-formed silver boxes with materials she sources from the Hudson River.
“They have taken on a new life animated by the notion of how we originally dwelled in a world of plants and how they continue to give us life,” says Oka Doner of the pieces in the collection. “I feel a renewed joy of discovery in these living things with leaves and bark.” —Jacqueline Terrebonne
4. Swanky New Cocktail Lounge Le Bar Penelope Opens in New York City
The masterminds behind some of the hottest dining spots in New York City, Avra Group Hospitality has added yet another sleek new destination to its already impressive resume. Finding home in Manhattan’s Upper East Side Neighborhood, Le Bar Penelope serves as the latest watering hole offering carefully crafted cocktails and upscale light bites. The interiors, conceived by Genevieve Lake of Love Lake Studio, were inspired by Victorian-era theater which can be shown through the custom-designed wall mural and rich velvet drapes by Erica Shamrock that welcome guests inside. While seated on bespoke sofas upholstered in Lee Jofa’s Bongol velvet and poufs featuring Holly Hunt’s Interlock fabric, guests can sip on a selection of specialty cocktails or choose from the extensive wine list while nibbling on caviar-centered bites. —Shelby Black
5. Pomellato Celebrates 50 Years of Iconic Designs with First-Ever Exhibition in Shanghai
Italian jewelry Maison Pomellato is presenting its first-ever brand story exhibition, “Art & Jewelry: Pomellato’s Legacy of Creativity and Craftsmanship, From 1967 to Today,” in Shanghai. The show is meant to take visitors on an immersive journey through the brand’s 50 years of iconic jewelry design and advertising campaigns, beginning with a heartfelt tribute to Milan, the brand’s birthplace. “Since 1967, Pomellato has represented the avent-garde of Italian jewelry, promoting powerful new concepts of design creativity and female individuality,” says Sabina Belli, CEO of Pomellato Group. “We are thrilled to share our passion, craftsmanship, and joyful spirit throughout this beautifully curated exhibition, inspiring a new audience to embrace our jewels as empowering statements of personal style.” The exhibition, which opened to the public on November 3, is on view at the prestigious Fosun Art Foundation.—A.S.