MAXXI

Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI Secolo.
Rome's newly opened contemporary art museum, architecture by Zaha Hadid. What an interesting space! It's like the Guggenheim on steroids. We'll see how it holds up, but I really enjoyed the visit.

bits 'n' bobs

I love taking photos of clothes/displays at stores and markets, it's something in between idly browsing and actually buying things. I love shots that are just full of STUFF - patterns and colors all thrown in together, or just really distinctive things, like those great bone sunglasses. Here is a compilation of some of my favorites:

Vintage at the Mercato di San Giovanni...



An antiques shop I wandered into...



Shoes at Celine on Via Condotti...


My favorite perfume shop in Trastevere...

grazie mille!

Tonight is my final pizza dinner with my professors/employers/dear friends. It has been such a wonderful experience working with them, and they gave me this gorgeous coral bracelet as a thank-you gift.

I'll be in Rome for a few more days, then off to London, and then Venice for the month of July!

l'arte di mangiare bene

I had this gorgeous creme-brulee with the nest of sugar, at a fantastic restaurant called Renato e Luisa. Exquisite.

Vintage Photos

I picked these up at a wacky vintage/antiques store in Florence. I can't get over how chic they are: I love the classic styles and outdoor settings. I'm definitely framing these when I get the chance, they are a continual inspiration.

All roads indeed lead to Rome, but theirs also is a more mystical destination, some bourne of which no traveller knows the name, some city, they all seem to hint, even more eternal.
Richard Le Gallienne

The Road to Contemporary Art

This Saturday evening, I had a fantastic time at Rome's massive contemporary art fair, held at Macro Future, in an old slaughter-house in Testaccio. I took so many photos! Here are some of my favorites.

A street-artist's take on Guernica, overlooking the parking lot.

This installation was really cool, we were invited to smash these ceramic heads in any way we wanted.

Photographs by Nobuyoshi Araki, a Japanese artist known for his compulsive style and erotic themes.

These two kids were exploring this installation so intensely.




Self-portrait.


Some photographs by Shirin Neshat, one of my favorite contemporary Iranian-American artists.



Below is a detail of a work by Ghada Amer, another favorite from the Middle East.


I don't remember the artist, but this photo was so funny! It's Columbus, at Columbus Circle. Note the reactions of the passersby.

Above: not art. Aperitivi. After the first three hours of strolling, we need to refuel with some Prosecco.




Rome's new contemporary art center, Maxxi, opened over the weekend. I really liked their ad campaign (above.)

It was SO refreshing to be immersed in contemporary art for five hours. The fair was surprisingly laid-back compared to its American counterparts, and I really enjoyed myself.