Chrome Bumper and Grill, 1947 Chrysler New Yorker, Photo Romi CortierChrome Steering Wheel and Radio, 1947 Chrysler New Yorker, Photo Romi CortierChrome Bumper and Taillight, 1958 Mercury Parklane, Photo Romi CortierChrome Bumper and Grill, 1958 Mercury Parklane, Photo Romi CortierChrome Bumper and Spare Tire Cover, 1958 Mercury Parklane, Photo Romi CortierChrome Bumper and Grill, 1959 Cadillac Eldorado, Photo Romi CortierChrome Steering Wheel and Dash Board, 1959 Cadillac Eldorado, Photo Romi CortierChrome Fender Guard and Wheel Cover, 1959 Cadillac Eldorado, Photo Romi CortierChrome Bumper and Grill, 1962 Chrysler Imperial, Photo Romi CortierChrome Window and Roof Trim, 1954 Mercury Monterey, Photo Romi CortierChrome Dashboard and Console, 1964 Ford Thunderbird, Photo Romi Cortier
The Art of Chrome at the Palm Springs Vintage Car Show, wowed car enthusiasts outside the Palm Springs Convention Center. No, this isn’t the official title of the Car Show, but I think it’s very fitting… because as they say, they just don’t make ’em like that anymore.
I just love the wrap around bumper, reminiscent of the streamline modern deco era, on the ’47 Chrysler in the first photo. Combine that with the cars radio, steering wheel and bakelite column shift knob, and you’ve got tons of sex appeal.
Nothing screams mid-century more than the taillights of this ’58 Mercury. The atomic inspired silhouette reminds me of the Jetsons cartoon I watched as a kid growing up in the ’60’s. It also looks like something the Statue of Liberty might brandish over New York’s Harbor, as a beacon of hope for all to see. And get a load of that grill and bumper assembly, it reminds me of the Batmobile. The original Batmobile was built as a concept car in Turin Italy in 1955, for the Lincoln division of the Ford Motor Company. And as you may or may not know, Mercury was also a division of Ford. So it’s not a big stretch to see how the development of the Batmobile could have influenced this striking car.
Cadillac. Who doesn’t love any Cadillac built in the 1950’s. They were like a bigger beefier version of the Chevy your average American drove… like my family. We had a ’56 Chevy Bel-Air, my grandmother a ’57 Chevy Bel-Air with it’s massive tail-fins. But those cars can’t hold a candle to this gorgeous beauty. The grill looks like a great white shark that could swallow you whole, and the wheel wells chrome trim that wraps right into the rear bumper is something I’ve never seen before. Oh, and really big fins… Dare I say Shark again?
I love the floating chrome eyeballs/headlights of the red Chrysler combined withthe forward leaning grill. It makes the car looks like it’s moving forward, even when it’s standing still. And all of the chrome window trim intersecting at the red dot on the roof of yet another great Mercury, is just pure simple beauty. And lastly there’s so much to love about the ‘64 T-Bird. Red and Black trimmed out in massive amounts of chrome and brushed metal, makes the wrap around console feel the cockpit of a fighter jet.
These are just a few of the reasons I return every year to the Palm Springs Vintage Car Show during Modernism Week. Besides, it’s a free event, and who doesn’t love free… especially when it’s this cool and artful.
Mickey Song, Marilyn Monroe’s Hairdresser, Image courtesy Getty Images / Stephen Shugerman
This blog post is about Marilyn Monroe’s Hairdresser, Mickey Song, who famously styled Marilyn’s hair the night that she performed at Madison Square Garden for President John F. Kennedy’s Birthday.
Marilyn – A Tribute to Mickey Song, Oil on Canvas, 36 x 36, Image by Romi Cortier
I painted this portrait of Marilyn over twenty years ago. It took me the better part of a year and a half to create, working from 3 different images. I wanted something original that had never been seen before, an image that wasn’t just a copy of a famous photograph. Little did I know that a decade later I would meet the hairdresser who’d styled Marilyn’s hair for that memorable night at Madison Square Garden.
