nyo magazine - the upper west side issue

Upper West

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The

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Meet the NYCB star who swept Natalie Portman off her feet

Per Se’s Thomas Keller • Wynton Marsalis • Armory and ADAA Art Shows

Millepied’sMoment

Date: February 22, 2011

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Publication: NYO UWS GUIDE

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12 Neighborhood Buzz The best eats and shopping on the Upper West Side.

16 Food Resident food expert Eva Karagiorgas explores the gastronomical pleasures of the neighborhood.

18 Opera Soprano Marina Poplavskaya sounds off on La Traviata.

21 Jazz Wynton Marsalis, the man behind Jazz at Lincoln Center.

26 Cover Meet Benjamin Millepied, the man who stole Natalie’s heart.

32 Food Per Se chef Thomas Keller shares his secrets.

34 Art An insider’s view on the Contemporary Chinese Art market.

39 Artist Profiles Get a taste of who’s showing at New York Arts Week.

40 Art The Armory Show highlights Latin America.

42 Art Events Catch these under-the-radar art shows during arts week.

44 Art It’s all about quality at the ADAA Art Show.

51 Fashion Street style in the neighborhood has never looked better.

52 Fashion Our style expert’s best Upper West Side picks.

56 Interior Design John Willey transforms a classic 15 Central Park West apartment.

62 Interior Design Gary Paul designs a residence around a unique art collection.

64 Architecture Lucien Lagrange, architect of 535 West End Ave., speaks out on recent troubles.

68 Real Estate The experts analyze the Upper West Side’s market.

74 Exhibits Curator of the American Museum of Natural History’s Brain shares his creative process.

76 Events See the best parties, galas and events this season.

78 Philanthropy How one man left his life as a club promoter to bring clean water to struggling nations.

92 Wine The legendary Kermit Lynch gives his advice on picking the perfect bottle of red.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR PIERS PARLETT SENIOR EDITOR RACHEL MORGAN

DESIGN DIRECTOR IVYLISE SIMONES

WRITERS ALEX CACIOPPO JOSEPHINE CUSUMANO NATALIE HOWARD CHIU-TI JANSEN EVA KARAGIORGAS CHRISTINE LIU DAISY PRINCE ALEXIS THOMAN RUDISILL FASHION CONTRIBUTORS PRISCILLA POLLEY KATHRYN TYPALDOS COCO MELLORSCONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS ALEXANDER WAGNER DAVID JACQUOT

PUBLISHER RObYN WEISS

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OBSERVER MEDIA GROUPPUBLISHER JARED KUSHNERPRESIDENT CHRISTOPHER bARNESEXECUTIVE V.P. bARRY LEWISASSOCIATE PUBLISHER JAMIE FORRESTV.P. SALES AND MARKETING DAVID GURSKYCLASSIFIED ADVERTISING DIRECTOR KEN NEWMANMARKETING MANAGER JILL GUTEKUNSTV.P. CIRCULATION KRATOS VOS

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contents

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12 / MARCH 2011

UWS neighborhood bUzz

For nearly 30 years Café Luxembourg has been the quintessential bistro on the Upper West Side. They boast a vivacious full-service bar and a wine list that’ll make your sommelier giddy with joy. Cafe Luxembourg offers plenty of variety, from their savory Luxemburger to their sweet assortments of homemade ice creams and sorbets. (200 West 70th Street, 212-873-7411)

Avventura (463 Amsterdam Ave., 212-769-2510) has established itself as an Upper West Side fixture. But don’t let its unassuming storefront fool you—this store-gallery hybrid contains a vast collection of Murano and other artisan glassware and tableware. Inside, you will find an exquisite and interesting collection of Murano pieces by artists like Carlo Moretti and Seguso, as well other glasswork by various eso-teric craftsman you’ve never even heard of—and

let’s be honest, we all want to get that one-of-a kind piece from an artist who has yet to make his mark. For those with more mainstream tastes, Avventura sells a nice selection of Deruta of Italy and Majolica. Prices range from $50 to $1,400.

