SPRING FLOWERS at VSF

Window displays at VSF feature gorgeous flowers including these bright parrot tulips. I made this image yesterday when I passed by this flower shop located at 204 W. 10th St. 
near Bleecker St. New York Magazine describes the shop as a “charming shop that reflects the classic sensibilities of its oldest client, Ralph Lauren. It specializes in tight arrangements in English country garden style. The cylindrical glass and ceramic vases here come packed with lush, bold flowers. An average arrangement is a perfect thank-you gift.”

"LOVE WALL" SCULPTURE on PARK AVENUE

This is Robert Indiana’s LOVE WALL sculpture on display now on Park Avenue at 57th Street. The sculpture will be on display until May 15. The artwork is a 12-foot tall sculpture of Cor-ten steel that was initially conceived in 1968 in the form of a painting. LOVE WALL is a psychologically complex sculpture, reminiscent of the Op-art influence in Indiana’s work. As if viewed through a kaleidoscope, the multiplication and reorientation of the LOVE image creates a center of four radiating Os. The sculpture was installed in October as part of “Art in the Parks: Celebrating 40 Years,” an exhibition that commemorated the 40th anniversary of New York City’s public art program by presenting 40 installations in all five boroughs — the most installations ever on display at a single time in city parks. The exhibition is made possible by Paul Kasmin Gallery.

ELECTRIC FOUNTAIN lights up the ROCKEFELLER CENTER

On display at the Rockefeller Center is a light sculpture called ELECTRIC FOUNTAIN by the acclaimed British artists TIM NOBLE and SUE WEBSTER. I made these images of the artwork last March 22nd at the Plaza at Rockefeller Center. This monumental 3-D outdoor LED-generated light sculpture, installed where the Christmas tree stands during Christmastime, is 35 feet (10.72 meters) high and 30 feet (10.6 meters) in diameter. The sculpture is made from 3,390 light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs and 527 meters of neon tubing. The design replicates the movement of water fountain: streaming, pooling, splashing and flowing, creating a hypnotic experience for viewers. Electric Fountain represents Noble and Webster's modern take on the world's oldest form of public art, the fountain, simultaneously referencing iconic pop culture symbols, such as marquee signs in Las Vegas and Times Square, and historical fountains. 
Viewing is better in the evening hours for obvious reasons. The art installation will be on display until April 5. 

2008 MACY'S FLOWER SHOW

Spring has sprung, and one of New York's most iconic stores, MACY'S Herald Square on Broadway, is again hosting its annual flower show, turning over part of its store to incredible floral displays. Using over a million flowers from all over the world, horticulturists create wonderful floral displays inside the store. I took photos of the window displays featuring mannequins of KATE MOSS, IMAN and TWIGGY in gorgeous floral costumes. The show runs from March 16-30. 

Information from the store's website:

FLOWER SHOW OVERVIEW

Located just inside Macy's Broadway entrance, don't miss the centerpiece of this year's show – a breathtaking, highly detailed reproduction of Macy's historic Herald Square building, assembled entirely from organic plant materials by the renowned artist Paul Busse.

We're also proud to present Bouquet of the Day, a series of six dramatic bouquets by New York's most sought after floral designers. See schedule & details

SPECIALTY GARDEN HIGHLIGHTS

Spring Garden

Features a vibrant array of tulips, daffodils, primroses and flowering trees and shrubs. Be sure to check out our newest addition to the show, Rhododendron trees.

Conservatory Garden

Showcases whimsical plant topiaries and exotic and tropical plants, including citrus, coffee and cacao trees.

Royal Purple Garden

Shows off plants in the purple and lavender color palette, including rare Chinese Redbuds, a flowering shrub with hundreds of magnificent purple flowers along the branches of the plant.

Cherry Hill Garden

Features a breathtaking variety of trees from the Cherry, or Prunus, family, including tall Kwansan and contorted Okame cherry trees and flowering almond shrubs.

Spanish Garden

Reflects the look and feel of a luxurious garden in Spain. Stroll through fountains, grape vines, blooming Spanish Bluebells and citrus and Monkey Puzzle trees.

ASIA WEEK at CHRISTIE'S

CHRISTIE'S, the world's leading art auction house is holding it's ASIA WEEK in New York by presenting an unprecedented series of sales from march 18-21. I visited Christie's near Rockefeller Center and viewed some of the Asian art pieces for auction. I took photos of some of the items including the IMPERIAL WARDROBE: Fine Chinese Costume and Textiles. These are Chinese textiles from the collection of Linda Wrigglesworth, a renowned dealer and collector in Chinese textiles from the Qing dynasty material (1644-1911).

CRY-BABY the MUSICAL

Last Saturday night, I attended the first preview performance the new Broadway musical CRY-BABY, taking advantage of the special preview price of $54 for orchestra tickets (until April 23rd). $54 is for "1954" in Baltimore, the setting. The musical is based on the social satire movie of the same name starring Johnny Depp and directed by John Waters.

Published synopsis of the show:
"Baltimore, 1954. Everyone likes Ike, nobody likes communism and Wade “Cry-Baby” Walker is the coolest boy in town. He's a bad boy with a good cause — truth, justice and the pursuit of rock 'n' roll. When he falls for a good girl who wants to be bad, her charm-school world of bobby sox and barbershop quartets will never be the same. Wayward youth, juvenile delinquents, sexual repression, cool music, dirty lyrics, bizarre rejects…Finally, the '50s come to life!"

