Known for its luxury furniture and lighting, Ralph Pucci (new york) hosted an opening for their boundary-pushing artists last night including: Xavier Lust, Rebecca Moses, Chris Lehrecke, August Lehrecke, Antoine Bootz, and Spencer Fung.
The Alchemist Bar by Xavier Lust at Ralph Pucci’s (new york) gallery.
Highlights included Brussels-based designer, Xavier Lust’s Alchemist Bar. Greatly sought-after in the international design community for his metal furniture creations, this piece looks like gold, but is a departure from his preferred medium and is uniquely made of finely lacquered wood panels. All the domed parts and smooth curves reveal the signature workmanship of Lust’s work, replete with halos of light and myriad reflections. Built in the style of secret-compartment furniture, opening the bar has a surprise in store: inner lighting reveals a colorful interior that inspires cocktail-making. In the same vein, his Alchemist Commode is a variation on this theme, with a more traditional usage.
The Alchemist Commode by Xavier Lust.
Rebecca Moses, known for her extravagantly whimsical fashion illustrations—and as successor of Gianni Versace as head designer of luxury brand, Genny—who joined Ralph Pucci in 2016 with her debut collection “Imperfectly Perfect”, a statement on “the rare, unique and blended ways to define beauty today, empowering diversity and celebrating imperfection as the qualities that highlight individual style.” Her new work, “Bohemian Gardens,” is a series of female portraiture that highlight her signature use of color. The works present “a world where the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur, where vibrant colors dance in harmony, and where sensuality intertwines with the beauty of nature.” Moses’ semi-clad women are not merely subjects, but “muses embodying the spirit of liberation and self-expression, exuding confidence, and allure, who are comfortable in their own skin.”
Rebecca Moses, The Girls Conspiring, at Ralph Pucci (new york) gallery.
Rebecca Moses, Angelica Fantasizing.
Rebecca Moses, The Essence of Mimi.
Known for designing and building furniture from woods of all kinds, Chris Lehrecke’s “Beautiful Imperfections: A Celebration of Flawed Woods,” is a celebration of the trees local to his home and studio in the Hudson Valley. Building long and close relationships with local loggers and sawyers, Lehrecke has worked with many of the varied woods indigenous to the area over the years—collecting and drying the wood at his home workshop and studio. The new collection brings to the forefront woods often under-appreciated in the commercial world due to their rarity and propensity to suffer from disease—walnut, ash, catalpa and maple—creating a series of tables, shelving systems, screens and turned pedestals.
“Even after 40 years of furniture making with wood of all kinds, I continue to be inspired by the beauty and variations of this material. While I appreciate the flawless version of a particular wood, I do not shy away from trees with defects and character. Maybe, as I grow older, I feel more of a connection to the imperfections,” says Lehrecke.
Chaise, table and stool by Chris Lehrecke at Ralph Pucci’s (new york) gallery.
Continuing the familial passion for craftsmanship founded on materials from nature, Ralph Pucci is also presenting designs by Chris’s son, August Lehrecke, at the show. Using ancient basket weaving techniques and working with reed, August has created a series of three-dimensional sculptural pieces that will float above the tree-based furniture like clouds.
Also on view is a series of photographs called Swimming Lesson, by Antoine Bootz—whose work has been featured in The New York Times, Elle Décor, and Travel & Leisure among others; is in the permanent collection at the Fond National d’Art Contemporain in Paris; and who also took the above exhibition shots for Ralph Pucci.
“Swimming Lesson,” series by photographer Antoine Bootz at Ralph Pucci (new york) gallery.
Ralph Pucci (New York) gallery is located at 44 W. 18th St. New York, NY 10011.