The Artful Life: 6 Things Galerie Editors Love This Week
Preview the Winter Show at the Park Avenue Armory and check out New York’s French restaurants that are making traditional Galette des Rois
1. Hennessy Paradis Celebrates the Year of the Rabbit with a Special Artist Commission
To celebrate the upcoming Year of the Rabbit, Maison Hennessy’s Editions Rares has tapped Chinese artist Yan Pei-Ming to work with luxury porcelain Maison Bernardaud to launch a limited-edition decanter of Hennessy Paradis. For the first time in his career, Pei-Ming has experimented with a vibrant palette of reds and oranges, inspired by the artfully blended Paradis cognac. The new triptych painting he created for the project, titled La Grande Course (The Great Race), represents the celestial paths of the 12 animals of the zodiac and will be featured on the special decanter. Accompanying 888 limited-edition Hennessy Paradis decanters, the artwork is hand-decorated on Bernardaud porcelain carafes from the Limoges atelier and presented in beautifully crafted wooden boxes. —Lucy Rees
2. The Winter Show Returns to the Park Avenue Armory
Last year’s winter COVID surge pushed this annual art, antiques, and design fair out of its traditional home and into early spring, but thankfully The Winter Show (formerly The Winter Antiques Show) is once again taking place at the Park Avenue Armory, January 20 through 29. For nearly 70 years, this benefit for the East Side House, a longstanding community organization benefitting those in need in the Bronx and Upper Manhattan, has lured design leaders who browse the vast selection of treasures collected from dealers around the world. This iteration features 68 different galleries displaying items from antiquities to present day and will be chaired by industry luminaries Bunny Williams, Alex Papachristidis, Stephen Sills, and Elizabeth Lawrence.—Jill Sieracki
3. Artist Julia Jo Presents First U.S. Solo Exhibition at Charles Moffett
Opening January 6, an array of new paintings by Seoul-born, Brooklyn-based painter Julia Jo will be on display at New York gallery Charles Moffett, marking her first solo exhibition in the United States. Titled “Riptide,” the exhibition brings together ten of the largest pieces the artist has made to date, each embodying themes of connection, loss, and voyeurism through their figurative forms and bold color palettes. In addition to serving as her stateside debut, the show marks a momentous year for the artist, who will also be presenting solo exhibitions in Los Angeles and San Francisco in 2023. — Shelby Black
4. Firelei Báez Releases her First Comprehensive Monograph
Firelei Báez: to breathe full and free brings together more than a decade of exhibitions and installations by the fast-rising artist. Blending fantasy with diasporic histories, the New York–based talent creates vibrant and imaginative realms within her multi-disciplinary practice, often featuring strong female protagonists. Drawing on folklore, Caribbean culture, and self-identity, Báez often paints directly onto historical materials such as found maps to comment on the politics of place. The new monograph from publisher Gregory R. Miller & Co. is the first to bring together the complete works of Báez to date. Fully illustrated with images of her immersive installations, sculptures, paintings and more than 150 works on paper, the book features everything from her acclaimed 2016 exhibition at the Perez Art Museum Miami to her 2021 commission for the ICA Boston. In addition, the monograph features texts by curator Mark Godfrey, MCA Chicago curator Carla Acevedo-Yates, ICA Boston curator Eva Respini and a conversation with Studio Museum Director Thelma Golden. —Stefanie Li
5. New York’s French Restaurants Celebrate Epiphany with the Traditional Galette des Rois
With Epiphany fast approaching on January 6, French restaurants are busy preparing the traditional Galette des Rois in honor of the feast. For around just one week every January, lovers of the dessert are on the hunt for the best examples of the confection, which is made with flaky pastry and frangipane filling. This year offers several exciting options worth trying in New York. At the midtown café L’Ami Pierre, restaurateur Pierre Antoine-Raberin along with friend and chef adviser Eric Ripert are offering a classic version that serves four, available by pre-order with a few reserved for walk-ins. TriBeCa’s Frenchette has the whole cake at the bakery or by the slice at the restaurant, while on Park Avenue South, La Brasserie offers slices on the fixed menu and whole cakes serving eight to ten are available for pickup. Just one warning for those who newcomers: each cake comes with a fève or festive figurine hidden inside, and the whoever finds it gets to be king or queen for the day. —Jacqueline Terrebonne
6. Tiffany & Co. Expands on Theme of Lock Collection with Earrings, Rings, and More
Tiffany & Co. is starting the year off with more dazzling creations sure to be on the top of everyone’s Valentine’s Day wish list. Expanding on the release of the Lock bracelet, which became an instant classic when launched in September, the gender-fluid collection now includes bangles in rose gold as well as rings, earrings, and pendants. The bracelet features an intriguing swivel mechanism that showcases the jeweler’s history of craftsmanship and ingenuity. The inspiration comes from its archives, where padlock motifs were in abundance as the jeweler once sold functional designs. The resulting pieces, some of which are enhanced with dazzling diamonds, were crafted to represent the personal bonds people create and what brings them together. —J.T.