Installation view of The Roof Garden Commission: Jennie C. Jones, Ensemble, 2025.
Photo: Hyla Skopitz. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Artful Life: 7 Things Galerie Editors Love This Week
From Francisco Clemente’s symbolic portraits of Saint Laurent muses to Jennie C. Jones’s dynamic installation for The Met’s Roof Garden Commission
Francesco Clemente’s studio. Photo: Courtesy of Saint Laurent
Isabella Ferrari painted by Francesco Clemente. Photo: Courtesy of Saint Laurent
1. Francesco Clemente Paints Saint Laurent Muses
Throughout his five-decade career, Francesco Clemente has often wielded portraiture as an evocative vessel for capturing the nuances of identity in vital figures like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Toni Morrison, and Jasper Johns. The peripatetic Italian painter recently added even more high-profile names to that impressive list thanks to a collaboration with Saint Laurent, whose artistic director, Anthony Vaccarello, enlisted him to create a series of portraits of house muses Zoë Kravitz, Isabella Ferrari, Penelope Ternes, and Ajus Samuel for the label’s Summer 2025 campaign. Through expressive brushstrokes, Clemente transformed each subject into a symbolic figure, each exuding a quiet strength and an intimate command of their femininity. That approach drew Vacarello, who recognized Clemente’s deeply expressive approach and layered use of color as harmonizing with the collection’s spirit. “I first discovered Clemente’s work in the 1990s,” Vacarello recalls. “I could perfectly imagine my collection being portrayed by his poetic use of colors.” —Ryan Waddoups
Staud pop-up at The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort. Photo: Courtesy of The St. Regis Hotels & Resorts and Staud
Staud pop up at The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort. Photo: Courtesy of The St. Regis Hotels & Resorts and Staud
2. Staud Debuts Inspired Capsule Collection in Partnership with St. Regis Hotels & Resorts
In what’s described as a love letter to resort escapes, Staud has unveiled a four-piece capsule collection in collaboration with St. Regis Resorts & Hotels that celebrates travelers who live for every moment. Crafted in raffia and embossed in Italian calfskin, the collection is meant to seamlessly transition from one activity to the next, day or night, wherever tropical inspiration hits. “The idea of travel has always been a source of inspiration to me,” says Sarah “Staud” Staudinger, the company’s CEO and founder. “St. Regis represents some of the most iconic destinations in the world, and together we’ve designed a collection that embodies that sense of adventure, indulgence, and style.” The collection includes the Raffia Squillo Tote, the Raffia Bucket Hat, the Raffia Moon Bag, and the Tommy Bag, Reimagined. The collection is available online and at exclusive retail activations at The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort and The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort.—Alexandria Sillo
Artist Michelle Weinberg with one of the rugs she designed for Carini. Photo: Courtesy of Carini
Deco Polygon rug by Michelle Weinberg for Carini. Photo: Courtesy of Carini
3. Artist Michelle Weinberg Crafts a Colorful Collection of Rugs for Carini
Art underfoot is a popular refrain for describing today’s contemporary rugs that are awash in painterly swaths of color and pattern. However, the ethos rings especially true at Carini, where the longstanding brand’s “carpets with soul” reverberate with abstract designs, bold geometries, or playful prints inspired by the animal kingdom. Recently, the company introduced “Material in Matter,” an eye-catching assortment of 10 pieces conjured by artist Michelle Weinberg in collaboration with Carini founder, Joseph Carini. Drawing directly from Weinberg’s artworks, rugs like Theoretical Color are rendered in Nepal in sinuous bands of vibrant shades, while Deco Polygon captures attention in a striking layering of black-and-white lines to form a visually arresting optical illusion. “The carpets inspired by my Theoretical Color drawings are a sublime translation of these works that began as a mundane cataloging of the colored pencils I use,” says Weinberg. “The bands of color gradients begin and end on surprising notes, and as handmade rugs they have a wow impact.”—Jill Sieracki
Ceramics by Katherine Glenday at Liaigre Miami. Photo: Courtesy of Liaigre
Ceramics by Katherine Glenday at Liaigre Miami. Photo: Courtesy of Liaigre
4. Katherine Glenday Ceramics Add Pops of Color to Liaigre Miami
With subtle shifts of tone and surface, Katherine Glenday’s ethereal hand-thrown ceramics are known for pushing porcelain artistry to quiet extremes. A colorful array of the South African artist-ceramist’s vessels recently went on display in an unlikely place—the Miami showroom of Liaigre, whose black-and-white palette makes a fitting backdrop for Glenday’s craftsmanship and artistry to shine. Realized in collaboration with the New York design gallery Ateliers Courbet, the exhibition quietly disrupts the furniture mainstay’s signature restraint, lending pops of color to otherwise understated vignettes. “I thought [Glenday’s] delicate, subtle, yet present work would complement so well with the universe of Liaigre,” gallery founder Melanie Courbet said in a statement. “There’s a common quietude about both the artist’s and Liaigre’s worlds—an elegant simplicity anchored in details and materiality.” The exhibition will be on display at Liaigre Miami (137 NE 40th St) through May. —R.W.
