Media
Art Monaco 14
25 – 27 April 2014
Art Monaco, known to be the most prestigious art show on the French Riviera, will once again take place at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. Art Collectors, art enthusiasts and art critics will gather to view modern and contemporary art from around the world.
The international show acts as a platform for renowned galleries, as well as established and emerging artists to come together during this four day event. The 2013 show featured over 3,500 works of art on exhibition and sale.
Images: ArteMonaco
Baselworld
27 March- 3 April 2014
Every year more than 1,400 exhibitors, 150,000 visitors and 3,500 journalists from international locations come together for the Baselworld 8 day Watch and Jewellery Show. It is estimated that around 80% of global sales of watches and jewellery are generated at this renowned annual event.
Although the B2B trade fair is the most important event of the year for those within the industry the show is also open to the public. The event allows the general public to peruse as they desire, however, does not offer the opportunity for shopping. Sylvie Ritter, Managing Director of Baselworld, confirms: ‘Baselworld 2014 is open to everyone. Nowhere else in the world can a visitor gain a more complete insight into the world of watches and jewellery.’
An Interview with Brigitte Bardot
As Brigitte Bardot turns 80, People & High Society speaks to the remarkable woman who became one of the world’s most famous sex icons of all time. She was the woman who put St Tropez on the map, starred in over 40 films and is still influencing fashion today, as seen recently in Diane Von Furstenberg’s New York show.
Bardot later went from screen siren to one of the world’s most influential animal rights activists, establishing her own foundation. Bardot explains why she withdrew herself from the limelight to dedicate her life and fortune to the welfare of animals.
What is the most interesting thing you discovered or learnt whilst having an acting career?
I have never mixed my career as an actress and that of the President of my Foundation, the one started when the other came to an end.
I have discovered, and still discover, that human cruelty knows no limits and that one needs immense courage and a will of iron to help others understand that animals are made of flesh and blood like us, that they suffer the same pains as us, that they deserve the same respect as us and that their continuous slaughter should not be part of human entertainment.
Je n’ai jamais mélangé ma carrière d’actrice et ma fonction de Présidente de ma Fondation, l’une a commencé lorsque l’autre était terminée.
J’ai découvert et je découvre toujours que la cruauté et la connerie humaines sont sans limites et qu’il faut un immense courage et une volonté de fer pour imposer aux autres, faire comprendre que les animaux sont des êtres de chair et de sang comme nous, qu’ils souffrent des mêmes douleurs que nous, qu’ils méritent le même respect que nous et que leurs massacres continuels ne font pas partie des loisirs de m’humanité.
Hunger and passion are often considered the most important elements to success. Do you agree? What motivates and drives you?
LOVE!
L’AMOUR!
What is the one thing you are most proud of in your life?
The thing I am most proud of in my life is my foundation.
La plus grande fierté de ma vie c’est ma fondation.
Tell us more about starting your foundation?
I started it alone in 1986 by selling at auction everything which was precious to me, my jewellery, my mementoes, my furniture, my paintings, my top designer clothes - even the wedding dress of my marriage to Vadim.
This money brought me the funds necessary - at the time 30 million francs - to establish the basis of my Foundation. It started in a small way; I had to learn management and the workings [of a charity]. Little by little I surrounded myself with the minimum of people - all I had being meant for the animals. I also had to learn how to make myself be respected in the environment of animal protection, which was very stern with me at first. Today my Foundation has become the most important one in France, known and well known abroad and led by very strong, competent and devoted people.
Je l’ai créée seule en 1986 en vendant aux enchères tout ce qui m’était précieux, mes bijoux, mes souvenirs, mes meubles, mes tableaux, mes robes de grands couturiers et même ma robe de mariée avec Vadim.
Cet argent m’a rapporté la somme nécessaire, à l’époque 30 millions de francs, pour établir les bases de ma Fondation. Elle a débuté petitement, j’ai du apprendre la gestion, le fonctionnement. Petit à petit je me suis entourée d’un minimum de personnes, tout ce que j’avais étant destiné aux animaux. J’ai du aussi apprendre à me faire respecter dans ce milieu de la protection animale qui a été très sévère envers moi à mes débuts. Aujourd’hui ma Fondation est devenue la plus importante de France, connue et reconnue à l’étranger et dirigée par des personnes extrêmement solides, compétentes et dévouées.
What do you find is the biggest challenge at the moment for animal rights?
To make our leaders who are in power, understand that urgent improvements need to be made to every aspect of the condition of badly treated animals. This contempt for the life and suffering of animals, considered as money making objects, is not worthy of a country which considers itself as developed.
