Moderm Day Sleeping Beauty

I first posted this painting in the Art Group of Multiply in 2008 without any details related to it at the time, but seeing it's making such an impart in the art world, even now, I thought I would update it with a bit more background interest. It was painted in 1995 by Lucian Freud. It was sold at an auction in New York for €2.5 million, marking a world record of the highest price paid for a painting by an artist still living. It was acquired by the Russian millionaire Roman Abramovich, together with another called Triptico, painted in 1976, by Francis Bacon, paying 55.4 million. These 2 paintings are designated to decorate his new mansion under construction, in the centre of London. Throughout the following weeks, there had been more than a few speculations as to who the mystery buyer was. This was later revealed in the magazine of The Art News paper. Abramovich's lady friend, also a millionaire, is putting her own collection together for the opening of her new gallery in Moscow. The model was Sue Tilly, 51 then, a supervisor of the Social Subsidiaries in London. Since she has been revealed as the model, she has been inundated with offers by many photographers, painters, magazines and other media to post nude. She flatly refused, saying: " ... to post nude for an renowned artist is one thing, just to post nude is quite another. It's a pity so many people can't tell the difference!" Amongst famous models having been painted nude by Lucian Freud were Jerry Hall, pregnant, and Kate Moss. Tags:LucianFreud,RomanAbrmovich

Current Mood: Artistic

Guidelines I Choose To live By

If you want your dreams to come true, don't oversleep.

• The smallest good deed is better than the grandest intention.


• Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important.


• The best vitamin for making friends is B1.


• The 10 Commandments are not multiple choices.


• The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.


• Minds are like parachutes - they only function when OPEN.


• Ideas won't work unless YOU do.


• One thing you can't recycle is wasted time.


• One who lacks the courage to start has already finished.


• The heaviest thing to carry is a grudge.


• Don't learn safety rules by accident.


• We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves.


• Jumping to conclusions can be bad exercise.


• A turtle makes progress when it sticks its head out.


• One thing you can give and still keep is your word.


• A friend is one walks in when everyone else walks out.


• The pursuit of happiness is the chase of a lifetime!

Tag:life'sguidelines

Current Mood: Determined

New Economy - Pop-Up Stores

At one time, I used to find it rather strange that some shops here in Roses seemed to change hands a lot. You just discovered a new shop, or a new store, a new kiosk, a few weeks or a few months later, either the shops had disappeared altogether, or the proprietors have become different people, doing different businesses, or selling different goods. These have apparently become new ways of running certain businesses these days, with the trend spreading far and wide, and in fact existing as well as becoming more popular in many countries.

In the beginning those were mainly small stores and shops, selling knickknacks, run of the mill souvenirs, paintings and sketches, by frustrated arty people who considered themselves artists, and home-made handicrafts, etc. At least those were the ones I saw locally. In recent years, these had become much larger shops, fully stocked even; but then they too disappeared after a short period or just a season.

How do they even recover the original capital lay-out in fixtures and fittings for the shop space, not to say profit, the only reason for setting up the business? Did they close because they couldn't achieve the estimated benefit, or by coincidence, all of them found something better to do later?

This kind of shops are to be found everywhere now, in New York, Berlin, Tokyo, China and others. They have now got an official name, Pop-Up Stores, or Pop-Up Retail within the trade. They have also become much more varied and sophisticated, into art, electronics, fashion and just about anything and in fact everything. It has become another way of marketing I guess, a way to test out consumer tastes and demand, gain experiences and take advantage of the open advertising without the middleman, selling the product while doing so. In Soho of New York Nick installed a shop selling 250 pairs of sports shoes and disappeared after only 4 days. Gap, Levi's and Kodak have all participated.

Opened for merely a month is the "Chivas Studio", the known brand Chivas Whisky of the Pernod Ricard group, installed in a loft, in Poblenou of Barcelona. Not only there are whisky galore, but they also organised suppers, emphasizing dishes and deserts with added whisky as part of the ingredient, as well as before or after dinner drink no doubt. It's the right time of the year for this I guess, slack month after all the festive days and before summer season starts; by then, being the tourist-season, no extra advertising is needed.

In the same establishment, the whisky connoisseurs can also browse the art exhibition and fashion displays. All to keep the customers staying longer and consume more whisky I dare say. As Spain now prohibits advertising of alcohol on television, this is a rather clever recourse.

Tags:popupstore,whiskychivas

Current Mood: Artistic