Art

If you are a luxury car enthusiast, you may also love luxury car memorabilia.  For the Porsche lovers, German luxury publisher tenuous is about to unleash a limited edition book on the famous brand accompanied by a signed and numbered photographic print.  All of this can be yours, for the bargain price of $3,000. 

Only 50 copies of The Porsche Book collector’s edition will be released and it boasts some of the most stunning Porsche images captured in the world.  Some of the images were taken by designer Frank M. Orel, and others were selected by him, but all have passed his critical expert eye and made it into the book.   Orel collaborated with the Porsche Museum team in Stuttgart, Germany on the luxury masterpiece of memorabilia, both adding their passion and perspective to the project.

For the art lovers, I have compiled a list of the top 5 most expensive paintings sold in our lifetime.  These are the sough-after and pricey picks that grace only the most luxurious of art displays, and the artists may surprise you:
 

1.    No.5 by Jackson Pollock 1948
Sold by David Geffen in 2006 to a private buyer via Sothebys for $151.2 million dollars

2.    Woman III by Willem de Koonig 1953
Sold by David Geffen to Steven A. Cohen in 2006 for $148.5 million dollars

3.    Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I by Gustav Klimt 1907
Sold by Maria Altmann in 2006 to Ronald Lauder, Neue Galerie for $144.8 million dollars

4.    Portrait of Dr. Gachet by Vincent Van Gogh 1890
Sold by Siegfried Kramarsky family in 1990 to Ryoei Saito for $139 million dollars

5.    Bal du Moulin de la Galette by Pierre-Auguste Renoir 1876
Sold by Betsey Whitney in 1990 to Ryoei Saito for $131.6 million dollars

These are the list-toppers for expensive paintings out there, though it is uncertain if any are available (collectors tend to hold on to them).  What happened in 1990 and 2006?  I ask because 3 of these paintings were sold in 2006, and 2 in 1990.  Is this a curious coincidence, or did David Geffen perhaps need a bit of money in 2006, to the tune of nearly $3 million dollars (as he sold 2 of the top 5 paintings).  These affairs are often highly discrete, and of course, highly priced.

Want more of the Most Expensive?  Follow link!   Also, don’t miss our fleet of exotic rental cars on your way out!
 

Post by Imagine Lifestyles Luxury Rentals

With fashion season smoldering, the chatter has turned its attention to the rapidly approaching “World’s Greatest Catwalk”, set to strut its sultry stuff on August 14th.  This luxury event will start at 3pm, culminating Copenhagen’s Fashion Week for summer of 2010.  So what makes this fashion show unique?

I learned a few new things today.  It seems there are actually things to do in Las Vegas other than gamble  (can you imagine?)!  This information threw my imagination into overdrive, and I decided I must pass on these Vegas travel tips to my readers.

I won’t keep you in suspense, the top 5 things to do in Vegas other than gamble are:

1.    Shop
2.    Experience the national parks, recreation and unique spots
3.    Dine
4.    Shows
5.    Outstanding museums, galleries & exhibitions
 

The 18th annual Mango Festival is hitting South Beach July 10th-11th, hosted by Fairchild Garden and featuring the Mangoes of India.  There are many layers to this fabulous festival, so don’t miss the one day it comes to fruition!
So why should you attend the Mango Festival?  It is a historical celebration of not only a piece of fruit, but of Indian culture, music, cuisine, dance and more. 

South Beach is one of the few places in the world where you can immerse yourself in a plethora of cultures, experiencing their lifestyles, food, music, dancing and more. 

No, that was not a typo in the headline; there is actually a stamp worth an estimated $2.3 million dollars or more!  It is the Treskilling Yellow, printed in Sweden in 1855, and was interestingly enough the result of a printing error.

Indeed.  It seems the story goes that rather than printing the three-skilling stamp on green stock, it was printed on yellow/orange stock paper.  It wasn’t until 1970 that the authenticity of this imposter was questioned by the Swedish Postal Museum, who then found it to be genuine.   Only one known copy of the “Treskilling Yellow” postage stamp exists, making it the most expensive stamp in the world. 

So what happens if they are not making the touchscreen laptop that you envision in your mind?  Well, if that mind is fully equipped and so inclined, you make your own!

Apparently this guy appreciates the new touchscreen trend, but is not so appreciative of Mac products.  So he simply made his own touchscreen PC tablet.  Yeah.  