Installation view of The Roof Garden Commission: Jennie C. Jones, Ensemble, 2025. Photo: Hyla Skopitz. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
5. The Met Unveils Jennie C. Jones’s Dynamic Installation for the 2025 Roof Installation
Set against the iconic Manhattan skyline, the trailblazing artist Jennie C. Jones has transformed a series of Minimalist sculptures into sonic wind instruments. The striking display on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s rooftop is part of the museum’s annual Roof Garden commission and is on view from April 15 through October 19. Titled “Ensemble,” the installation comprises a suite of three elegant, geometric, sculptural works that are based on string instruments—a trapezoidal zither; a tall Aeolian harp; and a doubled, leaning one-string—corralled on two sides by a floor piece that serves as a conductor. Crafted with powder-coated aluminum in dramatic shades of deep red with flashes of right red color along edges or in sound holes, they are juxtaposed with pieces of concrete travertine, a material used throughout the museum. “Elevated high above the sounds and rhythms of New York City, her innovative installation seamlessly combines form, color, line, and acoustics, challenging visitors to engage with sculpture in new and unexpected ways,” says Max Hollein, the Museum’s Marina Kellen French Director and Chief Executive Officer. “Jennie C. Jones’s fidelity to abstraction invites her viewers to pay attention to the quieter pathways where profound meanings reside,” adds David Breslin, Leonard A. Lauder Curator in Charge, Modern and Contemporary Art. “By combining the sensorial experiences of visual art and sound, Jones is one of the most thoughtful and compelling voices in contemporary art today.” —Lucy Rees
Tufty-Time 20. Photo: Courtesy of Tufty-Time 20
6. B&B Italia Introduces Tufty-Time 20 to Celebrate 20 Years of Iconic Design
To mark 20 years of continued success, B&B Italia is introducing the Tufty-Time 20, a contemporary evolution of its iconic Tufty-Time sofa system designed by Patricia Urquiola. The classic design has been reinterpreted while preserving and paying homage to the essential characteristics that first debuted in 2005. The padding and seat height have been rethought for added comfort, the structure has been updated to ensure longevity, and the addition of the curved module has enhanced the system’s versatility. The Tufty-Time 20 is also debuting with a new fabric, a wool chenille with a bouchlé effect. A collection of oak and oak wood frame coffee tables are also now available in various sizes. “B&B Italia celebrates 20 years of Tufty-Time, a piece very dear to me. A new version designed with longevity in mind, a fundamental quality for a design approach that looks ahead,” Urquiola said in a statement.—A.S.
Lavande yoga mat by Hercule Studio. Photo: Courtesy Hercule Studio
Yoga and exercise mat accessories by Hercule Studio. Photo: Courtesy Hercule Studio
7. Hercule Studio’s High-Design Exercise Creations Arrive in the U.S.
In today’s world where exercise and wellness have never been more popular, people crave a workout experience which blends luxury, style, and sweat. For French-based Hercule Studio, that trifecta is a pinnacle point of their company ethos. Founded in 2023 by former athletes Joy Lucas and Jérémy Arbibe, the brand’s carefully crafted yoga and exercise mats as well as accessories not only allow customers to optimize self-care, but bring high-design and worldly elements to each downward dog. Now, Hercule Studio’s products are traveling worldwide with their partnership with stores goop, Moda Operandi, and soon Ssense, where products such as their Mediterranean architecture-inspired Archy exercise mat and eco-conscious Mar yoga mat will be available for anyone still reaching for their new year goals. — Shelby Black
Cover: Installation view of The Roof Garden Commission: Jennie C. Jones, Ensemble, 2025.
Photo: Hyla Skopitz. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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