Life Imitates Art: Four Eye-Catching Examples

From Lee Krasner and Chanel to James Turrell and Roberto Coin, these pairings exemplify how art, design, and fashion converge in the most spectacular ways

Pink-banded watch with a colorful abstract design next to a vibrant abstract painting with bold shapes and colors.
Chanel’s Boy·Friend Tweed Art timepiece and Lee Krasner’s *Untitled* (1963). Photo: COURTESY OF CHANEL. OPPOSITE: GRAY MAMAY, COURTESY OF GUILD HALL
Wooden cabinet with geometric pattern on left; outdoor art installation with grid of red brick structures on right.
Photo: COURTESY OF THEODORE ALEXANDER. OPPOSITE: SERGIO LóPEZ, COURTESY OF KASMIN GALLERY

Left: A maze of hand-cut maple, walnut, and primavera veneer inlay creates a visual distortion on the façade of Theodore Alexander’s Garlan cocktail cabinet.

Right: Mexico City–born artist Bosco Sodi erected Atlantes (2019), a land-art-scaled installation featuring 64 equally spaced, seven-foot-tall cubic structures composed of clay bricks, along the Oaxacan coast, where he has an arts foundation called Casa Wabi.

Pink watch with abstract art design on the dial next to a matching colorful abstract painting with red and pink tones.
Photo: COURTESY OF CHANEL. OPPOSITE: GRAY MAMAY, COURTESY OF GUILD HALL

Left: An energetic layering of pink, beige, and black enamel animates the face of Chanel’s octagonal Boy·Friend Tweed Art timepiece; the design is a nod to the famed French fashion house’s most iconic textile.

Right: Part of Guild Hall’s permanent collection, Lee Krasner’s monumental oil-on-canvas Untitled (1963) bursts with kinetic strokes of color. This summer brings the book Lee and Me: An Intimate Portrait of Lee Krasner, which celebrates the life of the Abstract Expressionist and was written by the East Hampton cultural center’s former director, Ruth Appelhof, who passed away in April.

Model walks runway in bold black and white geometric outfit and sunglasses at fashion show.
Photo: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND PERROTIN. OPPOSITE: COURTESY OF BALMAIN

Left: Drawing great influence from mentors such as Op Art painter, Victor Vasarely, and the founder of the Spatialist movement, Lucio Fontana, Julio Le Parc masterfully entwines monochromatic forms into optical illusions in his work A Partir d’un Ciel de Van Gogh (1958–91).

Right: During Balmain’s spring/summer 2020 presentation, creative director Olivier Rousteing brought ’90s and ’00s pop culture to the runway through bold ensembles that showcased the brand’s wizardry with embellishment.

Rose gold ring with textured surface and a modern architectural structure with a glowing top and pathway at sunset.
Photo: COURTESY OF ROBERTO COIN. OPPOSITE: Brandon Martin, Courtesy of Rice University

Left: The architecture of Roberto Coin’s handcrafted 18K-rose-gold Carnaby Street ring provides a sleek vessel for a sparkling face of pavé diamonds.

Right: A warm glow radiates from the pyramidal structure of American artist James Turrell’s Twilight Epiphany Skyspace (2012) in Houston. The ethereal installation, constructed of concrete, stone, and composite steel, lights up in a changing sequence of jewel-toned hues at sunrise and sunset.

A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2020 Summer issue under the headline Life Imitates Art. Subscribe to the magazine.