A rather gaunt and wild-haired self-portrait of the famed artist, filmmaker, producer and author Andy Warhol fetched an impressive $32.6 million at a New York auction this week, at around twice the presale estimate. 

While it is certainly steep, this is not the highest price ever paid for a Warhol painting.  His 1963 piece, ‘Eight Elvises’ went for a cool $100 million.  In the art world, few artists ever hit the $100 million benchmark.  Artists that have include the likes of Pablo Picasso, Gustav Klimt, Jackson Pollock,Willem de Kooning and of course, Andy Warhol.  I am thinking I could buy a luxury yacht or a few hundred luxury rental cars for the price of that Warhol painting.

A couple of weeks ago the Shanghai 2010 World Exhibition opened up, and will continue for a span of 184 days.  This is a luxury event of massive proportions, offering up 253 pavilions from 192 countries.  This makes it the world’s first developing country to host a World fair, which ended up being the largest and most expensive one ever, at an estimated $48 billion to host.

One anonymous phone bidder’s passion for Picasso set them back a staggering $106 million, in about 9 minutes flat.  The auction took place at Christie’s in New York, and the Picasso piece was the sought-after oil painting, “Nu au Plateau de Sculpteur” (Nude Green Leaves and Bust).

This hefty sum ($106,482,500 to be precise), takes the new record for highest price paid for a piece of art.  The previous record was set back in February, at Sotheby’s in London, when Giacometti’s “Walking Man I” went for an astounding $104.3 million.  Rumors are circulating that the very same reclusive billionaire art collector purchased both pieces. 

Expensive does not even begin to describe this hobby!  Hey, for the price of those two paintings, this art collector could have purchased a brand-spanking new fire red Ferrari F430 Spider, and likely gotten more enjoyment out of it.  They could have invested in a number of luxury and exotic cars for that sum, like a Lamborghini Gallardo, or Aston Martin Vantage…well, everyone has their passion I suppose.

The prestigious Picasso painting measures an unobtrusive 5 feet by 4 feet, depicting one of his many mistresses, Marie-Therese Walter in a reclined position and nude.  Picasso himself is said to be in the background.  The piece was painted in 1932, in just one day, and is considered to represent a turning point for the famed artist.

It is unknown if any other artist has brought in that much money on a piece that consumed only one day of their time.  I would consider that a good day’s work.  I am curious if the piece will now go back into hiding, or if the new owner (whoever it is) will be sharing it with others.  It really is a remarkable piece, and I feel it should be shared, yet for the price the new owner paid for it, they are free to do whatever they please with it.
 

For more on The Most Expensive Things, Billionaire Life and Luxury car rentals, follow links to our luxury blog.
 

Post by Imagine Lifestyles Luxury Rentals

Yes, I said “submerged” hotels-as in hotels with rooms that are actually beneath the surface of water!  So without further ado, let’s dive right into the top 5 underwater hotels:

1.    Jules Undersea Lodge, Key Largo, Florida
2.    Utter Inn, Vasteras, Sweden
3.    Hydropolis, Dubai
4.    Poseidon Undersea Resort, Fiji
5.    Underwater Hotel, Istanbul

The late, great French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent left more then a high fashion label behind. Yves Saint Laurent left behind one of the most valuable private art collections in the world. Paris Christie's auctioned off 95 percent of the Collections Yves Saint Laurent et Pierre Bergé, for a record $484 million and that's not even the shocking part. The shock heard 'round the world came from an ugly, circa 1917 armchair.

The "Dragons" chair was made by Irish designer Eileen Gray and belonged to a Paris-based art dealer before making its way into the Collections Yves Saint Laurent et Pierre Bergé. The chair was estimated to go for $3.8 million but auctioned for seven times more, $28.3 million. Which makes the "Dragons" chair the most expensive chair ever sold at auction. "It was a remarkably strong piece, but what it went for was beyond our wildest imagination," said Christie's VP and decorative-design expert Carina Villinger. The chair had to be made from real dragon; have a secret space filled with diamonds and gold; or we don't even know. Robert and Cheska Vallois put up the $28.3 million for a third party. The three things that come to mind are shock, horror and why? To which Cheska Vallois answered, "It's the price of desire!" Desire and dragon chairs don't come to mind at $28 million, then again there is no accounting for taste.

