05/15/24: The Noble Quest to Avoid the Tourist Hoards of the Amalfi Coast
A truly grand hotel in Amalfi provides Alex Hawgood refuge from the riffraff; and travel editor Maura Egan devises the perfect weekend in Mexico City.
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Design Miami Lands on the West Coast; British Vogue’s Edward Enninful Turns Curator; Balenciaga’s Elegant Legacy Graces Atlanta; and More Happenings
New York, “I Racconti (The Tales)” (Opens Mar. 7)
Valentina Cameranesi Sgroi is a Milan-based designer known for her glasswork (including cocktail glasses for Bottega Veneta) and her set designs for the likes of Loro Piana and Margiela. Now she dabbles in enameled copper vessels in her first American solo show, presented by Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery. In line with the gallery’s style, Sgroi’s work will be placed next to historic American decorative artworks to provide a new context for her craft. jacquelinesullivangallery.com
New York, “Jamian Juliano-Villani: It” (Opens Mar. 16)
We are bombarded with millions of images daily, from ads to endless Instagram feeds. What better era for artist Jamian Juliano-Villani, whose witty works are informed by art history, pop culture, memes, cartoons, and the American zeitgeist. Her paintings probe modern American life through the subversion of easily recognizable, typically cheerful iconography. This is the Gagosian gallery debut for Juliano-Villani, who lives and works in New York. gagosian.com
Los Angeles, Design Miami Los Angeles (May 16 to 20; Previews May 16, 17)
Design Miami is coming to the West Coast for the very first time this year, with art direction by L.A.-and Paris-based artist Henrik Purienne. And the fair will be held in the comfort of a home—a 30,000-square-foot estate close to Beverly Hills designed by the late architect Paul Williams, who designed Frank Sinatra’s house—which will provide a cozier environment for the perusal of pieces curated by Ashlee Harrison of the Carpenters Workshop Gallery. designmiami.com
Paris, “Robert Mapplethorpe curated by Edward Enninful” (Until April 6)
Former British Vogue editor Edward Enninful has selected 46 prints and placed them in pairs to curate Thaddaeus Ropac’s exhibition of the American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe’s work. Enninful paired a photograph of Mapplethorpe’s favorite female model, Lisa Lyon, in a wedding dress with a portrait of her posed nude, radiating strength as she flexes her biceps, in a thought-provoking juxtaposition. Much like the double-page magazine spreads Enninful has worked with his entire life, a story is told through these pairings. ropac.net
London, “Jeff Koons: Paintings, 2001–2013” (Until May 25)
Skarstedt galleries presents a solo exhibit of the American artist Jeff Koons (but not his famed balloon dogs). On view are five of his large collage-like paintings from the early 2000s, from work commissioned by the Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin to pieces from his famous series that meld pop art, ancient Greek art, and American iconography. skarstedt.com
Atlanta, “Cristóbal Balenciaga: Master of Tailoring” (Until June 2)
The renowned school where many of the next big names in art will graduate from, the Savannah College of Art and Design, presents a curation of Cristóbal Balenciaga’s work in the early years of his fashion house. The rarely seen pieces from the 1940s to the late 1960s showcase the expertise that the late Spanish couturier was so known for. scadfash.org
