Buro Beluga

 

Quatre Cinquieme was sent an email this week from a creative platform, Buro Beluga, based in Paris who specializes in sets and display windows. I was amazed by the talent and the level of creativity. Looking at their website, it made me want to switch career. They have done work for Les Galeries Lafayette the past two Christmas. It's inspiring, it's dreamy, it's Tim Walker-ish, it's well executed and I love the fact that they sent me an email. I hope our paths cross one day. Congratulations!

Please send your work to Quatre Cinquieme so we can all share great inspiring moments!

Top three

Having dinner with some good friends the other night the subject came to movies that inspired us or left a huge impression on us while growing up. We all made our own list, didn't agree every time but it was a fun conversation and brought some great movies back on the table. So here's my top three along with a few pictures:

1) Singing in the rain

2) The Wizard of Oz

3) Death on the Nile

Please share yours with me.

Ricardo Mosner

I'm obviously in the illustration/painting mood today so I thought I would share the old but so good 2003 Lanvin advertising campaign painted by the talented Ricardo Mosner. Ricardo Hugo Mosner is a painter and sculptor from Argentina who has been living and working in Paris for over 40 years. Deeply inspired by his roots, his painting are colorful, figurative and a bit nostalgic.

If you ever wanted to get in touch with him, QC might be able to help you out. You know how to reach me...

I'll drink to that

When most of liquor and fashion ads are looking just exactly the same in magazines, a few brands still manage to stand out. This week's winner has to be the Grand Marnier illustration ad on the back cover of this week's New Yorker. It's fresh, fun and giddy.
Nice job Grand Marnier!

I've been trying to find who the illustrator is but no success. So if anybody wants to share the info with me, please...

Arrivederci

I'm not sure everyone has noticed but things are changing this June.

1) I discovered my first white hair while brushing my teeth one morning.
2) my blogger friends are having a hard time writing posts more than once a week. Which actually might be a sign things are picking up...
3) And more importantly.... last week the famous and so iconic DKNY wall on West Houston and Broadway was painted over! I told some friends over dinner one night, nobody seemed to know what I was referring to (maybe I should get new friends). Any tourist in New York takes–or should I say used to take–a picture of this specific cross street in Soho. The twin towers were on that wall! And all of a sudden: ciao, bye-bye, arrivederci. It had been designed by Peter Arnell and up since 1992.

Art-dvertising

A painting? No, this is the Expression of Joy.
BMW's latest and how refreshing advertising campaign is brilliant. They asked actor Robin Rhode to capture the joy and emotion of driving a Z4 on a massive canvas at the Downey studios, CA. Intricate paint dispensers captured the fingerprints of the Z4 as it drove across the space, using five colors: yellow, red, blue, green, and gray. The result looks just great but more than the result it's the concept, the experience and the message that BMW sends out that is just right in this time. Take the time to watch the video, but also the behind the scenes. It's time well spent.

Xuanmin Jin

My youngest sister lives in Shanghai.

She's there for 6 months and from what I hear, I think she's having the time of her life. Apparently Chinese people stop her in the street to take pictures with her (I told her she should charge them for that and pay her rent with it). Take Scarlett Johansson, take Blake Lively, put both of them in a shaker, add a ton of humor and kindness, shake-shake-shake and you get my sister Camille. Not bad, right?

Anyway, she sent me an email this morning with some unknown to me photographer work: Xuanmin Jin. He takes these black and white pictures and picks a few elements in the picture to color. It screams East meets West (or at least the Pop part of the West). I got an instant and strong reaction to these pictures and wanted to share this with you.

So what did I do next? I reminded Camille that my birthday was in February and that she kind of had not sent me anything this year... Will let you know what comes in my mailbox soon, he he he...

Jennifer Cecere

When I was in Art School in Paris and dreaming about what my life would be like... I thought I would be a painter or a sculptor, living and working in a loft space in New York, surrounded by talented artists/friends. I would be working on very unique pieces, getting shows all around, awards of course and great reviews from famous critics.

This is not my life (except I actually am surrounded by talented friends), it's Jennifer Cecere's.

Yesterday was the opening of the State Fair-Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens were Jennifer has 3 amazing pieces hanging in the trees. My favorite piece being the 20' white doily: it seems the piece always belonged there and at the same time it was great to see how the contrast between the green and the white made it stand out. There was definitely a lot of wind yesterday in New York and it was very special to see the doily dance. I can't wait to see more of Jennifer's work at that same scale. Congratulations!

Jose Esteves

Life Is Short, Do It Now!

That's the name of the business Jose Esteves created to sell his amazing lighting collection. How appropriate in these times. What I like so much about his work is the nostalgic element of each piece, yet his aesthetic is modern and elegant. The rumor says that he is coming to New York beginning of May for his "Re-born Exhibition" inspired by nature. You can be sure I will be there for the opening and find out all the details for you. Maybe I'll ask an autograph while I'm at it...
The sad news for us in the U.S. is that his collection is sold exclusively at Intérieurs, (lucky new yorkers...) The good news is my secret agent in France a.k.a. Chloé has given me his contact information...

José Esteves
Société LISDIN
25, rue de la bourssardière - 61130 Igé
Tél./Fax : 02 33 83 87 29

Again, no need to thank me, I'm here to help.

Beatrice Guichard

Beatrice Guichard

Beatrice Guichard is a very talented French sculptor, painter and furniture designer. All her pieces are inspired by nature. The sculptors in the picture above are titled "Brindilles" which means Twigs. She works most of the year in her Boulogne studio, and the rest in the south of France. And appart from being super creative, she's super nice.