HOORAY FOR SCHMALTZ
IT’S OFFICIAL. Even The New York Times acknowledges that “Schmaltz Finds a New, Younger Audience.” Nutritionally incorrect though it may sound, author Melissa Clark and photographer Andrew Scrivani make a … Continue reading
ANGELA PALMER’S ART OF FORMULA ONE
IMAGINE SEEING a modern Formula One engine deconstructed before your eyes. More difficult for me, imagine seeing this through the eyes of a talented artist. Renault’s top-security headquarters in Viry-Chatillon, … Continue reading
CHIUNE SUGIHARA—HERO OF LITHUANIA
STREETS IN Tel aviv, Israel, and in Kaunus and Vilnius, Lithuania, carry Chiune Sugihara’s name. Memorials in Jerusalem, Los Angeles’s Little Tokyo and Chestnut Hill, Massachuetts, celebrate his life. There’s … Continue reading
DUCHESS OF ALBA, R.I.P.
IT ISN’T everyone whose ancestor’s nude portrait may hang in the Museo del Prado in Madrid. But for the late 18th Duchess of Alba, this was probably a whimsical sidelight … Continue reading
MINI BOOKS OF ART
ART BOOKS are often oversize tomes appropriate for display on coffee tables, but I have a trio of them that would fit in a single pocket. Nonetheless, each celebrates its … Continue reading
WALK RIGHT IN, SIT RIGHT DOWN
VITRA FURNITURE has been good for Weil am Rhein, Germany. This Swiss family-owned furniture firm has its headquarters in town, located in the southwestern tip of Baden-Wurttenberg, German’s southwestern-most state. … Continue reading
GRACIE FOR PRESIDENT!
NOW THAT the phone is free of recorded pitches, the ballots are counted and all the neighborhood election posters have been taken down (would that they were!), I can share … Continue reading
SIMON JEFFES’ PENGUIN CAFÉ ORCHESTRA
SIMON JEFFES may not be a familiar composer, however his music has been danced by the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. There’s a BBC Concert … Continue reading
MAGNIFICENT MACHINES—AND TALES TOO
IT’S AS though a bunch of aeroplane enthusiasts got together to make a comedy flick—and spin off a wonderful book. The full title, Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines … Continue reading
NELLIE MELBA—DIVA EXTRAORDINAIRE
WIFE DOTTIE’S prudent editing precludes my calling this item “Nellie Melba—Toast of…” or “Nellie Melba—A Peach of ….” But, in fact, this extraordinary opera diva of a century ago was … Continue reading
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