Andy Warhol 15 Minutes Eternal

Andy Warhol is one of my all-time favourite artists. I admire his vision in making art accessible to the masses. The father of pop art, he was also a true artist who made a living doing commercial projects. One who lived life to the excess, he was and still is an icon.

From 17 March to 12 August 2012, enter the world of pop artist Andy Warhol at Art Science Museum with the most extensive collection of the legendary artist’s artworks ever exhibited in Singapore. Covering his different artistic phases from the 1940’s to 1980’s, the exhibition features over 260 paintings, drawings, sculptures, film and video.

A great exhibition not to be missed. Try to catch it if you can. 

For more information, please visit www.marinabaysands.com

Perrier-Jouet & The Art Of Paper Frescoes

If like me, you had the chance to see the latest ad campaign from Perrier-Jouet, I bet you must be captivated by it. The campaign featured paper frescoes by celebrated paper artist Jo Lynn Alcorn, who has worked for luxury brands such as Dior and Marc Jacobs. Her exquisite three-dimensional paper collages formed the backdrop for the lovely cuvees of Perrier-Jouet, to be photographed by New York-based Japanese photographer Kanji Ishii, who has shot campaigns for Chanel, Cartier, Harry Winston and Chaumet.

Perrier-Jouet is possibly the first champagne house to collaborate with artists and one of the very first and best example being the Japanese anemones motif by Art Deco artist Emile Gallé that adorned the beautiful Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque bottle. The most recent collaboration prior to this was the Bi-Centenaire by Daniel Arsham, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the champagne house.

Here's a step by step look at how the paper frescoes were created...

Everything starts with a scale drawing of the fresco, down to the finest detail.

Based on the initial drawing, the artist cuts out all the pieces.

They are classified by category: flowers, leaves, fruit, etc.

Those that consist of several pieces are assembled.

Emile Gallé's famous anemones come to life.

Iconic Perrier-Jouët symbol... its doorway in Epernay.

When Jo Lynn Alcorn finally has all parts of the fresco...

...the slow, subtle composition begins.

And the final touch, turning every fresco into an exquisite backdrop for the Perrier-Jouet ad campaign.

For more information, please visit: www.perrier-jouet.com

The Terracotta Warriors In Singapore

I have been a little too busy to blog these days, but that doesn't mean I haven't been out and about sussing out interesting things to do in Singapore. It has been a weekend of art and culture, with a visit to Asian Civilisation Museum (ACM) to view the special exhibition on Terracotta Warriors, and to Drama Centre to catch Dick Lee's Beauty Kings.

Asian Civilisations Museum at Empress Place

This special exhibition runs till 16 October 2011

I have always been fascinated by the terracotta warrior figurines and this is the closest I could get to see the real thing without having to make a trip to Xi'an, China. This is the first exhibition of the actual terracotta warriors to be held in Singapore and in Southeast Asia. With admission fee of only S$8, it is really good value for money.




At the entrance of the gallery leading to the actual terracotta exhibition, the works of artist Justin Lee titled 'Life After Death' set a stylish and dramatic tone. His work blends Western pop art with traditional Eastern figurines. A rather fun way to give life to historical figurines.

The terracotta army buried near the tomb of the First Emperor of China is perhaps the most important archaeological discovery of our time. Unearthed in 1974 outside Xi’an, the thousands of pottery soldiers and horses are striking works of art that tell us a great deal about early China.

Located on level 2, the exhibition gallery is not huge, but substantial enough to give a good explanation about the first emperor and his legacy. This exhibition features one hundred artefacts from Shaanxi province in China. Besides the 10 terracotta figures, the display contains important bronzes and jades from the Qin state before the time of the First Emperor, Shi Huangdi. The Han dynasty inherited the legacy of unified China, and charming terracotta figures from this later period show how the First Emperor’s tomb influenced later burials. Recent excavations have revealed a variety of objects, including painted warriors, acrobats meant to entertain the emperor, chariots and life-like birds. Many of these will be presented in the exhibition.

The exhibition catalogue (priced at S$24) offers pictures in full colour with interesting literature. I would recommend buying a copy at the gift shop before you proceed to view the exhibition. It would be a handy guide that you can refer to while looking at the artefacts. The museum also offers complimentary guided tours. Do enquire when you are purchasing your ticket.

For more information, please visit www.acm.org.sg

Paris Report: Le Georges @ Centre Georges Pompidou

Le Georges in Paris is not new, yet it is still a favourite amongst Parisians. Well, even Karl Lagerfeld launched the Diet Coke he designed at Le Georges in April last year. If it is good enough for Kaiser Karl, it is definitely good for me.

During my recent trip to Paris, I met up with two friends who took Laurent and I to Le Georges for a nice dinner. It was such a "pretentious" place that I thought I should act cool and not take pics of the food. Hence, I have no food pics to show this time. However, I thought I should still share my experience with you, so you can visit it the next time you are in Paris.

For those "old" enough to have watched the 2003 Hollywood flick 'Le Divorce' starring Kate Hudson and Naomi Watt, you probably caught a glimpse of this restaurant with its amazing decor and view.

Kate Hudson's character Isabel met the older Frenchman Edgar for lunch at Le Georges. It is definitely a restaurant to impress whoever you want to impress.

The Centre Georges Pompidou is France's national modern art museum. It has been a hip place since 2000, when Le Geroges opened on the top floor.


To access the restaurant's private entrance, you could either take the elevator or the escalators. I would suggest to take the escalators (the long tubular structure at the facade) so you could have a good view on the way up.


The restaurant is stunning and I whispered a soft "wow" when I walked in. I think it is a good place for both day and night.

If you are visiting Le Georges, my tip for you is to dress in your most fashionable and trendy outfit. The wait staff here look like models (and probably are or were some point in their life) and I read some online reviews that some guests found them snooty. Well, I wore my Dolce&Gabbana wool dress, a black coat with my Chanel brooch and my YSL pumps. Guess my outfit got the seal of approval from the door bitch and I had excellent service. We do live in a superficial world, so I just play by the rules. :)

I can imagine how nice it would be to sit at the terrace... day or night. I need to be back there soon!

Simple, stark, stunning. I like the clean white tables and chairs, with single long-stem roses in vases on each table.


After some research, I discovered that this trendy restaurant is owned by Gilbert and Jean-Louis Costes, the brothers who are behind the famous Hotel Costes. Ah, now I know why Le Georges has the staying power of being a hip venue even after a decade.

Dominique Jakob and Brendan McFarlane are the designers behind this contemporary restaurant. With the huge aluminium sculptures, Le Georges was futuristic looking then, and it is still now. This is a true mark of good design. As for the food, the cuisine is classic French and fusion, with heavy Asian accents. I went with low expectations of the food, thinking that it is a "pretentious" resto, but I was surprised by how delicious the food was.

I strongly recommend a visit to Le Georges when you are in Paris. My only regret was not having enough time to visit the museum. I plan to hang out at the museum for a day and have lunch at Le Georges the next time I am back in Paris.

For more info, please visit www.centrepompidou.fr