In this special Covid-19 edition of The Florentine, rejoice in a renewed humanism from Florence, of learning, words, thoughts and creativity, with articles, poems and short stories penned by the city’s international community, plus ideas and considerations for the future from Tuscany’s leaders and institutional figures, all interspersed with iconic photography of Florence at its most restful.
| INSIDE THE ISSUE |
| FEATURES | Michael Prodger visits the newly resplendent Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden; Yinka Shonibare talks to Samuel Reilly; Seamus Perry considers the visual qualities of Wordsworth’s poems; Tim Smith-Laing on the modern monsters of Léopold Chauveau; Emilie Bickerton looks at how museums tackle the subject of cinema; Christopher Turner talks to Grażyna Kulczyk, founder of the Muzeum Susch |
| REVIEWS | Matthew Sperling on Picasso’s works on paper at the Royal Academy; Nicholas Hatfull on Edward Hopper at the Fondation Beyeler; Scott Nethersole on Renaissance art in the regions of Italy; Alan Powers on the life of Humphrey Stone; Max Norman on a new study of Poussin; Peter Parker on John Minton’s illustrations for Elizabeth David’s cookery books |
| MARKET | Tim Maxwell and Tamara Bell on cybersecurity; and the latest art market columns from Susan Moore and Emma Crichton-Miller |
| PLUS | Matt Stromberg and J. Patrice Marandel consider if LACMA has lost its way; Kitty Hauser takes a personal view of the bushfires in Australia; Rachel Cohen on the resurgence of interest in the painter Beauford Delaney; Fatema Ahmed on a display of chivalry in Abu Dhabi; Douglas Murphy visits an art nouveau masterpiece in Nancy; Robert O’Byrne on a talented Dutch curator; and Thomas Marks on museums and the art world in a time of crisis |
From a Sotheby’s Online Magazine (March 26, 2020):
From Sargent to Sorolla, Jonas Wood to Winston Churchill, Berkshire to Bali — how artists have found solace and inspiration in gardens the world over.
Monocle 24’s “The Stack” speaks to Kristina O’Neill, editor in chief of ‘WSJ’, the lifestyle magazine of the ‘Wall Street Journal’, on the title’s expansion and plans for 2020.Kristina O’Neill is the editor in chief of WSJ. Magazine, The Wall Street Journal’s glossy luxury-lifestyle publication, appearing monthly with the weekend edition of the newspaper, as well as its website. Since being tapped in October 2012 by News Corporation to reinvigorate the magazine, she has been responsible for all editorial content in the publication, which was nominated for awards for best cover and best photography in 2016 and 2017 by the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) and consistently leads the industry in editorial and commercial excellence. Ms. O’Neill also oversees all of the magazine’s live journalism, in addition to its annual Innovator Awards, held each November at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, which attracts luminaries across a range of disciplines including art, design, philanthropy, fashion and technology. Prior to joining the Journal, Ms. O’Neill served as executive editor of Harper’s Bazaar magazine.
As you will see from my portfolio, travel plays a huge part in my image-making. I visited nine countries in 2017 alone, and close to twenty since my journey into architectural photography began. I have always been fascinated by different cultures, foods, textures and colours. It is this love for travel, combined with my deep passion for photography, that keeps me motivated and dedicated to putting in the long lonely hours of research and logistical planning to then get out with the camera time and time again.
I hail from the fine city of Norwich in the United Kingdom, having spent the best part of thirty years growing up there it was a place I always returned to after travelling. Since January 2019 I have taken to the road full-time to undertake a nomadic lifestyle with my girlfriend Jade as we strive to grow a better photography and adventure tour business.
PRODUCED THREE TIMES A YEAR, “THE BACKGROUND” IS A DIGITAL AND PREMIUM PRINT MAGAZINE THAT IS WRITTEN AND PRODUCED BY MYSELF, JAMES KERWIN. THE FIRST EDITION CONTAINS 100 PAGES AND HAS TAKEN HOURS OF THOUGHT. THE UNIQUE MAGAZINE IS PACKED FULL OF IMAGERY, TRAVEL HACKS AND TIPS AS WELL AS ADVICE ON WHERE TO PHOTOGRAPH, THINGS TO SEE AND HISTORICAL INFORMATION RELATING TO MY INTERIOR AND ABANDONED ARCHITECTURE LOCATIONS. THINK OF THIS MAGAZINE AS A TYPE OF MEMOIRS OF MY LAST FOUR MONTHS OF NOMADIC TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY.
In February, 1925, Rea Irvin, The New Yorker’s first art editor, designed the cover of the magazine’s inaugural issue. That cover’s central character, a dandy peering at a butterfly through a monocle, would come to be known as Eustace Tilley, and he has graced the cover of the magazine nearly every February in the ninety-five years since. This is all a matter of historical record—but Barry Blitt, in this year’s Anniversary Issue, tells a different origin story. We recently talked to Blitt about drawing a familiar face.
You’ve drawn many a Eustace Tilley. Is there something pleasing about revisiting familiar forms?
Well, certain familiar forms are probably traumatic to revisit, but Tilley is a joy to draw repeatedly. All the hard work has been done for you—it’s a beautifully designed image. Hard to make a mess of those shapes and colors, though I give it the old college try.
Boomers Daily 