REVIEW: Rob Pruitt – Pop Touched Me
Pop Touched Me is a self-conscious reflection upon artist Rob Pruitt’s implausible journey through fame and failure. From gallery-hosted flea markets to 101 test-driven art ideas, it seems oddly fitting that Pruitt’s playful and often participatory exhibitions have been immortalized in glossy coffee table reading. Now celebrated for painting shimmering panda bears, Pruitt was once excommunicated from New York’s art scene for a supposed racist homage to black American culture. (Evidently he and partner-in-crime Jack Early were terrible rappers) . . .
REVIEW: Art Deco Jewelry by Laurence Mouillefarine and Évelyne Possémé
The year is 1925. Times are good, skirts are short, and Parisian aesthetes are rocking bling so extravagant it would make Lil Wayne blush. This is the heyday of Art Deco. With an ample appreciation for geometric shapes, editors Laurence Mouillefarine and Évelyne Possémé attempt to explain why so many Hollywood stars and fashionistas traded their traditional diamonds and gold for chunky onyx and platinum. The book also offers insights as to why the movement’s excesses eventually spelled doom for jewelry hucksters when the twenties suddenly stopped roaring. Jean Dunand, Suzanne Belperron and Jean Fouquet are among the prolific designers profiled. Are there more captivating reads out there? Totally. But the sheer amount of arty vintage baubles bound within its 255 pages is enough to warrant coffee table reading.