A client of mine used to go to Mickey’s home studio on Roxbury, just off Pico Boulevard by the Museum of Tolerance. I’d heard rumors around town about some guy who did Marilyn’s hair, but I had no clue who he was, or if he was even still alive. The subject came up with my client because I’d just found out that my painting was going to be published in the book Marilyn in Artby Roger G. Taylor, and I needed a proper title for it. She called him, told him about my painting, and arranged for us to meet.
Marilyn in Art, Compiled by Roger G. Taylor, Chaucer Press, 2006
I arrived at Mickey’s home studio and was a bit stunned. It was crammed with Marilyn memorabilia in a doll museum sort of way… not the way I would expect a guy to live. It was more like the way my late aunt lived, with collectable dolls crammed in every nook and cranny of the house. That said, Mickey was very proud of his collection, and was more than thrilled to tell me about the night he’d met Ms. Monroe. Apparently he’d been John and Bobby Kennedy’s hairdresser, and was flown to New York to style the presidents hair the night of his birthday celebration at Madison Square Garden. He told me that the Kennedy’s had asked him to do Marilyn’s hair, however, online accounts vary as to how it all came about. Mickey told me that if her hair was turned under, then he flipped it up, remolding it into what you’ll see in the video below. You have to remember that in those days women’s hair was done via roller sets on wet hair under a hairdryer. Therefore, women frequently had their hair ‘combed out’ into different looks. It’s very different than today’s blow-out mentality where you start every hairdo from scratch with wet hair.
Mickey told me that the reason Marilyn was late to the stage, was because there were issues with her dress. I believe she’d been sewn into it for starters… but then something happened that created a wet spot on the dress. I’m not sure where the spot was, but it had to be blown dry before she could take the stage. He also mentioned that Jackie Kennedy was not in the audience that night, because she knew that Marilyn would be making an appearance. Mickey told me that after he returned to Los Angeles, Marilyn made contact with him on more than one occasion, trying to find out what was going on with Jack and Bobby because they were starting to shut her out. He told her that his loyalty was to the Kennedy’s and that he really couldn’t help her.
I returned to Mickey’s home for a second visit a few weeks later, after I’d made my decision about what to name the painting. I brought it with me so that he would have the opportunity to see it in person. He was thrilled with the title: Marilyn – A Tribute to Mickey Song. We also discussed Mickey’s weight issue and I told him that I was very concerned for his well being and was afraid that he might suffer a heart attack. Sadly, that’s exactly what happened on May 29th, 2005. He never lived to see the published book, so I’m very grateful that I chose to tell him about the naming of the painting ahead of time instead of trying to surprise him after it was published. I attended his memorial service at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery… just a few yards from where Ms. Monroe was buried. On a side note, It must have been very strange for Mickey in the 1960’s to watch that entire cast of people die within a 6 year period: Marilyn in ’62, JFK in ’63, and RFK in ’68.
I feel so fortunate that I had the opportunity to meet Mickey. He was a kind soul and lived quite a remarkable life in regards to the celebrity clientele he kept. It’s hard to believe that his hands created the flipped up curl that would later define my painting. The painting fittingly resides with a collector in New York City. I’m producing a giclee copy of this painting as a silent auction item for an upcoming event which will be held on March 18th, 2015. It’s the Norma Jean Gala at Hollygrove, the home that Marilyn resided at as a child from 1935-37. If you’d like to learn more about this event, or make a contribution to Hollygrove, please follow the green link.
Marilyn in Art, Page 161 features two Paintings by Romi Cortier: Red Marilyn and Marilyn – A Tribute to Mickey Song.
