Happy 4th Of July! A Patriotic Promotion From DWR

To remind potential buyers of their holiday promotion (free shipping through July 4th) Design Within Reach e-mailed out this patriotic email to their customers and subscribers that features the American flag made up of modern chairs. This is the second year in a row they've created their 'modern' version of Old Glory.

This year, 2009, they used the Eames shell chair with Eiffel tower base, the Bubble Club outdoor chair and the Bantam Armchair to make up the flag:



The three chairs used in the above art are all available for purchase from DWR:


above: Eames® Molded Plastic Side Chair, available here.
above: Bubble Club Armchair by Philipe Starck, available here.
above: the Bantam Armchair, available here.

Last year's version (2008) featured the Panton chair in blue, the Arne Jacobsen Swan chair in red and the molded Eames Chair in white:



And once again, the chairs from the 2008 DWR flag are all available for purchase:


above: Eames® Molded Plastic Side Chair, available here.
above: Panton chair, available here
above: Arne Jacobsen Swan Chair, available here

I just love them and thought they'd be the perfect way to wish you all a happy Fourth of July!

Shop Design Within Reach and take advantage of their free shipping offer through July 4th now.

Accidental Drug Overdoses Equal High Auction Prices

It's all in the timing, as they say.

Julien's Auction House of Beverly Hills just held their 'summer sale' on Friday June 26 and Saturday, June 27, 2009 at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Given that the auction sale was hot on the heels of the news of MJ's passing, it's no surprise that the King of Pop's items went for some serious coin.



Michael's death, now suspected but not confirmed of being the result of a fatal mix of prescription drugs, has reinvigorated interest in two other Hollywood legends whose untimely passings were also caused by accidental prescription drug overdoses; Elvis and Marilyn.

Not surprisingly, the highlights (which means the items that went for the most money) went to these three deceased Hollywood legends. Clearly, premature death is a good thing for auction houses.

The most paid for item in the auction was Marilyn Monroe's short white terry cloth hooded bathrobe she wore during a beach photo shoot with photographer George Barris. Supposedly, it was the last item she ever wore and that garnered the highest winning bid at $120,000.00 USD.


above: Marilyn sporting the bathrobe that fetched $120,000.00

The Julien’s 2009 Summer Sale included over 900 unique items from legendary Hollywood celebrities and productions – with approximately 150 items from the personal and professional life of Marilyn Monroe and items from the collection of Elvis’ personal physician Dr. George Nichopoulos. Also offered for sale were a collection of never before auctioned wardrobe books and test photographs from early MGM productions and items from the estate of Ann Miller.

Below are the images of the top selling items from the auction catalog for Michael, Elvis and Marilyn, along with the final selling prices.

MICHAEL JACKSON ITEMS

The 4 items of Michael Jackson's that fetched the highest prices:


above: Michael Jackson's Victory Tour Costume Shirt sold for $52,500.00


above: a signed Jackson Five record album went for $34,560.00


Michael Jackson's own original drawing and painting shown above went for $20,480.00 and $25,000.00 respectively.

ELVIS ITEMS


Below are the items of Elvis' from the auction that received the highest bids.


Above: Elvis' Gifted TCB diamond and gold necklace was the item of the King of Rock n Roll's that went for the most at $117,000.

above: the concert shirt worn by Elvis went for $38,750.00

above: Elvis' gold and diamond ring set with a large lapis stone went for $33,750

above: The Doctor's bag belonging to Elvis' personal physician, Dr. George Nichopoulos sold for$16,000.00

Also, just because it's bizarre and macabre, I had to show you that although they did not fetch the highest prices, each of his prescription bottles shown below sold for over $1,000.00:




MARILYN'S ITEMS


It's no surprise that Marilyn Monroe's items still generate great interest and sales given the public's continued fascination with the breathy starlet. Her items actually made the most money for the auction house whose total haul from the sale was $2,146,744.95


above: the most paid for item in the auction was the above bathrobe of Marilyn's at $120,000.00

above: Marilyn's fur stole, in which she was often seen fetched $69,000.00

above: Marilyn's necklace shown above fetched $63,000.00


above: her prompt book for the film The Misfits went for $36, 250.00

above: Miss Monroe's black and white checkered pants (shown above on her in a photo with her then husband, Joe DiMaggio) went for $33,280.00

above: the signed photo of Marilyn on an elephant sold for $19,200.00

above: Marilyn's umbrella, seen in the photos by Andre de Dienes, went for $16,640.00

Apparently dying prematurely of a prescription drug overdose means good business for auction sales.

