Straight from SOFA

Last night was the opening preview party of the Sculpture, Objects & Functional Art fair (SOFA) at Navy Pier. Like all art & design fairs, it was overwhelming. I am going to estimate that it takes at least 4 hours to really see everything. Also like all art fairs, there was a lot of imitation work. I saw Jim Bloom channeling Willem de Kooning, Terry Turrell channeling Jean Dubuffet and Donna Rosenthal channeling Fernando Botero, but I am not going to bore you with that. Picasso said that good artists copy, but great artists steal, so here is some of the more interesting work that I had the pleasure of viewing that wasn't so clearly referential.

Eugene Von Bruenchenhein

Gugger Petter - Newspaper & Hemp

Kathleen Mulcahy

Christian Faur - Crayons

Lita Caillebot

Josepha Gasch Muche

The 50 Most Important Arts Organizations in Chicago

Are you looking to get involved or learn more about the art scene in Chicago? After a lot of research and many visits, here is my curated selection of the 50 most important arts organizations in Chicago - including, the galleries, the auction houses, the museums, the art fairs, the foundations & centers, the emerging art districts, the studios, the consultants and the informants.

The Galleries
1. Alan Koppel Gallery
2. Richard Gray Gallery
3. Rhona Hoffman Gallery
4. Donald Young Gallery
5. Carrie Secrist Gallery
6. Stephen Daider Gallery
7. The McCormick Gallery
8. KM Fine Arts Gallery
9. Valerie Carberry Gallery
10. Kavi Gupta Gallery

The Auction Houses
11. Christie’s
12. Sotheby’s
13. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers
14. Wright Auctioneers
15. Susanin’s Auctions

The Museums
16. Art Institute of Chicago
17. Museum of Contemporary Art
18. Smart Museum
19. School of the Art Institute of Chicago
20. Loyola University Museum of Art
21. The Block Museum
22. The Driehaus Museum
23. Depaul Art Museum
24. Museum of Contemporary Photography
25. Terra Foundation for American Art

The Art Fairs
26. NEXT Art Chicago
27. MDW Fair
28. SOFA
29. Exposition Chicago

The Foundations & Centers
30. The Logan Center
31. River East Art Center
32. Hyde Park Arts Center
33. The Graham Foundation
34. The Arts Club of Chicago

The Emerging Art Districts
35. University Village
36. Pilsen Art District

The Studios
37. Cornelia Arts Building
38. Zhou B Center
39. Flat Iron Arts Building
40. Chicago Artist Coalition Bolt Residency Studio Tour
41. SAIC Student Union Galleries
42. Pullman Center PAINT initiative
43. Lacuna Artist Lofts
44. The Geolofts

The Art Consultants
45. Chicago Art Source
46. Joel Straus Art Consulting
47. Russell Bowman Art Advisory

The Informants
48. Chicago Artist Resource
49. Chicago Art Magazine
50. Chicago Gallery News

Lina Maple at SARCA

Every Wednesday, I will guest blog at Sarca a new installation on the topic of how fashion, art & design are constantly drawing inspiration from one another. This segment will focus on the relationship between fashion, art & design, and the very personal environment they work together to create.

Working under and developing a friendship with Mark, principal and founder of Mark Cunningham Inc, has forever changed my personal style and style at home. Inducted this year into Elle Décor’s top 25 A-List and Architectural Digest’s AD 100, Mark is a tastemaker in the world of international design. To the circle of those who know him, he is a visual genius. Employees and clients regularly turn to him for advice on anything style related from what sofa to purchase, to what art to collect, to what to wear to a big event. What makes Mark standout from other designers is that he is able to take his impeccable taste and translate it to fit a number of different environments. The residences and hotels Mark designs are a reflection of the space’s history and the personalities inhabiting them. From a modern Manhattan penthouse, to a rustic Hudson Valley cottage, to a Texas ranch, each space Mark designs fits what it is supposed to be but never loses sight of the timeless quality that makes him who he is. Usually clad in John Varvatos or Jill Sander, Mark dresses himself the way he dresses homes, with clean lines and classic looks. Fashion and design need to work in conjunction in order to tell a story, so here are the versatile Sarca looks that work together with his designs to create the perfect, polished environment.

Fierce Friends

Dasha Zhukova, and fellow Muscovite and friend, Maria Baibakov, are making their mark on the international art world. Both founders of contemporary arts organizations in Moscow and both a regular presence in the New York art scene, Dasha and Maria, who are in their 20's, are changing the traditional concept of the art world tastemaker. Dasha's art & fashion magazine, Garage, launched this fall which is based off of the premise of her Garage Center for Contemporary Culture. Baibakov, currently enrolled at Harvard Business School, is working on relaunching and restructuring Baibakov Art Projects. Fierce friends, to say the least.

Magical Movie Sets

I love watching movies and getting inspired by the set design. Some of the most noteworthy interiors in the world of cinema for me have come from Sex & The City 2, Something's Gotta Give, Coco & Igor, I Am Love and It's Complicated.

Sex & The City 2 (Carrie and Big's home - designed by Marks & Frantz) - I absolutely LOVE the wallcovering in the foyer and bedroom and the eclectic mix of patterns on patterns.

Something's Gotta Give (Erica's Hamptons beach home - designed by James Radin) - The abundance of natural light from all of the windows and french doors is amazing and check out that book styling.

Coco & Igor (Coco Chanel's countryside home - set design) - The black lacquer millwork is to die for.

I Am Love (Villa Necchi Campiglio - designed by Piero Portaluppi) The art, antiques and sculptures are museum worthy and the detail in the walnut wood paneled staircase is stunning.

It's Complicated (Jane's home - set design)- The display shelving in the kitchen is perfection.