Faire comprendre à nos dirigeants qui ont le pouvoir que des améliorations urgentes sont à prendre pour que le sort des animaux si maltraités soit amélioré dans tous les domaines. Ce mépris de la vie et de la souffrance animale, considérés comme des objets de rentabilité, n’est pas digne d’un pays qui se dit évolué.
When did you first feel this incredible connection to animals?
I was born with the love of animals in me. My parents did not have any because my childhood was during the war of 1940 and life was complicated [enough as it was]. But as soon as I married Vadim, his first gift was an adorable cocker [spaniel] which I named Clown!
Je suis née avec en moi l’amour des animaux. Mes parents n’en avaient pas car mon enfance s’est passée pendant la guerre de 40 et que la vie était déjà très compliquée. Mais dès que j’ai été mariée à Vadim, le premier cadeau qu’il m’a fait était un adorable cocker noir que j’ai appelé Clown !
What do you think a relationship with animals can teach us?
Everything. Animals set an example which many humans would not be capable to follow. I have found among them everything that I badly missed in my life as a [movie] star.
Tout. Les animaux sont des exemples que bien des humains seraient incapables de suivre. J’ai trouvé auprès d’eux tout ce qui m’a terriblement manqué durant toute ma vie de star*
*Original interview in French.
Saphira Turrell
PHS Interview with the Prince of Yugoslavia
Prince Michel Antoine Umberto Peter Marie of Yugoslavia
A Prince with an incredible family history, People & High Society speaks to Prince Michel of Yugoslavia about his passions, detective work and travels.
Please tell us your story.
I was born in France. My father [Prince Alexander of Yugolsavia] is Yugoslav; when I say Yugoslav we are the royal family of Yugoslavia, but we originally came from Serbia. My mother [Princess Maria Pia of Savoy] is Italian and her father was the last King of Italy [Umberto II of Italy]. I go to Italy a great deal but Serbia less because my family was banned until about 15 years ago. My aunt [Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia] moved back to Serbia to live in Belgrade. Last year she sued the government to rehabilitate the image of my grandfather [Prince Paul of Yugoslavia] who was the last Regent. She won the case and we took my grandfather’s body back to Serbia in a very emotional ceremony, which happened about a year ago.
What are your passions?
I love sports: skiing, cross country skiing, and I used to water ski when I lived in Florida. When I can’t do sports I walk.
My other passion is photography. I am even preparing an exhibition at Easter. It is something I fell into but I have been doing for a while. Some of my friends asked me ‘Why don’t you exhibit?.’ So now I will this Spring in a Geneva gallery. My subjects are landscapes and architecture; I like repetition of objects and alignment.
You are known to be quite the globe trotter and have travelled to many parts of the world. Can you tell us a bit more about your time in the States?
I lived in New York for nine years and Florida for twelve years. Whilst living in Florida, I went to real estate school, I got my license and went to work with Sotheby’s. Florida was lovely; great people and atmosphere.
Work brought me back to Europe. I was offered a job with Diligence, which is a business intelligence company. I loved the idea of being a private detective. I was basically selling information instead of houses. We get some great cases coming through, every day. You could make great movies with it but it’s confidential.
Tell us about your involvement with charitable organisations.
A friend of mine launched a company called Echo Verde. They make biodegradable plastic bags and I have been helping them a bit with that because I love the idea. They decompose in 2 years instead of the usual 100 years.
Then I have a friend of mine, Ghislaine Maxwell who started a company called TerraMar. All the oceans outside of territorial waters, which basically make up most of the planet, are unregulated and there aren’t any enforcements like coastal waters, so waste gets dumped in these unprotected areas. TerraMar is looking to bring a stop to this. Every time I can help them promote their cause and talk about it I am delighted to do so.
Saphira Turrell
An Interview with Antnony Melikhov
Anthony Melikhov captured the American Dream when he ventured to the United States from Belarus. Taking the pharmaceutical sector by storm he founded a company which became one of the largest pharmaceutical enterprises in the former Soviet Union and eventually entire Eastern Europe. Today he has moved his focus to shift today’s philanthropic consciousness in a movement known as unite4: good. With high-profile supporters already on board to help inspire and lead the movement, including President Bill Clinton and Eva Longoria, unite 4: good is set to make an extraordinary impact.
You have an incredible background. Could you tell us a bit about your story?
I was born and lived in a former country of the Soviet Union, Belarus. At the time when my wife was pregnant with our daughter we left the country for the United States. As immigrants in Chicago we did not have anything. We had no money and I could not speak the language.
