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New and Noteworthy: May 2019

by habituallychic

04 . 30 . 19

Normally, I would put together a list of new and noteworthy art exhibitions, events, movies, and more on Friday but I wanted to give you an early heads up for some of them since they will end on Sunday. I will also be covering the Kips Bay Decorator Show House and traveling this weekend which is another reason for the early post. I hope you will take some time to check them out.

One of the reasons I haven’t mentioned the Jean-Michel Basquiat exhibition at the Brant Foundation before is that all the admission times are sold out. While it’s free to attend, you need a ticket. I chose a few random days and times for the waitlist and actually got a ticket via email so it is possible to attend if you have patience. I think you can also wait outside and see if there are any openings but you should check online for more information. It runs through 15 May 2019.

I attended the press preview for the Kips Bay Decorator Show House today. It opens to the public on May 2nd and runs through 30 May 2019. There are a lot of new names and faces in this year’s lineup of designers but I was happy to see a lot of traditional rooms. There was also a bit of controversy to start things off. No one is usually allowed to post anything more than small vignette photos on Instagram but magazine editors and vendors who attended yesterday posted whole room photos. No one bothered to tell any of the designers who hadn’t even posted their photos of their own rooms. I felt like I had already seen every single room before my own tour and it ruined the surprise. And while I was allowed to post on Instagram myself today, I am not allowed to start my blog coverage until Wednesday afternoon. Make sure you stop back to see my posts.

Long time readers and Instagram followers will know that I’m a huge fan of the late artist Joan Mitchell. There’s just something about her abstract paintings that speak to my soul. I wish I had been able to afford anything by her before she exploded on the art market recently. Since I can’t buy any of her works, I can’t wait to attend Joan Mitchell: I carry my landscapes around with me at the David Zwirner gallery when I get back from my trip. It opens to the public on May 3rd and runs through 22 June 2019 with artwork spanning four decades of her career. Run, don’t walk, to this show.

On Thursday, I’ll be attending the TEFAF preview for press and VIP collectors. TEFAF stands for The European Fine Art Fair and it’s filled with the crème de la crème of European art and antique dealers. It’s one of my favorite events of the year and I can’t wait to see what amazing treasures they have brought for spring. It runs from 3-7 May 2019 at the Park Avenue Armory.

I don’t know if I’m going to have time to preview Frieze New York before I leave on my trip and I’m bummed. It was such a good show last year and I especially loved photographing visitors who matched or coordinated with the art. It runs from 2-5 May 2019 on Randall’s Island. There are ferries and shuttle buses available to the show or you can take Uber which is usually what I do.

The Tribeca Film Festival is in full swing right now too. I had tickets to the Halston documentary on Sunday night but didn’t end up going which I regret terribly since I know it was probably great. All the movies they screen are top notch and you should definitely try to attend before it’s over on Sunday, 5 May 2019.

I bought this book, Conversations with Friends, last year based on the cover and started it but then it ended up on the mile high stack of books next to my bed. Everyone I know is now reading it so I’m going to pull it back out for my trip.

Right now, I am almost finished reading Heads in Beds which is insightful and a little scary about what actually goes on in the hotel world. It’s also hysterical, although he swears a bit too much. I tip a lot and very well but I feel like I really have to tip even better now.

Have you watched Brené Brown: The Call To Courage yet on Netflix? In it she “discusses what it takes to choose courage over comfort in a culture defined by scarcity, fear and uncertainty.” She’s definitely one of those people who make you think. My favorite quote from the talk really resonated with me as someone who has put themself out there on this blog for 12 years.

“If you are not in the arena getting your ass kicked on occasion because you were being brave, I am not interested in or open to your feedback about my work.”

“There are millions of cheap seats in the world today filled with people who will never once step foot in that arena. They will never once put themselves out there but they will make it a full time job to hurl criticism and judgement and really hateful things toward us and we have got to get out of the habit of catching them and dissecting and holding them close to our hearts. We gotta let them drop to the floor. Don’t grab that hurtful stuff from the cheap seats and pull it close. Don’t pull it anywhere near your heart. Let it fall to the ground. You don’t have to stomp it or kick it. You just have to step over it and keep going.”

Amen!