QUICK CULTURE ISSUE 8 , Page 1 FEBRUARY 2012 Articles START WITH ART Quick Culture News … pg 1 The Art of Travel ....pg 1 QUICK CULTURE‘S NEWSLETTER Fashion Imitates Art… pg 1 Art Imitates Art Imitates Fashion.. pg 8 Tours…...pg 8 THE ART OF TRAVEL FASHION IMITATES ART This past September I took an amazing trip to Eastern Europe. I wanted to see all the celebrated famous sights as well as the little-known hidden ones. In the Art of Travel article, I promised that you Everyone warned me about the cuisine being boring and unimaginative so I would read more about Anselm Reyle in this was also determined to ferret out the best places to eat. And, of course, ex- section. Take another look at his artwork from perience the art---both old world and contemporary. My goal was to wrap the Boros Collection---now take a look at this--- myself in every facet of the culture of the cities I‘ve only read about. I suc- brought to you by Dior and Anselm Reyle! ceeded! So much so, that I am going to make this a 3-part series with each city getting special attention: Berlin, Prague and Budapest. So, grab a Anselm Reyle Pfannkuchen and an espresso and start the adventure with… Bodacious and Booming BERLIN! After the long flight, my traveling compan- ion, Barbara, and I were anxious to get to the hotel but our driver captured our atten- tion by eagerly pointing out many of the famous sights along the way. We managed to fight off the sandman until Checkpoint Charlie we got to our hotel---the Regent Berlin. It‘s Continued on page 6 the only German hotel that has not only made the Top 100 ranking of the best hotels in the world by Conde Nast in 2011, but according to the Gold List published in the latest edition of Condé Nast Traveler Magazine, the Regent QUICK CULTURE NEWS Berlin is Germany‘s best hotel. Well located but not for the budget-minded, In September, we celebrated our 6th year of the Regent Berlin is within walking being in business! It‘s been a great six years distance of all that‘s important--- fa- and we hope to have many more. mous historical sights, prominent mu- seums, gourmet restaurants and great We continue to expand our horizons by looking shopping! The room (and bathroom) for new endeavors especially travel adventures were not only spacious but appointed which we both love. Last year there were trips Regent Berlin’s Lobby beautifully and equipped with every to Germany, The Czech Republic, Hungary, Photo Courtesy of Berlin Regent amenity you could imagine. With the India and of course there are those trips to New added joy of extraordinary comfortable beds, we were in dreamland in a York. But don‘t worry we still offer our ever nanosecond. Add to that the impeccable service of the staff--- professional, popular Kids Museum Tour and our Demystify- efficient, personal and warm. Experiencing all this from the moment we ar- ing Tour for Adults at LACMA. rived, we couldn‘t wait to shake out our jetlag at the hotel‘s sumptuous health One very special experience we had in Los club and spa, so we quickly scheduled massages. My therapist was Sami Angeles was a tour of the Ovitz House and Beg, born in Berlin but brought up in Calcutta. His technique, a combination Collection a few months ago. It is truly an of Ayurvedic and Thai is masterful and his skill truly captures the blend of unique experience and if you ever get a chance spiritual thought, therapy and wellness. After his massage, I was energized to to visit.. Jump on it. take on the city. Continued on page 2 PHONE: 1-310-800-6710 EMAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.quickculture.com Page 2 START WITH ART Q UICK C ULTURE‘ S N EWSLETTER Continued from page 1 Out of over 170 museums in Berlin, we decided that if we were going to go to any museum, we wanted to go to one that had artifacts we probably would never see in the States. We decided on the Pergamon, one museum of five on Museum Island on the Spree River. It‘s home to a vast collection of Greek and Babylonian antiquities including the impressive Ishtar Gate of Babylon and the enormous Pergamon Altar (180-160 B.C.) which is so huge that it requires an entire room. Constructed in Pergamon, Asia Minor, as an altar to Zeus, this gigantic structure is the centerpiece of the museum. We also wanted to see the exceptional exhibit, ―Renaissance Portraits‖ at the Bode Museum, also on Museum Island, but the special tickets were sold out! Fortunately, (although we were unaware of it at the time) it is now at the Met- ropolitan Museum of Art in NYC until March 18, 2012. This exhibition brings together approximately 160 works on loan from the collections of several