I started an over-the-counter pharmaceutical business together with two of my friends and partners, which we developed from ground zero with an entire brand line. We eventually had presence in each of the different markets in Eastern Europe and hundreds of millions in sales.
Whilst I was president, I eventually felt disconnected, disengaged and unhappy to continue my corporate life. In 2008, pharmaceutical giant Bayer Pharmaceuticals purchased the company and suddenly I was free.
I started looking for my cave and I found my cave in the jungles of Panama, one of the most pristine places I had ever seen. I spent one year away from this world focusing my time on meditation and Thai Chi. However, I found that I still needed something else and I realised there is a higher purpose in this life. So I came back to Chicago and that’s when my philanthropic walk started.
You have had a great deal of success in the pharmaceutical sector. What motivated you to work in this field?
We have to remember that when the Soviet Union disintegrated it became a completely different society. The pharmaceutical industry in the former Soviet Union was very underdeveloped, especially in the over the counter sector. When we came to the United States my good friends and I saw quite a substantial difference in perception of over the counter products; products with bright labels and very easily accessible. We saw the opportunity to introduce these products in Eastern Europe, where branded products did not yet have a presence.
Why did you decide to leave the pharmaceutical sector?
At some point we start thinking about the purpose of this life. No matter how much money you have or how much power it gives you, it is only temporary pleasure. In order to become a happy and joyful person you need something more. I realised that no matter how much I do, how much wealth I accumulate or power, I am not happy. I still desire something else. I am also lucky enough to have my wife who is very spiritual and who is a genuine person; she lives by giving back. She was a big inspiration for me.
Could you tell us more about establishing Bright Future and the programmes it runs for children?
Initially we started establishing Bright Future International with the purpose to help children in different parts of the world to learn kindness, compassion, empathy and love. Those are the values that are universal. We wanted to give children from unprivileged communities a chance to connect with those values through a discipline: art and music, for example. The programme expanded to Russia, Rwanda, Kenya, and Central America, such as Panama. In Russia we helped families of criminals, drug addicts and alcoholics, for example; In Rwanda we helped children in families affected by HIV and Aids; and in Kenya it was refugees from neighbouring countries, such as Somalia. We wanted to teach children to become happy.
Unite4: good was only launched early last year but has already made substantial headway in uniting non-profits and inspiring individuals to volunteer. Could you tell us a bit more about what motivated you to create this organisation?
At Bright Future International we eventually came to the conclusion that we needed to do something more. We found that the core root of the human problem is in effect that we live in a negative society. All you have to do is turn on the TV, listen to the radio, or read newspapers and the stories are filled with a society which has been disempowered by scandals, wars and violence.
In response, we decided to create a movement which we called unite4: good. The idea is to create an alternative society to foster completely different values. We wanted to aggregate positive energy that comes from activities such as volunteering and selflessness; we wanted to amplify this to the world. To make people realise that acts of kindness can be very simple, easy, and fashionable; making acts of kindness a global brand.
There is an enormous explosion of social consciousness. Here in the United States we have 1.7 million non-profit organisations. There were only 250,000 organisations less than 10 years ago. Many organisations are still underfunded. However, we can do more if we can unite our efforts.
There are 4 major factors that will shift people to become part of the movement: 1-Motivation; 2- Entertainment; 3- Modern technology; 4- Sense of Unity.
We are building a platform which we internally call a Facebook for charity, bringing together a multitude of non-profit organisations and uniting people with those organisations. One way in which we will motivate the youth to volunteer is through a point system. For example, if you go to a nearby shelter to help the homeless you may get 5 points to redeem for a free latte from Starbucks. For 20 points you may have a chance to speak to your favourite celebrity, such as Eva Longoria or for 50 points you could visit an eco-resort in Costa Rica. This is a way, especially for young people, to be entertained. We anticipate over a period of time those people that need motivation at some point will realise that these activities are rewarding by themselves. They will motivate others and will have a snowball effect.
Note from our Editor: On February 27th, 2014, unite4:good will hold a celebration of philanthropy calledunite4:humanity. The event will be held at the Sony Studios in Los Angeles, CA and will feature everyday heroes, philanthropically minded celebrities and musical performances by Grammy-winning artists. The goal of the event is to empower and inspire individuals to make a positive difference in their communities, and to create awareness for the unite4:good philanthropic social networking platform that u4:g is set to unveil early this year.