Donald Trump claims “now” is the time to buy property, if only it were that easy.  Many who still have the money to buy “now” can’t find financing. If financing isn’t stopping you, consider yourself lucky and look to South Beach. Right now in South Beach properties are being sold for way less than asking price.  Take, for instance, luxury building Murano at Portofino, located at 1000 S Pointe Drive in the South Beach area of Miami Beach. Where a penthouse unit with an asking price of $12,000,000 just sold for $7,600,000. The spacious three bedrooms, five and a half bath unit is just one example of what’s going on in South Beach, there are lots more just like this. The question is, when will the real estate market finally hit bottom? The question is tough to answer but it seems like buyers are moving towards the beach. Activity is gradually picking up, more inquiries, and more viewings, will sooner or later translate into more sales.

Miami Fashion week is going on as we speak but nobody cares. That would be because there isn't somebody like Dani Michelle in Miami. Just who is Dani Michelle? If you don't know, now you will because she's the girl who is saving Los Angeles Fashion Week. In the absence of Mercedes-Benz it seemed that pseudo-celebrity lines and bland swimwear labels would take over Los Angeles fashion. Then on the brink of would-be disaster, Dani Michelle founded CoLA. CoLA, which is an abbreviation for the "City of Los Angeles" Fashion Week, is the rage. The small fashion production company has decided to go acronym-only so as not to be confused whatsoever with the Official City of Los Angeles, which is like the mayor's office or something. CoLA Fashion Week kicks-off this weekend and, with no apologies, is invitation only. This weekend the penthouse at the Lady Liberty Building downtown will feature runway shows by local designers Brian Lichtenberg, Fremont, B.Son, Eksempel, COA and Joyrich. CoLA which announced existence via press release less than a month ago, already has some legit backing by Ford Models, Coca-Cola, Stella Artois, and Monster Energy. We love the hustle and aren't the only ones seeking longevity, CoLA is already looking to next season's fashion runway. The fashion production company is aiming "to set the bar for Los Angeles Fashion Week."  You know, make a high industry mark and put some fizz back on the runway. Enjoy freshness ya'll!

 

Last Saturday night began at the Museum of Contemporary Art Bollywood themed, annual Pop Gala. Complete with red carpet, photogs and Indian garb dressed greeters. To the right of the entrance was the private Cartier sponsored Ruby Room, entrance fee: $10,000 for four tickets. When it comes to art, some people can still afford to spend. Upon walking into the museum, the walls were lined with silent auction items rather than art, big disappointment. Nothing caught our eye in the auction but it was all in the name of art preservation which is always a good cause. The crowd moved out to the back tent, a massive tent equipped with a separate beer bar, wine bar and vodka bar plus a fourth bar for good measure.  H'ors deurves circled the floor and two long tables held Indian cuisine buffets, plus a massive dessert display. A dance floor in the middle and throngs of wealthy Miamians mingling about. The award winning song from Slumdog Millionaire came on and Indian dancers took to the floor. The acknowledgements for the Gala were made and then the DJ started spinning M.I.A, the older crowd cleared out and the younger socialites took over, the party began.

We left the MOCA Gala shortly after and headed for dinner at Nobu in the Shoreclub. After dinner rather then do one of the bigger clubs on the beach like LIV in the Fountainebleau or Louis in the Gansevoort South Hotel, we headed for Bella Rose. A local bar off the beaten path and hipster cult favorite. Bella has been making waves all the way into the New York Times by pushing the party envelope. Thanks to fresh ideas and an effort not to sell out, Bella keeps the high energy vibe where everyone knows anything goes. We weren't sure if Saturday's new "Bella Donna" party could match Sunday's, Alexis Mincolla hosted "Black Sunday," it did. The fact that celebrity designer Calvin Klein ventured into party with the cool kids says enough. Klein kept composed, watching the Bella mayhem with a smile. Calvin Klein is by no means the first A-lister to make his way into Bella Rose. Klein is just a newby on Miami Beach, the 65 year old semi-retired fashion designer recently bought a 1920's style Spanish Villa in Miami. Mr. Klein said he wants his new home to have a Mediterranean feel, as if it were “in Greece or something.” And just in case the Mediterranean home is too far away after a night partying on South Beach, Calvin can shack up in his apartment on Collins Avenue. As Klein knows how to live luxuriously and has an avid love of exotic cars, we are sure there will be more conversations between us to follow. After the last five New York winters, Calvin Klein felt he needed two South Florida residencies just to keep warm. As for us we danced like maniacs for the rest of the night, oh, and MOCA raised $60,000 just from the auction!