Darryl’s Boutique is an Upper West Side staple when it comes to women’s clothing. The store, with its inviting interior and varied stylish, versatile and affordable brands, is a must-stop shopping destination. Owner, stylist and some-times impromptu psychiatrist Darryl Gamble ensures that the women who enter his shop leave with perfectly fitted ensembles, both for their bodies and personal style. (492 Amster-dam Avenue, 212- 874-6677)

This is no Victoria’s Secret. Town Shop is the place to go for intimates, offering high-end brands like Anita & Rosa Faia and La Perla. With

more than 100 years of bra-fitting experience, Town Shop guarantees every woman will find their perfect bra. (2273 Broadway, 212-787-2762)

Harry’s Shoes is sort of a neighborhood relic when it comes to your family’s shoe needs. Offering an expansive selection of American and European shoes, this neighborhood fixture has been in the business of selling shoes since the 1930s. Now that’s street cred. (2299 Broadway, 1-866-442-7797)

If Harry’s Shoes doesn’t do it for you, try Tip Top Shoes, a fourth-generation, family-owned retailer of affordable, comfortable kicks—a must in this city. (155 West 72nd Street, 212-787-4960)

Älskling—“darling” in Swedish—is a darling of a shop tucked away on Columbus Avenue

Our resident Upper West Side experts searched far and wide to bring you the very best the neighborhood has to offer by Christine Liu, Alexis Thoman Rudisill and Josephine Cusumano. Photos by Michael Chimento

1. decorative glassware from Avventura 2. Vase from Avventura3. rare shoe styles from West4. Town Shop 5. darryl’s boutique’s smart sensibility

Best of the Upper West

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Claude Monet Champ d’iris au matin, Giverny (Field of Irises in the Morning, Giverny)Stamped signature “Monet” (lower right)

Dated 1887Oil on canvas

Canvas: 20” high x 44” wideFrame: 261/4” high x 493/4” wide

C L A U D E

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UWS neighborhood bUzz

From California to the Upper West Side, Trader Joe’s has taken the grocery world by storm. It’s the chain that boasts gluten-free foods sharing shelf space with fat-free goods. It’s where vegan and vegetarian wares mingle with kosher and tasty microwaveable meals.

New Yorkers first became enamored with the brand in 2006, when Manhattan’s first store opened in Union Square. Another location in Chelsea popped up in 2010. Three months later, Trader Joe’s expanded its holdings to include the Upper West Side, opening a store at 2075 Broadway in a 48,000-square-foot retail space. And just like that, TJ’s established itself as a fierce competitor against beloved neighborhood icons Fairway Market and Zabar’s.

Fairway and Zabar’s now compete with Trader Joe’s low prices, organic and unique

products and even Trader Joe’s own brand, which makes up 80 percent of the store’s inventory.

When it was announced in June of last year that Trader Joe’s was moving in, Fairway chief executive Howard Glickberg told The New York Times that closing the Upper West Side staple grocery store “wasn’t written in stone yet” and the store was still “exploring all the possibilities.”

For now, Fairway remains open. And Upper West Siders are torn between mobilizing to save their beloved Upper West Side fixture and singing Trader Joe’s praises.

“I love [Trader Joe’s] products, and it’s also an added bonus that you never leave feeling like you’re getting ripped off,” said Kaitlin Tambuscio, 22. “I usually can’t believe how far $25 goes at Trader Joe’s.”

The Financial District’s most coveted shopping destinations will open another branch on the Upper West Side, in the 61,000-square-foot building at 1972 Broadway that previously housed Barnes & Noble, a relic in its own right.

“Century 21 presented the landlord with the unique opportunity to replace one New York icon with another New York icon,” said Cushman & Wakefield’s Gene Spiegelman, who brokered the deal.

And it seems Century 21 is in it for the long haul—they signed a 20-year lease for the space and moved in last month. A seven-month renovation will follow before the store’s opening.

A family business, Century 21 has been working its way into the hearts of native and non–New Yorkers alike since it opened its flagship store on Cortlandt Street more than 20 years ago. And New Yorkers are quick to list just why this discount chain store is so beloved.

“I’m all about the bargain hunt, and Century 21 fulfills the adrenaline rush of ‘the find,’” said Chinatown resident Jodie Love.

“This move represented a rare opportunity for Century 21 to benefit from a prime retail location that will provide added convenience to many of our customers,” said COO Raymond Gindi. “We believe 1972 Broadway is already a destination for our clients and we are very excited to bring our brand of retailing to the Upper West Side.”

(228 Columbus Ave., 212-787-7066). Owned by Swede Vivienne Tvilling and located on the UWS for 15 years, the store offers wares ranging from antique lace slips and camisoles to whimsi-cal Swedish-designed frocks in vintage-inspired styles and prints. But far and away Älskling’s best sellers are the white baby onesies with “dar-ling” printed on them—in your choice among 30 languages. A charming gift for the darling Japanese, Romanian or Ethiopian baby in your life. Prices from $19.

