Resnick Pavilion Opens at LACMA

The Lynda and Stewart Resnick Pavilion opened at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art with a series of parties as only the art world can do them.

Savory in Malibu

It is wonderful knowing that we have the true artist chef, Paul Shoemaker, in our neighborhood . He has opened this new restaurant called Savory. Everyone who loves great food is talking about it.

The decor is wonderfully sophisticated and earthy, belying the emphasis on organic and locally grown foods.

The menu changes daily, depending on the availability of the chef's choices.



For our entree, we had the beef choice of the day, with a sauce so good it was indescribable. In that little pot in the background are the tiniest turnips cooked to perfection. It made my heart sing!

Fashion as Art

The Resnick Pavilion at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art opens to the public on October 2. One of the three exciting exhibits is "Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail, 1700-1915."

Corset, England, c. 1900, Leather and Metal.

Petticoat, China for the Western Market, c, 1785. The silk satin is beautifully embroidered with tiger lilies, indigenous to Asia. The silk fabrics were ordered by the British East India Company.



Dressing Gown, Japan for the Western Market, c. 1885, silk embroidery on crepe. The kimono was cut shorter and wider with a softer sash to accommodate a Western woman. "Yes, that's my dear friend, Chris, checking out the fashions."

Lounging Pajamas, c. 1913, Callot Soeurs, Paris, active 1895-1937. Couturiers such as the Callot sisters were inspired by spectacular Ballets Russes productions in Paris. Any style that questioned gender, such as this, was controversial and innovative. This is my favorite!

Ethnic Art and "old" Hollywood

Being in the company of passionate collectors, artists and art dealers is always a treat for me. Seeing ethnic and contemporary original Aboriginal art in the home of the collectors doubled the experience.

Then, we had lunch and a tour of the Sunset Tower Hotel, completing the Hollywood experience. Truman Capote said of the hotel that "all the scandals that happened happened there."


http://http://www.sunsettowerhotel.com/

I am still exhilarated after seeing the ethnic and tribal art and this wonderfully colorful hotel. Seeing the art reinforced the belief that the most universal art of all is that which is the most primitive.

Best Life Guard Stand Art

What a surprise to see students painting graphic designs on life guard stands from Malibu to Palos Verdes. The public art project was entitled "summer of color." This one is one at Zuma Beach, where Christine, Carol and I walk for miles three times a week.

Sweet and Hot Music Festival

If a guest checks in to the airport Marriott Hotel during a Labor Day weekend, they must think Los Angeles is the best city in the world.

The hotel vibrates with sounds of music and dancing.

During the four-day holiday, Jazz, Ragtime, Swing, Big Band and Blues music can be heard from seven stages.

This year's Sweet and Hot Music Festival celebrates 26 years of presenting jazz.

Like the unknowing guests of the hotel, I was grateful to hear the artistry that surrounded me. I continue to be filled by it.

San Francisco Museum of Art

One of the most important collections of contemporary art in the world is on display at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Doris and Donald Fisher collected this magnificent group of 160 paintings and sculptures and Mr. Fisher said, "he only wished that he had collected more."

We, the public, are the lucky recipients of their passions. Previously, the work could only be seen in their offices of THE GAP clothing stores. Through a partnership with this museum, it will be housed here for the next 100 years and beyond.


Frank Stella's "Kyalami," 1981, mixed media on aluminum

Ellsworth Kelly's "Black Triangle with White," 1976, oil on canvas

Cy Twombly's "Untitled (Rome)," 1971, oil-based house paint and crayon on canvas

Alexander Calder's, "Eighteen Numbered Black," 1953, metal and paint

Shanghai at The Asian Museum

The Shanghai exhibit at The Asian Museum in San Francisco closes September 5, 2010. It is definitely worth seeing, being so educational, exciting and fulfilling. Examples of art from the city's tumultuous times, making history come alive. This exhibit is presented in conjunction with the recent World Exposition in Shanghai.

62nd Primetime Emmy Awards

Preparing for a wonderfully shallow day of watching the red carpet and the Emmy Awards! Thanks, again, Heather for letting me practice my "acceptance speech" with one of your awards. Oops, guess I am supposed to be nominated first?

Eat Pray Love

Julia Roberts stars in the film based on the book WHINE...oops... EAT PRAY LOVE .

Sea Glass

Romantic souls are always collecting sea glass. Fashionistas are coveting it for jewelry. This bowl of sea glass, geodes and crystals can be found in my neighbor's home.

Haven't we all, like the book's heroine, been enchanted when collecting sea glass? Having the setting be a dilapidated beach-side mansion was the stuff of novels...especially, during the Great Depression. Hard times were emotionally expressed through all of the character's disparate social and economic classes. Anita Shreve's novel, "Sea Glass" will tug at your heart strings while giving insights into the times. Reading it was a great way to celebrate summer.

A Lovely Luncheon

We were the guest of a best-selling author and an undisputed Malibu goddess. Having meals at her home always feels as though she prepared everything with great love.

So many new tastes...this was our first experience with Israeli couscous laced with figs..., and, shrimp with curry...and, yes, that is steam rising...

...it is nori (seaweed) you are seeing in the upper right hand corner...Dick loved the tandoori naan bread...

...the salmon had been smoked in Alaska... her brother sent it and it arrived just in time for this party...the cucumbers were home grown ...

The sea was rolling in...there was a bowl of sea glass...the candles were lit...truly memorable. The conversation, as always, was spirited.

Best Steam Bath Art

The embellished surface of this amazing steam bath has just been completed using found ceramic shards. It is in the private home of a true artist. Morris Sands, seems incapable of living without creating beauty from that which he finds.