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Nov 23, 2023

T&C Design Dispatch: Cy Twombly's Imitation Picasso, Loro Piana in St. Tropez, New Noguchi Lamps and More

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How'd Cy Twombly's imitation of a Picasso sketch find its way downtown?

Once every two weeks, Town & Country puts together an assortment of the best design news and happenings— everything from interior design projects that pique our interest, or an auction of note, to any must-have products on the market.

Picture this: It's a summer morning in Paris, and you open the windows in your room at the Le Bristol Paris to let in fresh air while the scent of coffee looms nearby. Your room overlooks the hotel's Le Jardin Francais and your curiosity causes you to take a peek outside. As you trace the courtyard's lush gardens, you find that the outdoor seating looks a bit different from the year's before: the courtyard's seating has been given a horticultural touch.

Designer Marie-Caroline Willms teamed up with the heritage textile house Schumacher to redesign the hotel's interior corridor and garden by echoing the lush plant life that has seduced globetrotters from around the world for over a century. This summer, pastries from tea time by the hotel's new pastry chef, Chef Yu Tanaka, or meals by Michelin-starred Chef Eric Frechon, may be enjoyed on cushions outfitted with check prints, geometric motifs, and floral patterns in the hotel's signature pale green and red colorways. Two of the fabrics found here are a part of Mary McDonald's line for Schumacher, Seaglass Palette and Portail Francaise. It's always been said that the hotel has always emitted a sense of romance through its design, and perhaps that is true even more so now.

To book your stay, please visit or make a reservation, please visit oetkercollection.com.

There's no mistaking an Akari Lamp by Isamu Noguchi: geometric, paper lanterns that teeter between utility and sculpture; a relic for design nerds. In 1951, Noguchi arrived in the town of Gifu on the way to Hiroshima to witness the night of cormorant fishing at a festival along the Nagara River. The river was illuminated by paper lanterns called "Cochin" which are handmade lanterns that use high-quality paper. The mayor of Gifu, who was introduced to Noguchi, asked the sculptor to help revitalize the lantern industry. Noguchi created two ideas for modern lanterns and called them "Akari," the Japanese word for "light."

While the productions of the lantern (along with the many knockoffs) remain a fixture in interior design today, a rare selection of archival Akari lamps designed in the early 1950s is now available for sale in North America for the first time in decades. The six Akari lamps feature colorful, abstract patterns silkscreened onto the mulberry bark (washi) paper, and the originals were first shown in exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art and Kamakura in 1952, and at the Chuo Koron Gallery, Tokyo, in 1954. After, they were only available in limited quantities in Japan and France, until now.

To purchase a lamp or to learn more, please visit noguchi.org.

What is a Cy Twombly piece doing in a downtown gallery that is less than a year old? The artist's grandson, Caio, brought it to his gallery, Amanita, from his childhood home.

Twombly's imitation of Picasso is a part of Amanita's latest exhibition, Works on Paper: 100 Years. Co-curated by Caio Twombly, Jacob Hyman, and Lauryn-Ashley Vandyke, Gallery director of Amanita, the show takes visitors through an artistic time capsule of works made during the last century by the simplest medium, pencil and paper. Aside from Twombly's untitled work, there is a Portrait of a Dark-Haired Woman (1943) by Alice Neel, and Philip Guston's (1913–1980) ...Smoking and Drawing (1972–75) piece. Out of all the works, perhaps the most ethereal is The Outtakes from Sketchbooks (2022) by Rita Ackermann. Viewers are confronted with a plethora of bodies seemingly jumbled together. The shades of graphite in between each suggest a vision that echoes a dream. The gallery's New York extension was founded by Tommaso Rositani Suckert, Jacob Hyman, Caio Twombly, and Garrett Goldsmith. Obviously, it pays to be a part of a group with dynastic roots in the art world, but even more when each member has a good eye.

To learn more about the exhibition, please visit spazioamanita.com.

When the harbors and nightclubs in St. Tropez begin to fill with star-studded guests during the summer months,"quiet luxury" takes a beat. But, this summer, the trending old money aesthetic might have its place in the world-famous summer destination. That's because the La Réserve à la Plage beach club, a beachside hub where guests go to unwind, dine, and shop, is reopening this summer season with a Loro Piana facelift.

The Italian Maison's signature colors and patterns, such as the Suitcase Stripe, find themselves on the beach club's parasols, beach towels, chaise lounges, and more. Is it a ploy to get visitors to shop at the beach club's Loro Piana boutique that'll carry the brand's Summer Resort 2023 collection? Who knows. But, the boutique will remain open for the whole summer season leaving guests enough time to decide for themselves.

If you're prepping your summer wardrobe with white linen, why not do the same for your home? Consider a fresh set of white linen napkins, or even new cushions for a room in your country home.

Style News Editor at Town and Country covering society, style, art, and design.

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