The Limited Barrier III, Flameworked, Borosilicate Glass, Eunsuh Choi, $72,000, Tansey Contemporary Gallery, Palm Springs Fine Art Fair 2015, Photo Romi CortierArchipelago & Glass, 2014, Oil on Panel, Tom Betts, $12,800, Dawson Cole Fine Art, Palm Springs Fine Art Fair 2015, Photo Romi CortierDelusion (Study), Oil on Canvas, 40 x 30, Lui Ferreyra, $4,500, William Havu Gallery, Palm Springs Fine Art Fair 2015, Photo Romi CortierBTWITIAILWY, Neon Sign, Edition 2/3, 32 x 40, Rachel Hovnanian, $9,000, Imago Galleries, Palm Springs Fine Art Fair 2015, Photo Romi CortierCovenant with Diamond Dust, 2013, Silkscreen Print with Glaze and Diamond Dust, 53 1/2 x 53 1/2, Damien Hirst, $55,000, Heather james Fine Art, Palm Springs Fine Art Fair 2015, Photo Romi CortierNoe Katz, Thomas Paul Fine Art, Palm Springs Fine Art Fair 2015, Photo Romi CortierRetardashians, 2011, Acrylic and Spray Paint on Faux Brick Panel, Adam Mars, $5,000, Gusford Gallery, Palm Springs Fine Art Fair 2015, Photo Romi Cortier#22, Oil on Canvas, 45 x 35, Ryan Magyar, $4,000, William Havu Gallery, Palm Springs Fine Art Fair 2015, Photo Romi CortierGoing out of Business, 2012, Monoprint and Collage on Handmade Paper, Mel Bochner, $120,000, Heather James Fine Art, Palm Springs Fine Art Fair 2015, Photo Romi CortierHypochondria 60, 2014, Mixed Media, Klari Reis via The Cynthia Corbett Gallery, Palm Springs Fine Art Fair 2015, Photo Romi Cortier
The Palm Springs Fine Art Fair of 2015 lived up to my expectations. It has always been one of my favorites and this year it included 66 Galleries from 7 countries, focusing on post-war and contemporary art. As you can see from the images I’ve posted, there was a huge variety and style of works priced from $4,000 – $120,000. Some of the works were elegant and refined, while others were snarky and irreverent.
Patrons were gathering around the Gusford Gallery enjoying the amusing quotes of artist Adam Mars such as: Retardashians, I Stand By My Uninformed Opinions, Good Lay Bad Texter, True Love Waits and We’re Impatient, and For Eli Broad or some Rich Broad.
The exquisite painting by Mexican born Noe Katz was a show stopper. I love the long sinewy lines wrapping around the male figure, which looks like it could have been painted by Fernand Leger with its Deco inspired shading. His work has been seen at exhibitions in the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico City, the Tokoro Museum of Modern Art in Japan and the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach.
Ryan Magyar’s#22 lept off the gallery wall from across the room, glowing like embers in a fireplace. In my opinion it’s remarkably well executed and very affordable at $4,000. Imagine it hanging on a nearly black wall at the end of long corridor, it would be stunning.
Portrait artist Lui Ferreyra used a sublime muted color palette for his oil painting Delusion (study). It has a vintage cubist vibe and reminds me of the Italian Futurist exhibit I saw at the Guggenheim in New York last spring. At $4,500 I think it’s also a remarkable value.
I’m a huge fan of photorealism. Tom Bett’sArchipelago & Glass looks like it could have been painted by a Dutch master. He used thin layers of paint on a smooth panel, therefore, there are no ridges on the surface like you’d see on canvas. Art consultant Marty Raichle tells me that the painting literally glows once the lights are turned off, and I’m inclined to believe her. At $12,800 it’s a steep price point if you’re a novice art collector. That said, anytime you’re willing to lay out that much for a painting you’ll need to do your homework and look at the artists Curriculum Vitae. Who’s collecting them? Are they in any museum collections? Do they have any resale value in the secondary art market… you get the picture.
Artist Mel Bochner has his own dedicated Wikipedia page, which helps you understand why his works on paper go for $120,000. He’s an American conceptual artist and his works are in nearly 2 dozen Public Collections in Switzerland, Germany, Australia and France.
To quote art critic and museum curator Peter FrankThe fair has variety and surprise, two qualities I look for in a fair. I’m so glad that I made the drive from Los Angeles to see the 2015 fine art fair. Good art is satisfying and inspiring, and I for one left with a big smile on my face.
Karl Benjamin,#44, Oil on Canvas, Lot 311, Image Courtesy LAMAMurakami, Lot 120, Image Courtesy LAMAWayne Thiebaud, Lot 262, Image Courtesy LAMAJulian Schnabel, Lot 424, Image Courtesy LAMADamien Hirst, Lot 222, Image Courtesy LAMAJohn Baldessari, Lot 061, Image Courtesy LAMAJosef Albers, Lot 302, Image Courtesy LAMALari Pittman, Lot 430, Image Courtesy LAMAJoan Miro, Lot 167, Image Courtesy LAMAJun Dobashi, Lot 156, Image Courtesy LAMAPablo Picasso, Lot 140, Image Courtesy LAMA
Here’s a few of my favorite images from the upcoming Los Angeles Modern Art & Design Auction. The images that I’ve chosen to feature here on my Design Diary are primarily prints, however, this isn’t the full breadth of the upcoming auction.
