4 Elegant Examples of Life Imitating Art

Left: Part of the Whitney Museum of American Artu2019s permanent collection, ALEX KATZu2019s Green Cap (1984) depicts a brightly dressed bather poised against a background of aquamarine water, in the artistu2019s signature style of flat planes of prismatic color. With a lakeside home and studio in Maine, Katz has been painting idyllic beach scenes for almost seven decades, with the motif of the bather appearing frequently across his oeuvre. Right: Models in Max Marau2019s spring 2023 runway show, titled u201cThe Blue Horizon,u201d donned streamlined coats over mod knitwear in a nod to 1920s and u201930s style icons such as art muse Renu00e9e Perle and architect Eileen Gray.u00a0

Left: This ring by Beverly Hills jeweler Martin Katz features a bewitching orange and yellow, 3.66-carat, cabochon-cut Mexican fire opal encircled by an astonishing 128 multicolored sapphires, 16 tsavorites, and 110 diamonds, all set in platinum. Right: Known for her fanciful landscapes rendered in intense hues, including Now Itu2019s Heated (2020), Shara Hughes brings imaginary realms to life in her otherworldly paintings. u00a0

Left: Evocative of a shipu2019s billowing sails, the sculptural shades of Barcelona designer Pepe Llaudetu2019s table lamp for Roche Bobois swivel around a center bulb, allowing for various configurations that change the intensity and direction of the light. Right: A leading figure of the Impressionist movement, Gustave Caillebotte used bold forms and energetic brushstrokes to capture the gentle sway of boats on the water in Sailboats on the Seine at Argenteuil (1892).

Left: Chanel Watchmaking Creation Studio director Arnaud Chastaingt drew inspiration from the humble pincushion for the atelieru2019s Mademoiselle Privu00e9 Pique-Aiguilles collection. For a pearl-and-diamond-embellished timepiece, the decal lacework of the dialu2019s yellow-gold and u201cgrand feuu201d enamel depicts thenmaisonu2019s camellia motif. Right: La Reina Isabel de Borbu00f3n (circa 1620), an official portrait by an early 17th-century Spanish court painter, shows the French-born queen and wife of Philip IV of Spain in a dress of ornate fabric adorned with gold, pearls, and precious stones.