There were many other items in the double digits but these were the 'highlights'. Special thanks to Julien's for all the photos and the info. Julien's makes it easy to bid on their auctions- you can do so online, by proxy, on the phone or in person. To learn more about their auctions, go here.

The "R rated" Ballpoint Pen Drawings of Juan Francisco Casas

A friend of mine brought the amazing ballpoint pen drawings of Juan Francisco Casas (actual full name is Juan Francisco Casas Ruiz) to my attention via his tweet, which sent me to this article in the UK's Daily Mail. Only since it was published over a year ago, I was able to do a little research and find his more recent and compelling works.

Clearly more scandalous and edgy, his 2009 illustrations reek with homoeroticism and a "fuck you" attitude toward art - and are certainly more interesting than those shown in the Daily Mail article.

The following images are NSFW and should not be viewed by those under 18 (I have to write that... I'm a responsible blogger).



Clearly not for conservative publications, his latest drawings are impressive in both their detail and scale, like all of Juan's work. Using up to 14 bic ballpoint pens per image, his canvases reach up to 10 feet in height:











the drawings above are all from 2008 and 2009 and are courtesy of the artist.


Above: in this February 2009 exhibit, you can see the impressive size of his pieces.

Much of this work as well as some of his paintings are available for purchase from the Galerie Fernando Pradilla.

The artist:

The text below is from his own myspace page:
About me:
I am an artist born in La Carolina (Andalusia, Spain). I paint large size oil canvases and ballpen (sic) drawings where I reproduce images I take with my camera, youthful and spontaneous domestic photographs of fleeting moments of nighttime fun. I have a degree in Arts (BA), two postdegree masters (MA) and I am finishing my doctorate (PhD). I also was a teacher of the University of Granada during 4 years.

In 2005 I participated, together with important artists such as Damien Hirst, Neo Rauch or Maurizio Cattelan, at the International Biennial of Contemporary Art "Prague Biennale 2" (Prague, Czech Republic) arranged by the Flash Art Magazine and curated by Giancarlo Politi. I was choosen to represent my country and was the only one Spaniard artist invited to that event. In 2006 I participated in "The Sock Strategy" exhibition at the 2nd International Biennial of Contemporary Art of Seville curated by Okwui Enwezor. I also have won the very prestigious ABC Prize of Art in 2004 and the First National Honours Degree Prize of Universitary Studies of the Ministry of Education and Culture of Spain in 2000. I have exhibited at some of the most important galleries in Spain including the Luis Adelantado Gallery (Valencia-Miami), Metta Gallery (Madrid), Ferrán Cano Gallery (Barcelona) Sandunga Gallery (Granada).

I also have collaborated with El Museo Gallery (Bogotá) and since 2002 I am represented by the Fernando Pradilla Gallery (Madrid-Bogotá) and exhibiting at the international art fairs of Chicago, Miami, Palm Beach, México, Bogotá, Caracas and Madrid. My work can be found in important collections and museums like the ABC Collection of Art or the ARTIUM (Basque Museum of Contemporary Art) where I have participated in the collective exhibition "Catharsis", with such important artists as Miquel Barceló, Antoni Tapies, Jorge Oteiza, Jaume Plensa, Antoni Muntadas and Antonio Saura.

I have also written and participaed in many books, like "Arte Seriado. Exploración y Análisis" and "El Arte como Dicha"; the next of them, "A y otros poemas de relleno" and "The Summer Haikus" are already on bookshops. This year, I have been awarded with the very prestigious award of the Royal Academy of Spain in Rome (Real Academia de España en Roma), where I will reside during 2007 and 2008.