Images:http://www.brightfutureinternational.org/
An Interview with Per Wimmer
Per Wimmer: Adventurer, Space Astronaut, Author, and Financial Entrepreneur. Wimmer has certainly checked off more than most in his list of accomplishments. He is currently the founder of three companies: Wimmer Financial, a corporate finance advisory boutique specialising in natural resources and real estate; Wimmer Family Office, a family office with an investment strategy focusing on hedge funds and ETF; Wimmer Space, a company focusing on Wimmer’s adventures and charity efforts, as well as publishing, which also falls under the framework.
Sky diving over Mount Everest is not a small feat. How did you muster up the courage to do something that no one before has been successful doing?
The courage has always been there and the desire for adventure. I have travelled to more than 60 countries on earth, lived with the Indians in the Amazon and skied the highest ski resort in the world at 5500 meters. I am also lucky to have three space missions lined up.
I always wanted to do something with Mount Everest before going into space. I felt that taking on the highest point on Earth would just be fantastic before leaving this planet as it were.
Hunger and passion are often considered the most important elements to success. Do you agree? Where does your hunger and passion come from?
Yes, passion, for sure. When you do what you like you don’t think of what it costs or how long it takes. You do it because you want to do it. If you convert your life into doing what you love then you have a good formula for success because you can be on holiday, like me, 365 days a year.
You are expected to be the first Dane in Space. Can you tell us a bit more about Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and your involvement?
I have three trips lined up on three different rocket ships. So far I have gone through training in preparation for this. Training has consisted of Zero G flying, weightless flying, flying on Russian cargo planes, as well as flying Russian fighter jets and being in the centrifuge spinning around as you see in the James Bond movies. You effectively simulate a rocket launch. In my involvement with Virgin Galactic I hope to inspire other people to live out their dreams to the max.
You wrote a book called Wall Street. What motivated you to write?
I wrote Wall Street after the fall out of the credit crunch. The drive was that I felt it was necessary and interesting to tell a bit of the inside story about how things went so wrong as they did: ‘what caused it?’ and ‘how does it happen?’. So the book is essentially about the bubbles of the financial markets: ‘what creates them?’, ‘why do they appear?’ and ‘how do they explode and why?’.
I also described the dot com bubble and credit bubble. In Wall Street I tried to predict the future, the next future bubble, what that will entail and why. It was an analysis of those bubbles and why they appear.
Right now I am just putting the finishing touches to my next book which is called the The Green Bubble, which is about green energy, due to come out this month.
What advice would you give members of PHS?
My advice would be to follow my 7 principles:
1) Allow yourself to be inspired. Think ‘out of the box’.
2) Follow your heart and passion. Have fun.
3) Focus and Execution.
4) Time discipline: Be conscious about time allocation.
5) Teamwork: The sum of the parts is greater than the individual parts alone.
6) Take calculated risks: Assess risks/rewards.
7) Inspire others, especially children, and encourage them to live their dreams.
How do you take a dream and turn it into reality?
The key ingredients are my 7 principles [as described above]. The key values and principles that make things happen for me in terms of how I go about executing my dreams, coming up with the adventures, following my passion, following my heart, executing it, and focusing on it, whilst managing my time, discipline and remembering in the process to inspire others to live out their dreams.
Saphira Turrell
An Interview with Saint Clair Cemin
Internationally renowned artist and sculptor Saint Clair Cemin speaks to People and High Society about his beginnings as an artist, his travels and the New York East Village art scene.
Please tell us your story.
It was 1974 when I, in company of my brother, took an ocean liner from Santos in Brazil to Cannes. Our destination was Paris.
We were young and curious and my idea was to stay in Europe to study art. That is what I did; I stayed in Paris for 4 years and enrolled in the Ecole de Beaux Arts. I was drawing constantly; already in Brazil I was making surrealist drawings with pen and ink. I was also creating illustrations for magazines. My ideas on art were limited and I was more interested in philosophy, anthropology, religion, mythology, rather than in the “Avant-garde” art of that time. I was, on the other hand, well acquainted with it since I frequented artists in Sao Paulo; I used to “hang out” with them during the Sao Paulo Biennials.
In Paris I learned the art of etching and became very good at it. At a certain point I felt that I need a more stimulating atmosphere and I moved to New York in September 1978.
In New York I had a chance, after only a few months, to meet a group of artists and other people involved in art, all friends of the art critic and writer, Alan Jones, a good friend of Leo Castelli and also with all the crowd that very soon became my own. I quit etchings and began making sculpture in 1983.
We understand you were first inspired to become an artist through conversations with intellectuals, whilst a teenager in Brazil. What was it about those conversations that moved you?