international museums —by artists including Donatello, Filippo Lippi, Botti- celli, Verrocchio, Ghirlandaio, Pisanello, Mantegna, Giovanni Bellini, and Antonello da Messina. The media ranges from painting and manuscript illu- Pergamon Altar Detail of Ishtar Gate mination to marble sculpture and bronze medals. Fortunately, I made the trip to the Met over the holidays and the exhibit was all that it promised. The architecture in Berlin is eclectic and varied in style mainly due to its history rather than by design. Berlin was devastated by bombing raids during World War II and many architecture programs were instituted to build new residential and commercial buildings. It was a city divided by the construction of the Wall in 1961 until the fall of the Wall in 1989 followed by the complete reunification of the east and west in 1990. By default, these events provided the inspiration for its diverse cityscape. Predictably, one sees many con- trasts that reflect the old and new political past. One such notable design paradox can be found in the former Reichstag (Parliament) building. It was opened in 1894 and then closed due to a huge fire in 1933. It was not used until 1999 when reconstruction was com- pleted by Sir Norman Foster, British architect who studied at Yale University. It is now the meeting place of the modern German par- liament, presently referred to as the Bundestag. Bundestag: Note: Attached Exterior details of the dome of the Bundestag Bundestag Dome Interior- contemporary glass dome Parliament meets right below the circular glass ―roof‖ at ground level In 1964, a television tower was built as a show of East Germany‘s secular strength and was thought to have been deliberately con- structed at a location that would impose on views of West Berlin's Reichstag (now Bundestag) building. (You can see evidence of this view of the tower in my photo of the modern exterior detail of the Bundestag.) At a height of 1,207 feet, it is the tallest structure in Ger- many. Another startling futuristic design is that of the Humboldt Box Museum. Also near Museum Is- land and the TV Tower (note it on the left) the ―Box‖ is an interim fill-in for the Humboldt Forum, envisioned as a place for the exchange of cultures from around the world. This structure will be dismantled when the ―Forum‖ is completed, probably in 2019. The building stands as a com- plete piece of art unto itself. Presently, inside, there is a unique installation by The DoBeS Pro- ject--- ―Languages of Southwest Ambrym.‖ This installation presents the different ways in which culture, language and knowledge are transmitted within written (books and recordings) and oral societies (sand drawing and story telling). The highlights of the installation are sandroings: a unique form of art practiced in Vanuatu. Sandroings are intangible masterpieces which require no materials - only the ground itself. See an example of this in a short film by clicking this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OHXRRPQjaQ&context=C279eaADOEgsToPDskIX_cOgnumtl295Rvp843jO Humboldt TV Tower Box Continued on page 3 PHONE: 1-310-800-6710 EMAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.quickculture.com Page 3 START WITH ART Q UICK C ULTURE‘ S N EWSLETTER Continued from page 3 I have a penchant for urban art and just had to snap a photo of this street graffiti...in English! There are numerous other interesting public architectural structures but what I found the most overwhelming of all the public art and edifices was the infamous ―Wall‖. Even though it is symbolic of countless sad and tragic stories, this urban art (only on the West side) was and is vibrant and full of life and hope. At a length of approximately 87 miles, it was efficient in its purpose yet it provided a tableau that chronicled its history. Only a few frag- Street Art ments exist today because soon after the broadcast in November of 1989 announcing that the GDR was opening the borders, people came to the wall Barbara and I in front with sledgehammers and chisels to chip off souvenirs and, in the process, demolished lengthy parts of it. of the ultimate in street Many segments have been given to various institutions around the world. They can be found in presidential art---the Berlin Wall. and historical museums, lobbies of hotels and corporations, at universities and government buildings, and in public spaces. A 40-foot-long section of the Wall is at 5900 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, and is the largest remnant outside Ger- many. Two artists were chosen to paint the back (East) side of the wall by its owner, the Culver City-based Wende Museum.