Daniel Mack’s New Work
I really enjoyed seeing Daniel Mack’s new work at the outside in gallery in Piermont NY. Daniel Mack has been working with drift wood found in the Hudson for 30 years. He is famous for his chairs made out of oars and other found pieces that are in a number of museum’s permanent collections.
Recently to balance his architecture works which are long term projects and jobs that don’t satisfy his need for artistic freedom he started sculpting smaller pieces of wood into human shapes and making imaginary tools. He told me that he started this new body of work for 2 reasons: Larger pieces of wood became harder to find in the Hudson and most importantly his wife turned 55 which is the age, he explains, when women come into their own creativity. Social pressure is no longer ruling their lives and their deeper creative personality comes out, mixing masculine and feminine attributes; multiple inner “heads” develop and coexist. The tools are made from driftwood, feathers and other material. He says that in time, the purposes of these tools will reveal themselves and keeps them in tool pouch.
Mack works with children and terminally ill patients and they participate in the making of some of these pieces as collages and ensemble of tools which are found useful in relieving some psychological needs.
The pieces are spirited and vibrant alone or as a group. He complains that the art world sees the evolution of his work as a dichotomy and is not supportive of it as if he should continue making furniture the rest of his life. I think his work, old and new is meaningful and worth collecting.
Read more about his work, writing and teaching and visit his studio in Warwick, NY http://www.danielmack.com/
Interview with Thomas Gallery
At 315 East 91st Street on the 6th Floor you will find Thomas Gallery www.tomthomasgallery.com who recently relocated from East 59th Street. I interviewed its founder Tom Thomas Gargiulo
VG: You started as a collector …
TT: Yes of pieces of contemporary arts and furniture prototypes
VG: Such as…
TT: Andre Serrano (http://andresserrano.org/), David Wojnarowicz http://www.ppowgallery.com/
Title: Something from Sleep II 1987-88 mixed media on canvas 36” x 36” and
Sally Mann http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Model_Family.html
That was in the 80’s and I liked people who were where challenging social structure: Mann with nudes photos of children, Wojnarowicz who challenged the capitalist nature of the healthcare system in the face of the 80’s crisis and Serrano who explored the themes related to sexuality and religion with body fluids etc.
VG: And in terms of furniture…
TT: In the 80’s I got interested in the work of Memphis (http://designmuseum.org/design/memphis )and one of the artist I collected was Massimo iosa Ghini http://www.iosaghini.it/progettiByYear.asp?nav=worksNavItem&?tipo=byYear&year=1989
who was working with parabolic forms in furniture.
I also loved primitivism and collected unknown twig pieces such as a desk and unusual corky things.
VG I think you also collected early pieces of French designers Garouste & Bonnetti…
Yes in the 80’s from the New Barbarian collection from the gallery
En attendant les Barbares www.barbares.com/, and also from France pieces by Andre Dubreuil.
VG: How did you find the pieces from France?
TT: originally through auctions when there was not a market for them yet and therefore prices were very low.
VG: Once you opened the gallery did you keep collecting?
TT: yes I fell in love with the work of Andre Arbus http://www.architonic.com/dcobj/search/arbus/2/1, Gilbert Poillerat (http://www.architonic.com/dcobj/gilbert-poillerat/8102878/2/1), Jacques Adnet http://www.architonic.com/dcobj/search/adnet/2/1 and initially bought the pieces to furnish my apartment.
VG:How did you become a dealer?
TT: I really discovered my passion for fine and decorative arts and I wanted it to become my business, my main activity so I decided to leave my profession.
I studied both art history and decorative arts history and eventually gave lectures and taught classes at Parson’s school of design focusing on French 40’s decorative arts.
Decorative history continues to fascinate me because it is important to understand the thinking of a time period and how people relay to objects.
VG: Thomas Gallery has an incredible inventory where you find pieces designed by important artists as well as great pieces by unknown artists…
TT: Yes great pieces can be made by unknown artists and they too can reflect the spirit of the time just as much as the ones by someone who was known and working in Paris.
VG Among all your pieces I selected these:
Tell me about this table
TT: I thought it was a very classic piece, I was attracted by the hand hammered quality of the piece which imbued the work of the 40’s because it was the last time in France when furniture was completely hand made in a widespread fashion. The marble from Levanta is of exceptional quality.