Although I felt that overall the characters somehow did not connect with the audience, I still enjoyed this hilarious musical adaptation. Fine performances were delivered by James Snyder as Cry-Baby and Elizabeth Stanley as his love interest. Tony Award winner Harriet Harris plays Mrs. Vernon-Williams. But the show’s individual showstoppers are Alli Mauzey as psychotic Lenora who is obsessed with Cry-Baby, and Chester Gregory II who plays Dupree. Rob Ashford’s superb choreography especially the number that utilized license plates in the prison break scene is memorable. Mark Brokaw directs this musical which features libretto by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan with music by David Javerbaum and Adam Schlesinger. Other credits: Scott Pask (Scenic Design); Catherine Zuber (Costume Design); Howell Binkley (Lighting Design); Peter Hylenski (Sound Design); Lynne Shankel (Music Direction, Incidental Music, Arrangements); Christopher Jahnke (Orchestrations); David Chase (Dance Arranger).

"Cry-Baby" plays the Marquis Theatre at 1535 Broadway, between 45th and 46th Streets, where it opens on April 24.

GAY STREET (It's not what you think)

Fom Wikipedia: 

GAY STREET, a short street that marks off one block of Greenwich Village in the New York City borough of Manhattan. This street, originally a stable alley, was probably named for an early landowner, not for the sexuality of any denizens. Nor is it likely, as is sometimes claimed, that its namesake was Sidney Howard Gay, editor of the National Anti-Slavery Standard; he would have been 19 when the street was christened in 1833. The mistaken association with an abolitionist is probably because the street's residents were mainly black, many of them servants of the wealthy white families on Washington Square. Later it became noted as an address for black musicians, giving the street a bohemian reputation. A newspaper dated May 11, 1775, had a classified ad for one R. Gay, who lived on the Bowery, and who advertised a gelding for sale. The street extends from Christopher Street one block south to Waverly Place, between and roughly parallel to Sixth and Seventh Avenues. It runs through the site of a brewery owned by Wouter van Twiller, who succeeded Peter Minuit as Governor of New Netherland in 1633. The name first appeared officially in the Common Council minutes for April 23, 1827, which record a health inspector's complaint against a privy belonging to one A. S. Pell of Gay Street.

GRACE CHURCH in NEW YORK

After last Sunday afternoon's organ meditation at Grace Episcopal Church, I made an image of the magnificent interior. Designed in the Gothic Revival style, the church is located at 802 Broadway.

VERY SPECIAL FLOWERS

A flower shop called VSF (Very Special Flowers) in the West Village features a window display of beautiful flower arrangements such as those shown above.

"COLOR CHART: Reinventing Color, 1950 to Today" at the MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

“COLOR CHART: Reinventing Color, 1950 to Today” is an ongoing exhibit at the MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MOMA) through May 12. The exhibit “celebrates a paradox: the lush beauty that results when contemporary artists assign color decisions to chance, readymade source, or arbitrary system.” (moma.org info). I took photos of an untitled painted aluminum art construction by American artist DONALD JUDD on the sixth floor of the MOMA, as well as ZOBOP by British-born JIM LAMBIE, a multicolor floor installation made of vinyl tape in the Museum’s Agnes Gund Garden Lobby.

Color Chart also features the works of other artists including Andy Warhol, John Chamberlain, Sherrie Levine, Giulio Paolini, André Cadere, François Morellet, Niele Toroni, Sol LeWitt, and Lawrence Weiner. The MOMA security guards wear striped silk vests in five different colors created by Daniel Buren.

DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME: Spring Forward

It's time to set the clocks forward again this weekend for Daylight Saving Time. Above is a photo that I took of the clock in front of the Grand Central Station facade facing 42nd Street. The 13-foot clock contains the world's largest example of Tiffany glass. It is surrounded by a 50-foot sculpture of Mercury (the god of commerce), Minerva and Hercules (symbolizing mental and moral strength). 

ROOM WITH A VIEW - The Top of the Rock

Above are photos from a recent visit to the Top of the Rock Observation Deck which offers spectacular views of Manhattan. Information about this tourist site available at this link: http://www.topoftherocknyc.com

Inopportune: Stage One, CAI GUO-QIANG's art installation at the GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM

On exhibit at the SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM is artist CAI GUO-QIANG's "I Want To Believe" from February 22 through May 28. I took photos of one of Cai's work called "Inopportune: Stage One" occupying the central atrium. The art installation is a cascade of nine real cars, some of which are suspended from the top of the museum's rotunda, as well as sequenced multichannel light tubes of varying lengths. The white nine cars are installed in a cinematic progression with an "explosion" of lights to simulate a car bombing.

Early in his career, Chinese native Cai explored the properties of gunpowder in his drawings, that eventually led to his experimentation with explosives on a large scale. He has become known for his signature explosion projects including this exhibition. This is the first major exhibition for a China-born artist at the Guggenheim Museum which is located at 1071 Fifth Avenue at 89th Street.