White Bear Lake, Minnesota (2019) (detail) by Alec Soth.
Photo: Alec Soth
The Artful Life: 5 Things Galerie Editors Love This Week
From documentary photographer Alec Soth’s latest exhibition to the first wallpaper collection from Diptyque
A Dana Schutz monotype is pulled from Two Palms’ rare hydraulic press, New York Photo: Courtesy of David Zwirner
1. Must-Have Art Prints at David Zwirner and Platform
Launching on January 12, Platform, the new print e-commerce site by David Zwirner, will be offering a selection of editioned prints in partnership with the publishers Brooke Alexander Editions, Carolina Nitsch, Crown Point Press, Harlan & Weaver, Two Palms, and Universal Limited Art Editions. Over 50 prints by major artists will be available for immediate purchase. (Among the talents are Josef Albers, John Baldessari, Mel Bochner, Louise Bourgeois, Peter Doig, Tracey Emin, Helen Frankenthaler, Jasper Johns, Jennie C. Jones, Donald Judd, Jeff Koons, Elizabeth Peyton, Richard Prince, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, Ed Ruscha, Mary Weatherford, and Lisa Yuskavage.) For those looking for a gallery outing, don’t miss the new exhibition opening on January 13 at David Zwirner’s 20th Street location in New York. Titled “Unrepeated: Unique Prints from Two Palms,” the physical show and accompanying online presentation will showcase recent unique prints made at the visionary print studio Two Palms. Prices range from $1,000–$40,000. —Lucy Rees
Datong Art Museum by Foster + Partners. Photo: Yang Chaoying.
2. Foster + Partners Completes the Datong Art Museum in China
Nearly a decade in the making, China’s new Datong Art Museum has finally made its long-awaited debut with an inaugural exhibition of oil paintings by local talents. Designed by British architect Norman Foster’s firm, Foster + Partners, the 340,000-square-foot building is embedded into a sunken plaza and features a striking roof composed of four weathered-steel pyramids meant to evoke the region’s natural peaks. Angled clerestory windows allow natural light to permeate down to the subterranean central gallery, a flexible exhibition space envisioned for large-scale installations and performances. A series of smaller gallery spaces surround the perimeter of the building, which also includes a children’s gallery, education center, media library, storage facilities, café, and archive. “Designed for the future, we hope the museum will become the centre of the city’s cultural life—a dynamic public destination,” said Luke Fox, Head of Studio at the firm.—Geoffrey Montes
White Bear Lake, Minnesota (2019) by Alec Soth Photo: Alec Soth
Julie. Austin, Texas (2021) by Alec Soth Photo: Alec Soth
3. Alec Soth’s A Pound of Pictures Exhibition at Sean Kelly Gallery
Known for his intimate depiction of the American Midwest through incredibly detailed large-format images, documentary photographer Alec Soth’s latest series A Pound of Pictures will be exhibited at Sean Kelly Gallery from January 14–February 26. His fourth solo exhibition at the gallery follows the Minnesota-based photographer’s image-making process between 2018 and ’21, celebrating both the ephemeral and physical qualities of the medium. A new monograph coinciding with the exhibition will soon be released with MACK Books—each copy including five randomized photographs buried within the pages. —Stefanie Li
Diptyque's Sarayi wallcovering design. Photo: Courtesy of Diptyque
Diptyque Boscage and Basile pattern wallcoverings. Photo: Courtesy of Diptyque
4. Diptyque Launches Wallpaper Collection
Over the past year, Diptyque has steadily been re-embracing its heritage, exploring the archive of decorative arts left behind by the maison’s founders, Christine Montradre-Gautrot, Desmond Knox-Leet, and Yves Couslant. Now, in a nod to the trio’s remarkable array of upholstery designs, Diptyque is presenting its first collection of wall coverings. Among the graphic patterns are symbols familiar to those already fans of the brand—Basile, the black-and-white lines seen on all of Diptyque’s packaging and previously reinterpreted on tableware, and Pretorien, a colorful reimagining of the atelier’s iconic ovals. Also included in the ten styles debuting on January 17 are dreamy Van Gogh–like landscapes Les Lilas and Jardin Clos, the bold geometric Excentric, and the abstract botanical Sarayi, which imagines a tropical blossom form in deep red and ebony hues against a rich peacock-blue background.—Jill Sieracki
Yves Saint Laurent Museum entrance in Marrakech
Cover of the book Yves Saint Laurent Museum Marrakech. Photo: Courtesy of Phaidon
5. New Book Celebrates the Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Marrakech
Great architecture not only takes a talented architect but also an extraordinary client. In the case of the Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Marrakech, the stars aligned with the partnership of architecture and design firm Studio KO in collaboration with Pierre Bergé, the partner of Yves Saint Laurent. To be released on January 13, Yves Saint Laurent Museum Marrakech (Phaidon) traces the story behind their collaborative process over four years, from the commission to the opening, which took place just one month after Bergé’s death in 2017. In the book’s foreword Madison Cox, garden designer and spouse of Bergé, writes, “This elegant book traces the incredible artistic process that enabled a rough, candid sketch to metamorphose like a chrysalis into a bountiful and beautiful building.” Architectural drawings, plans, photographs, and more take readers on a rich, inspiring journey that brings together the worlds of fashion, architecture, and design, while insight from Saint Laurent’s inner circle, including Catherine Deneuve and Betty Catroux, rounds out the story. —Jacqueline Terrebonne
Cover: White Bear Lake, Minnesota (2019) (detail) by Alec Soth.
Photo: Alec Soth