Between the ages of 15 and 17 I was best friends with a young man, my class mate, Jose Augusto. He was a real genius in math and also in music. I became friends with his father as well, who happened to also be friends with my parents. Gilberto, the father, with whom I used to spend many afternoons, was a farmer (which was quite normal in the city I came from), but also a polymath philosopher and highly eccentric intellectual.
He introduced me to philosophy, to the German idealist tradition of Kant, Fichte, Hegel and Schopenhauer. He knew a number of languages, including ancient Greek. He enjoyed reciting Sappho poetry while playing traditional “Milonga” on his “Bandoneon” (an instrument like an accordion). His influence in my intellectual formation was crucial, but not really in what concerns sculpture, that came later.
In the 80s you were an integral part of the New York East Village art scene. What was it like being in a close circle with artists such as Jeff Koons. Was there a great deal of idea exchanging and collaboration?
I lived on 9th Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenue. My friends, besides Alan Jones, the writer, were Jeff Wasserman, a wonderful painter disciple of Hoffman, Jeff Plate, a sculptor, Jeff Koons, and many others. Jeff Koons was a good friend. One thing that struck me about his personality was his relentless pursuit of perfection. One time, visiting his apartment, which was impeccably clean (at least to my standards) he excused himself profusely for the “mess” in which the apartment supposedly was. At that time I met Peter Halley, the painter, Jonathan Lasker and Not Vital. Subsequently, after my first exhibition of sculpture in 1985 at Daniel Newburg Gallery, I didn’t cease to meet artists, many of who are still my closest friends today.
Which one of your works are you most proud of and why?
There are nuances in the word “proud” and they have to do with the public. There are works that, let us say, are discovered over and over again by the public, on which I have received many compliments. This is the case for my work with the Musee de la Chasse in Paris (2006), where I made all the bronzes, reliefs, bannisters, candelabra, etc.
Another work is the large fountain I made in Reston, Virginia, called The Mercury Fountain. This fountain, one of my largest public works, was inaugurated in 1991 and is made of Carrara marble and bronze. It looks like a work from the nineteenth century. One day, I was visiting The Mercury Fountain with my parents who hadn’t seen it yet. While I was taking some photos of it, an older gentleman approached me and said: ‘This is a magnificent fountain!’ to which I said, distractedly: ‘Do you like it? I made it…’ He only said, ‘Yeah, sure!’ and left, quite irritated, thinking he had spoken to a mad man.
Of course I’m always most satisfied with my latest works; ideas that I’m developing now, and when they work well, they make me happy.
What new works or projects are you working on currently?
I’m now preparing a show in my gallery in NYC, Paul Kasmin Gallery that will take place in the fall.
I have some large pieces that are going to be in the show, some in stainless steel and some in marble. They all have to do with ‘Love and Mathematics’, which is the title of one piece in the show.
Saphira Turrell
Frieze Fair
16-19 October 2014
Frieze London 2014 will take place 16–19 October 2014, and is sponsored by Deutsche Bank for the eleventh consecutive year.
Frieze London 2013 brought together 152 of the world’s leading contemporary galleries to the UK. Exhibitors from 30 countries participated in the 11th edition of the fair confirming the fair’s position as one of the world’s leading contemporary art events.
During the 2013 event, Nicola Lees was the curator of Frieze Foundation and conceived a programme of commissions that centred around ideas of play and governance. It focused on how these exchanges can be brought to light through participatory contemporary art practices.
The Frieze Fair also included an interesting line-up for the Frieze Talks 2013, which included international artists, filmmakers, curators and cultural commentators. The series of lectures, conversations and panel debates provides a forum during the Fair to discuss some of the most pertinent issues in contemporary art and culture today. Presented by Frieze Foundation, Frieze Talks is programmed by the editors of frieze magazine, Jennifer Higgie, Jörg Heiser and Christy Lange.
Images: bbc.co.uk, theguardian.com, artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com
Tate Modern, The Richard Hamilton Retrospective
Pop art enthusiasts will have marked their calendar for the 13th of February as Richard Hamilton’s work is at the Tate Modern for a 3 month exhibition.
Widely regarded as a founding figure of pop art, the full scope of his 60 year career has been showcased, from the 1950s to his final works in 2011. The focus of the exhibition is Hamilton’s relationship to photography, painting, design and television, as well is collaborations with other artists.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is his renowned Fun House 1956. His famous works depicting Mick Jagger, Bing Crosby and Marilyn Monroe have been featured, as well as some of his political works of Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. These pieces alone are worth the visit!