If you are interested in my work, you can contact me at: juanfra10@hotmail.com



Visit his blog (in Spanish only) here.
Visit his website here.
Visit his myspace page here.

Traveler's Insurance "Prized Possession" Paws at Your Heartstrings

I caught this television commercial during the Wimbeldon highlights two nights ago and couldn't get it out of my mind. The message, the music and certainly the dog, made quite an impact. No surprise that it comes from the creative and respected Minneapolis ad agency Fallon, but I was surprised (and pleased) to learn that its' furry star, Chopper, was a rescue dog turned canine celeb.



In this latest spot from Travelers, directed by Danny Kleinman and featuring music by Ray LaMontagne, we follow along as a worried dog searches for and ultimately finds the safest place to put his most prized-possession.

It's one of those spots where the music, the direction and certainly, the casting, all combine for an effective and entertaining result.

from The Hartford Courant:

The expressive Chopper, who was rescued from a shelter and professionally trained, stars in a one-minute drama of high anxiety about his bone. He goes to great and amusing lengths to protect that bone, just as Travelers wants to be seen as working hard to keep its customers safe with its insurance.

The commercial was developed by Fallon, a Minnesota-based advertising firm, and was a hit when previewed at Travelers' June 4 Investor Day conference. Analyst Larry Greenberg, co-manager of Langen McAlenney in Hartford, who attended the event, wrote a note to investors about it headlined, "The Dog Steals the Show, But Management a Close Second."

Rather than advertise specific products, the commercial is part of Travelers' corporate branding campaign that started last year and highlights the famous red umbrella logo, said company spokeswoman Jennifer Wislocki.

"The message of this ad," she said, "is a reminder that Travelers protects the things you care about."

As Chopper seeks to hide his bone from other dogs, the Ray LaMontagne song "Trouble" provides the soundtrack with apt lyrics such as ""Trouble has been doggin' my soul since the day I was born."


above: Chopper worries about his bone in the latest Fallon spot for Traveler's Insurance.

The mutt tries concealing his bone in a laundry basket, his owner's chair and a hole he digs in the yard. Still worried, he rides a bus to place the bone in a bank safety deposit box. After tossing and turning in his sleep, Chopper retrieves the bone and takes it home. The camera pans to the bone in his food bowl with the iconic Travelers red umbrella over it.

The voice-over says, "When it comes to things you care about, leave nothing to chance. Travelers: insurance for auto, home and business."

Travelers CEO Jay Fishman gushed over the mutt at the investor conference: "That dog is smarter than a lot of people I know. ... You could be friends with that dog. It's great. Don't want to get carried away here. But it was neat."

You can see their latest tv spots here.

Ad agency: Fallon

Super Sleek, Limited Edition, Sexy Carbon Fiber Kayak From Wave Sport

The Project 54cx Limited Edition from Wave Sport.




A sleek carbon fiber kayak, hand-crafted, individually numbered, and with only a limited number of 50 issued worldwide. It's not just super sexy and sleek-looking, the Kayak has received great reviews from Outside Magazine and Colorado Kayak.







Priced at $2500 a piece and they've already sold several, so get yours here now!

Specifications
Length: 6' 2" / 188 cm
Width: 25" / 64 cm
Boat Weight: 20 lbs / 9 kg
Cockpit: 33? x 19? / 84 x 48 cm
Volume: 54 gal / 205 L
Weight Range: 120-200 lbs / 54-91 kg
Deck Height: 13.25" / 34 cm

Features
* Lightweight Carbon Kevlar Hull
* Lightweight Carbon Fiberglass Adjustable Seat
* Lightweight Carbon Fiberglass Adjustable Leg Lifter
* Improved Thigh Brace and Hip Pads
* Adjustable Backband

Outfitting
* Special, lightweight carbon fiberglass composite, adjustable seat system with easily adjustable leg lifters and backband
* New thigh brace system for added comfort and control for a wider range of paddler sizes.

Buy the Limited Edition Wave Sport Project 54 CX kayak here.