VG: what about this sculpture from Togo?
TT: A fascinating anthropomorphic sculpture, simple and expressive at the same time
VG: I love this crystal ceiling fixture, how did you find it?
TT: One of the things I love about France is that you can find beautiful things in any region. I started visiting the South of France more than a decade ago and have made a number of contacts.
I liked the simplicity of this piece, not fussy, just right and crystal is always interesting in how it reflects light
VG: And this Rene Prou cocktail table?
TT: The curves are very sexy, simple but the way the iron slowly tapers and also curves is very sensuous and at the same time simple, very elegantly done
VG: You’ve also collected Swedish pieces what can you say about this stunning Hjort Chandelier?
TT: It is among the most stunning and daring pieces that I own. The way the spikes emanate from the stem and the fact that it has 2 light sources and the glass is different: a ball and an oval globe each sandblasted and decorated. An entirely imaginative work.
Interview with Historical Design Gallery
I liked the idea of opening my gallery at 315 East 91st Street because it’s not a trendy neighborhood but a real one. It’s a professional building where you’ll find restorers and a couple of great galleries. One of them happens to be Historical Design, one of the most important 20th and 21st Century Decorative arts gallery in the US. They relocated from 61st Street because they figured since most clients visit them virtually why pay thousands of dollars a month for a large storefront. They are open by appointments only. It is always a great pleasure to visit the gallery which is like an intimate museum. Today I spent a couple of hours talking to founder Daniel Morris.
Historical Design was founded in 1985 with a focus on Art Nouveau and Art Deco. What interested them was finding extraordinary pieces that were forward thinking displaying great creativity with good design. They search for European and American Decorative arts pieces led them back to the 19th Century, attracted by exotic styles, Egyptian and renaissance revival. They discovered Christopher Dresser who Daniel describes as the father of industrial design, he was actually a designer for companies rather than an artisan. His pieces display a modern sensibility which Daniel points out was not even a concept at the time.
Christopher Dresser toast rack c.1881
Silver-plate ”Christopher Dresser covered oval dish c.1880 Silver-plate with ebony handle
In 1995 they opened they gallery on 61st Street and around that time, extraordinary designs in furniture became available in London with Ron Arad, Marc Newson and others. Daniel was fascinated and was an early collector of prototypes and experimental pieces.
Ron Arad Empty chair c.1993 Moulded plywood, cast aluminum Silver-plated metal
As a gallery owner, Daniel explains you have to not only find fascinating pieces but see their potential marketwise so that they become good investments. So when some of these contemporary pieces started to be produced and reproduced a lot they became less attractive in terms of the marketplace. The gallery is multidisciplinary showing furniture, fine art, photography, jewelry because together they express the creative expression of an era. As you can see just by browsing at the online gallery each one of their piece is exciting . Here are a selection of my favorites:
Gerrit Rietveld “Steltman” chair 1963 Oak
What attracted Daniel to this piece is of course the incredible design by an avant-garde designer who in 1918 affected the history of architecture and furniture design with the Red and Blue chair. “ He emulated the 2x4 construction which was the building block of every house built in the second half of the 20th Century. He started and ended his career with 2 chairs of equal design excellence, this last one restates how important and advanced his thinking was, the 1963 chair is even more interesting with its asymmetric form and cantilever seat , like a Donald Judd sculpture from the late 60’s and 70’s
Edgar Brandt Arabesque wrought iron door/gate c.1927-28
Deeply patinated wrought iron with gilt detailing Brandt expert Joan Kahr said of this piece it was the finest example of contoured iron work she’s seen with incredible tapering and interlocking design
Andrea Branzi “Cucus”chair c. 1985 Painted wood, tree branches
What is interesting with this piece other than it’s great design is the naturalist theme added to a witty interpretation which in 1981 was not seen
Carla Tolomeo “Panca Ananassa” settee 2004 Silk, velvet
Daniel discovered Tolomeo’s work in Porto Fino and immediately fell in love with her work because after all the modernity he’s seen and appreciated he now sought fantasy in intricately decorated pieces.
