The Artful Life: 6 Things Galerie Editors Love This Week

1. Kenny Scharf’s Whimsical Art Takes Over Rockefeller Center this Season

This fall, New York’s iconic Rockefeller Center is transformed by Kenny Scharf with “Scary and the Dancers!,” a vibrant, site-spanning public commission organized by Art Production Fund (APF). Running through November 1, the ambitious installation is Scharf’s largest sculptural project to date, translating his East Village street-art roots and cosmic, consumerist critiques onto Midtown’s Art Deco stage.

The Center Plaza is anchored by Scary, a towering 34-foot-tall inflatable, surrounded by a troupe of six polychromatic “dancing” sculptures. The immersive takeover spills into the surrounding lobbies at 30, 10, 45, and 50 Rockefeller Plaza with bespoke murals and an immersive nod to his legendary, blacklight-lit Cosmic Cavern, while more than 100 custom artist flags fly above the rink.

As part of the programming, APF’s beloved Art Sundae initiative offers free, hands-on children’s workshops every Saturday throughout October. Inspired by Scharf’s “Living Sunshine Caverns,” participating children are invited to paint colorful planters featuring his expressive characters. Their unique creations will then go on view as part of the public exhibition at 10 Rockefeller Plaza.—Lucy Rees

2. Nicole Hollis Collection Unveils a Sleek San Francisco Gallery 

Last year, Nicole Hollis translated her discerning eye for exceptional craftsmanship into a namesake collection of artisan-made home goods, offering admirers of her sophisticated interiors access to the treasures she has spent decades sourcing from around the globe. Now, the San Francisco tastemaker has given the previously online-only venture a permanent home at Minnesota Street Project in the city’s Dogpatch neighborhood. The gallery showcases a selection from more than 200 exclusive and limited-edition creations by 26 artists and artisans, spanning decorative objects, textiles, tabletop wares, and scents. Hollis conceived the space as a tactile backdrop for the collection, pairing tonal Roman clay walls with plinths of live wood from Northern California. The inaugural exhibition celebrates the art of entertaining and previews two forthcoming collaborations: hand-cut crystal decanters and tumblers from Saint Louis, Europe’s oldest crystal manufacturer, and sculptural bronze bowls crafted through ancestral lost-wax techniques by Burkina Faso’s Maison Intègre. —Ryan Waddoups

3. The Peninsula London Debuts First-Ever Fleet of Art Cars

A chauffeur-driven ride in a luxury car is one of those exceptional perks a stay in a debonair property like The Peninsula London can offer. Now through October 31, guests at the hotel can travel in one of six vehicles wrapped in a stunning mural, done in collaboration with CART Department, a creative platform from founder Larry Warsh that explores the cross-section of art and autos, and Brooklyn talent KOZO, whose modern renditions of fine art cover a wide range of mediums—from works on paper and sculpture to tattooing. “The collection brings past and present into conversation, creating unexpected juxtapositions that allow history and myth to feel alive again, inviting the viewer to become part of the story, quite literally, by journeying within the Art Fleet,” says KOZO.

Launched to coincide with Frieze London, “A World Within” transforms the hotel’s two Rolls-Royce Phantom IIs, a Bentley Bentayga, an electrified Austin Taxi, a BMW i7, and a LEVC with an immersive narrative culled from The Peninsula London’s history. Amongst the landscapes revealed as figures “peel back” the skin of the cars are the city’s famed Guardian Lions, the Wellington Arch landmark, and pastoral gardens rendered in hues evocative of Peninsula Green. “The Peninsula has that genuine, storied connection to cars,” says Warsh, “and that authenticity is what made them the right partner for this immersive art series.”—Jill Sieracki

4. Washing Clothes Gets a Major Upgrade with a Collaboration Between Laundry Sauce and Arquiste

While most clothing detergents promise the scent of fields of grass and meadows of flowers, Laundry Sauce takes a decidedly more sophisticated approach. For a new collaboration, the brand has teamed up with fragrance developer Carlos Huber of Arquiste, known for his evocative, layered creations. Using Arquiste’s award-winning fragrance Misfit, distinct for its ambery, warm, and woody patchouli notes, the array includes laundry pods, a scent booster, and dryer sheets. There’s a soigné muskiness to the scent that’s both head-turning and comfortable—like the perfect cashmere sweater that begs to be cuddled. As a result, the partnership feels miles away from the cloying laundry scent tropes that no one would ever imagine spraying on themselves. “It evokes exotic fantasy, earthly pleasure, and bohemian decadence,” says Huber. Now, who wouldn’t want laundry day to smell like that?—Jacqueline Terrebonne

5. Jaeger-LeCoultre Introduces the Calibre 101 Chain

In an exquisite blend of tradition and technology, Jaeger-LeCoultre has introduced the Calibre 101 Chain, featuring the world’s smallest rectangular manual-winding mechanical calibre set on a sculptural bangle of 18k pink gold, diamonds, and bands of glossy black HyCeram. It marks the latest addition to the maison’s Calibre 101 series, which dates back to 1929, and while a bold move forward also pays homage to the past, having been named after the 1955 Duoplan model nicknamed “Chain.” While the concept is rooted in the history of watchmaking, the design for this timepiece takes a jewelry-first approach and began with the bracelet. A master gem-setter in Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Métiers Rares atelier also hand-sets 158 brilliant-cut diamonds before the diminutive watch, with a black lacquer dial and diamond-set bezel, is integrated into the bangle. —Alexandria Sillo

6. An Extraordinary Look Into Wendell Castle’s Creative Life at Home

In 1973, House Beautiful offered its readers a glimpse into the imaginative Scottsville, New York, home of pioneering furniture maker Wendell Castle and his wife, ceramic artist Nancy Jurs. Nearly everything within its walls came from the couple’s hands or their circle of artist friends, reflecting an era when domestic life and artistic experimentation flourished together. That remarkable environment now inspires “Wendell Castle: Living,” an exhibition at Friedman Benda curated by the couple’s daughter, Alison Castle. Drawing on the original magazine spread, the gallery recreates the home’s creative spirit through intimate domestic vignettes featuring Castle’s sinuous wooden furnishings and pioneering molded-plastic sculptures alongside Jurs’ expressive ceramics. Several pieces, lent by the family, haven’t appeared publicly since the 1970s. “Today, these works are usually seen in museums,” Alison Castle says, “but as furniture, they were made to be used.” The exhibition will be on view until Saturday, October 17. —R.W.