Visite Privée by François Halard

Photographer François Halard recently had an exhibition which was compiled into an accompanying book entitled Visite Privée.   The collection of photographs of artists and their studios include Cy Twombly, Julian Schnabel, Carlos Mollino, Ahn Duong, Richard Avedon, Paul Cezanne, Robert Rauschenberg, and others.  My favorite space is of course Mr. Hallard's own home in Arles, France.  There is a great story in Vogue Living: Houses, Gardens, People about how he wasn't intending to buy a home but fell in love with its "melancholy spell."  He spent years restoring the home and filled it with many pieces he already owned in storage including the Louis XVI lit a la polonaise canopy bed from the antiquaire Compoglio.  I've included photos from both books here but unfortunately Visite Privée seems to only be available in Europe.  A reason to hop on a plane to Paris if I ever saw one but if that's not possible, you can also check out the rest of the artists online.  À tout à l'heur‎e!

Photos by François Halard

What's black and white...

Someone recently told me that they asked a child, "what's black and white and read all over?" and they had no idea. I guess kids don't read the newspaper these days. For some reason, I thought about that story when I saw this black and white papered entry. Probably because I also can't answer the question of who designed it or where it's from. Some of the motifs are similar to things I've seen at the Neue Galerie so it might be Austrian or German or who knows, maybe it's in California. If anyone can identify it, please let us know. Until then, I'll be reading the news on the internet like the kids!

Photos by François Halard

Country Couture in Vogue

When I posted the gorgeous home of Pamela Skaist-Levy, one of the founders of Juicy Couture, last year, a reader asked if there were any photos of her partner, Gela Nash-Taylor's home. I couldn't find any at the time which was probably because they were being saved for Vogue. The September 2009 issue has a feature on the English country manor she shares with her husband, John Taylor or Duran Duran, and their family and friends. The bathroom above is one of my favorite photos from the spread by photographer Francois Halard.

Editor-in-Chief, Anna Wintour is also hosting the premier party for The September Issue documentary this Wednesday night. For those of us not lucky enough to be invited, the film opens in New York August 28th and elsewhere on September 11th. While Tom Ford makes his directorial debut at the Venice Film Festival also on September 11th with his first film, A Single Man, based on the Christopher Isherwood novel. Looks like it's going to be a very fashionable fall!