From the Oscars to the Art Fairs, Tag Along with Art World Insider Colby Mugrabi
With her blog Minnie Muse, Colby Mugrabi explores the intersection of fashion and art–an appropriate content strategy considering the young insider, who is married to art collector Alberto “Tico” Mugrabi, spends her time pairing ensembles by The Row with paintings by Joe Bradley, and exploring the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Library. Here, an inside look at some of what she’s seen this month, from Sterling Ruby’s new sculptures and treasures at the Nada Art Fair in New York to the scene at Barry Diller and Diane Von Furstenberg’s pre-Oscar lunch in Beverly Hills.
1
With my girlfriends at the opening of the Joe Bradley show at Gagosian Gallery in Los Angeles. In our five very different ensembles we looked like the Spice Girls. I felt quite Posh in my Prada look!
2
Following dinner at Mr. Chow’s in Beverly Hills, I ran into the man himself! Well… Rather, the Michael Chow candle portrait by Urs Fischer. But close enough!
3
My favorite breakfast spot on the plant is the diner downstairs at the Beverly Hills Hotel. It has delicious food and the best people watching.
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The Joe Bradley opening at Gagosian Gallery Beverly Hills was so packed that I went back a few days later to properly view the show. The bottom floor was filled primarily with new abstract paintings. The scale and colors make each work the perfect backdrop for a shameless photo-op! Here I am, wearing The Row and a Nancy Gonzalez furry clutch, in front of Bradley’s Day by Day, 2017.
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The robot drawings shown in the small gallery upstairs are older works by Bradley, from 2006 – 2007. The drawings were made from a variety of materials; from watercolor or acrylic paint on graph paper, to crayon, pen and collage on construction paper. Each piece reminds me of art projects I did as a kid. I love the playfulness of these works on paper compared to the sophistication of the abstract paintings in the downstairs gallery.
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The scene at Barry Diller and Diane Von Furstenberg’s pre-Oscar lunch hosted at their home in Beverly Hills.
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My favorite part about visiting libraries is finding material that isn’t online. I struck gold when I came across these early issues of Harper’s Bazaar from the 1920s!
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While in LA, I visited one of my favorite artists, Jonas Wood’s studio. Wood shares the space with his wife, the über cool and incredibly talented, Shio Kusaka, who works primarily with ceramic pottery. This shot is taken on Jonas’ side of the studio, with his perfectly organized colored pencils and paints, and his constantly evolving photo wall with pictures of his family, scans of old paintings and plenty of inspiration images.
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This work is from the recently opened Sterling Ruby show at 980 Madison Avenue in New York. The ceramics in the show are some of the biggest pieces the artist has done throughout his career. Each of these mammoth works was created in various stages, beginning outside when the artist rolls and shapes the wet clay in the gravel and grass, resulting in a highly textured surface and mesmerizing layers of colors and glaze.
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I came across this cute object at the NADA Art Fair in New York. I love having plants at home and I am always looking for fun ways to incorporate a little greenery on my shelves. Sold!
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How amazing are these Polaroid’s from Martin Margiela’s first runway show from 1989?! The collection looked so modern and chic. Truly timeless.