To quote Los Angeles Modern Auctions: The March 1, 2015 Modern Art & Design Auction will feature an important and monumental Harry Bertoia sculpture, paintings by School of Paris masters Massimo Campigli and Antoni Clave, sculptures by De Wain Valentine, George Rickey, and Peter Alexander, in addition to works by George Condo, Billy Al Bengston, Roy Lichtenstein, Oskar Fischinger, and Bruce Conner.
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing major exhibitions by nearly all of the artists shown above, which is why I can relate to their work. That’s not to say that just because I’ve seen their works, I automatically love and resonate with everything that artist does. On the contrary. What it does do, is give me perspective on their work and a point of reference. That is why I’m such a huge advocate of seeing as much art as you have available to you, regardless of the venue. Auctions, Museums Shows, Gallery Exhibitions… and even flea markets or thrift stores. An educated eye can find the needle in a hay stack, which is an amazing thrill. Case in point, a decade ago I was driving by a garage sale when something caught my eye. I circled, parked, and found an amazing piece of art for about 20 bucks. I later had it appraised for $1800, and ultimately sold it at auction for a few hundred when I needed a little extra cash.
Karl Benjamin, #44, Oil on Canvas. Estimate $20,000 – $30,000. I first became aware of his work at the Birth of the Cool exhibit in Orange County Museum of Art, 2007. Since then I’ve seen his work for sale at several Southern California venues.
Takashi Murakami,And Then, And Then And Then and Then (4), Offset Color Lithograph on Paper From the edition of 300, Estimate $4,000 – $5,000. The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA Los Angeles had a massive exhibit of Murakami’s works in 2007. I was both spellbound and speechless at the scale and depth of his work. You might say he’s the Japanese equivalent of Jeff Koons, working in multiple mediums, blurring the line between high and low art.
Wayne Thiebaud, Eight Lipsticks, 1 of 7 unnumbered Trial Proofs, Estimate $25,000 – $35,000. The Palm Springs Art Museum had a recent retrospective of his work in 2009, covering 70 years of the artist works. I loved his more recent abstract landscapes, as well as his famous Cake and Dessert still life paintings. At nearly 95 years of age, he’s still making art.
Julian Schnabel, Color Screenprint on Arches paper, #125 of 250, Estimate $1,500 – $2,000. Sadly I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing a major exhibition of his work. If his name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s also an award winning filmmaker. Think Before Night Falls and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
Damien Hirst, Silkscreen with bronze glitter on Somerset Tub-Sized 410-gram paper, #101 of 150. Estimate $6,000 – $8,000. I’ve seen his work at several venues, including the recent Los Angeles Art Fair. If you’ve seen my Butterfly Mural DIY video, I make reference to him and his famous Butterfly piece I Am Become Death, Shatterer of Worlds.
John Baldessari, Photogravure, aquatint, and sanding on torn Rives BFK paper, #3 of 35, Estimate $4,000 – $6,000. In 2010 LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) had a retrospective of his work titled Pure Beauty. I was quite surprised to see his 1977 series Throwing Three Balls in the Air to Get a Straight Line, which reminded me of my own Red Ball oil paintings.
Josef Albers, Encircled, Woodcut on Paper, Estimate $5,000 – $7,000. I love this piece because it’s so not what Albers is famous for. Homage to the Square is a massive series of mid-century works, with yep, you guessed it, variations of squares set into bigger squares and even bigger squares. I recently bought one of these pieces at an Estate Sale, Homage to the Square in Black.
Lari Pittman,Untitled #27, Acrylic on paper, Estimate $5,000 – $7,000. Nearly 20 years ago in 1996 I saw a Survey of Lari Pittman’s work at LACMA. It was so bold and inventive that I never forgot it. The show was referred to as a Defining Moment in his career.
