naked notes

The Lucie Foundation is the photography world’s head cheerleader. It exists to promote the visual form in its many incarnations, whether it’s honoring master photographers, discovering new talent, or reminding everyone through exhibitions and events to appreciate the eyes behind the myriad of images we see everyday. Each year the Lucie Foundation sponsors the International [...]

I think this might be my last European post. I’m back in New York and have already thought of a million more NY-centric subjects, just while wandering my Brooklyn neighborhood—happy to be home, to say the least. But since I’m only just back, here’s a last thought on France.
While I drank coffee in Greece, in [...]

While in Greece this past summer, I drank coffee…a lot. In fact, their national drink is a frappe, which is iced coffee, sugar, and milk topped with a lot of caffeine froth. Oh, and don’t forget the straw. It’s delicious, it’s fantastic, it’s what you drink several times a day when in Greece. In fact, [...]

Parrworld: the Collection of Martin Parr recently closed at the Jeu de Paume in Paris. It’s the physical equivalent to his recent Aperture title of the same name. Though known as a photographer and member of the Magnum Photo Agency, very few of his images are on display in the show. (However, there is [...]

Ah, New York, even when I leave, somehow, I still find myself gravitating toward it. In the beginning of the month I was in Paris, gorging myself on escargots chocolat-pistache (no, not snails, but the beautiful pastries from the best boulangerie, Du Pain et Des Idèes) and frequenting art shows at lesser-hyped French institutions like [...]

Funny that the expression “It’s the thought that counts” is true for both the giver and the receiver. Here’s a bit of advice for you, giver of gifts:
It is your responsibility to practice GIVING when you give a gift. What I mean is that when you give something, let it go as much as [...]

 
Want to tell your friends you own a Warhol print? A Matisse painting? A chair designed by Frank Gehry? Well you can’t exactly do that, but you can still admire these pieces from the comfort of your own home by taking a trip to the MoMA Design Store. Stop in after a stroll through the [...]

 For all of us who still appreciate the tangible presence of holding a book in our hands, who have not quite jumped onto the Kindle bandwagon, and who have a general appreciation for beautiful things, we can absolutely appreciate both the practicality and the beauty of book covers. 

 
On summer days, you may battle the crowds of Union Square for a moment of nostalgic, back-to-nature joy at the Greenmarket. But stepping further south, you can find more to entice you than artisan cheese and organic veggies. That is, the unpretentious, crafty appeal of local artists selling their work on cloth-covered card tables. This [...]

 
I have to admit any art found on the street, not to be confused with actual “street art”, generally feels a little too generic for my taste. The majority of work sold on West Broadway in SoHo (circa Prince St. to Grand St.) is not much different. However, it is still a cool place to [...]