Joan Miro, Untitled, Etching and aquatint on Rives paper, #23 of 50, Estimate $2,000 – $3,000. Miro is a name that’s synonymous with Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike… It makes me think of a re-occuring nightmare I had as a child that featured an inner tube, a needle and thread, and floating sensations. I still have no clue what the dream was really about.
Jun Dobashi,La Priere au Balcon, Oil on canvas laid down on board, Estimate $2,000 – $3,000. I’ve never seen the work of this artist before, but I love the composition of this piece and his use of black. Divided into 4 regions, light on one side, dark on the other, it feels religious, as if someone is in a state of prayer.
Pablo Picasso,Femme regardant par la Fenetre, Color linocut print on Arches paper, #43 of 50, Estimate $18,000 – $25,000. Nearly every major museum in the United States has some form of Picasso’s work, so it’s hard not to have seen something from the epic career of one of the most important artists of the 20th Century. I love how the subject of this piece leans forward to open the drape, letting the light into the room. The use of off white is so effective and powerful.
Hysterikos Book, Drawings by Francoise Gilot, Collection of Romi CortierRemnant Drawing by Francoise Gilot, Collection of Romi CortierFrancoise Gilot Easel, Collection of Romi CortierPaloma – Sphynx by Francoise Gilot, #214 of 300, Collection of Romi CortierInterior page of Paloma – Sphynx by Francoise Gilot, Collection of Romi CortierBack Jacket of Paloma – Sphynx by Francoise Gilot, Collection of Romi CortierFrancoise Gilot and Romi Cortier, Elkon Gallery NYC, October 2006
I had the distinct pleasure of Meeting Francoise Gilot during an exhibition of her art work at the Elkon Gallery in New York City, in 2006.
I was introduced to Francoise by Mel Yoakum Ph. D., a long time client and friend of mine who was the curator of the F. Gilot Archivesfor over two decades. Having published several books on Ms. Gilot, Mel is the foremost authority on her work. He gave me a tremendous education about her over the years, as well as some of these priceless treasures shown above. There’s her plein air easel for outdoor painting from her days in La Jolla, when married to Jonas Salk. A rare numbered book published by her daughter Paloma Picasso in 1975, featuring drawings by Francoise. A 1946 remnant drawing that now sits on my nightstand. And most importantly, the golden opportunity of meeting Ms. Gilot during her art show on Manhattan’s upper east side.
I travelled from LA to New York the day of the exhibition, stopping to pick up my buddies David and Courtney en route to the Gallery. It was chic beyond belief. Ms. Kitty Carlisle was dressed from head to toe in red, in a room full of people wearing only black. Ms. Gilot and myself were the only other two people in the room wearing color (my shirt is pale pink). I’ll never forget the moment I first laid eyes on her. She seemed so tiny for a woman with such bold and powerful work hanging on the walls. Mel introduced me to her as a Los Angeles collector who’d flown in for her show, as well as the owner of Citrus and Alizarine, 2003, a painting he’d recently sold me. She was demure, smiled, and firmly shook my hand. After mingling with the other art patrons for about 30 minutes, my friends and I retreated to the lounge just off the main gallery. As we were discussing the show, a very spirited blonde socialite bounced into the room and began talking with one of the men in the room. They knew each from boarding school, possibly in Florida. She stood in the doorway, tilted her head and said Well… it’s a Small World… at the Top! She then spun on her heels and made a grand exit. We were all dying of laughter, her timing was impeccable.
A few minutes later Francoise entered the room and plopped down on the Sofa next to me. For a woman in her mid 80’s she was holding up remarkably well. We sat around and chatted for a bit, and then she happily posed for a photo with me. This photo was the basis for my painting below. I was inspired to paint her with a green halo which barely shows in this photo. I later found out that Matisse and Picasso had also been inspired to use green as a major component in their portraits of her. Trust me, I’m not comparing myself to those two masters, I just find it curious that I dialed into that energy with no prior knowledge of their interpretation of her.
Francoise Gilot – 1500 Paintings, Oil on Canvas, by Romi Cortier
I love Francoise’s mid-century work, especially her use of the square for texture. I used that square as a pattern to represent the tremendous amount of paintings she’s created in her lifetime, over 1600 at last count. I continue to observe and study her work, which gives me inspiration in new and powerful ways. I feel about her the same way she felt about Matisse, which you can watch in the video below.