Get your hands dirty while embracing your inner Picasso at Make Meaning. Express yourself through soaps, candles, ceramics, glass, jewelry and paper crafts—a great place for an afternoon of crafts to keep the kids busy. (329 Columbus Ave., 212. 362.0350)

Jay-Z is blasting over the speakers as the hip clientele of West (147 West 72nd St., 212.-787-8595) browse the shelves. With walls covered

in framed photos of legendary locals Run DMC and the Beastie Boys, West has become the Up-per West Side’s urban Mecca. The Upper West–only location sells sportswear, accessories and unique sneakers like Quickstrikes, the limited-edition Nike and Adidas kicks that are sold only to small retailers. Selling covetous sneakers that are nearly impossible to get elsewhere, West has really carved out a place for itself in the market.

Put it this way—when Kanye West released his exclusive Nike sneaker, Air Yeezy, the store was only one of five retailers in the city to get it. Nike even collaborated with West, the store version, on its own Quickstrike—the Lunar Glide, a sweet cobalt, fuchsia and black shoe that you’ll have a tough time one-upping with any run-of-the-mill department shoe selection. Prices from $75.

Trader Joe’s: The Future of grocery Shopping

CenTury 21 iS heading UpToWn

indulge your inner artist child at Make Meaning

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FOOD

Once known by the masses as a restaurant wasteland, the Upper West Side has since churned out restaurant after restaurant, birthing seconds to other neighborhood’s firsts—Fatty Crab, Ditch Plains, Sushi of Gari, Accademia de Vino, A Voce and Blue Ribbon have adopted the Upper West Side as their second home.

But being inundated with stepchildren was not the Upper West Side’s first act.

What most gloss over is the neighborhood’s history as a demographically unpredictable and bohemian enclave for artists, writers, musicians and families, all of whom contrib-uted to the diverse and accidental culinary history of the Upper West Side. Gastronomes tend to forget that the true New York cuisine, that of the smoked fish at Barney Greengrass, the lox at Zabar’s, the ropa vieja at La Caridad 78 and the eponymous bagels at H&H Bagels, originated on the Upper West Side.

For a quick tour of the West Side, chow through these:

1. Fairway MarketAct out a real-life videogame dodging carts, narrow aisles, shoppers, falling produce and cheese mongers at this temple of formidable foodstuffs, otherwise known as Fairway Market. Head to the cafe upstairs for New York City’s least-talked about best burger. (2127 Broadway at 76th St., 212-595-1888)

2. Jean-GeorgesJean-Georges Vongerichten’s eponymous Upper West Side debut, Jean-Georges was one of the first’s to redefine the culinary landscape of the Upper West Side. Jean-Georges presents new French fare unlike any other chef’s to this day. (1 Central Park West at 60th Street, 212-299-3900)

3. Zabar’sAn Upper West Side staple and a New Yorker’s cure-all destination for smoked fish, cheese, coffee, bread and most everything in between. For the past 70 years, Zabar’s has been the pearly gateway into any foodie’s soul and the crux of what it means to grocery-shop in New York City. (2245 Broadway at 80th St., 212-787-2000)

4. Barney GreengrassLying at the altar of the New York City lox experience, the centurion Barney Greengrass offers a New Yorker’s New York deli—no-nonsense service and some of the best hot pastrami, knishes, whitefish salad, eggs and smoked fish. (541 Amsterdam Ave. between 86th and 87th St., 212-724-4707)

5. La Caridad 78A true international syndicate, La Caridad 78 has provided Cantonese and Cuban dishes like pork chops with garlic, chicharonnes and arroz con pollo to the Upper West Side since the ’60s. Not to be confused with fusion food, this authentic cartel has separate Cuban and Cantonese menus to satisfy any heart-healthy craving. (2199 Broadway at 78th St., 212-874-2780)

6. Gray’s PapayaStill iconic after all these years, Gray’s Papaya lies in the gray area between fast-food chain and street vendor. Famously open for 24 hours and even more famously loved by Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali, Gray’s offers up snappy hot dogs and a dubious papaya drink. (2090 Broadway at 72nd St., 212-799-0243)

The true NY cuisineFood columnist Eva

Karagiorgas, the restaurant curator for Gilt City New

York, takes us on a tour of some of the best eats of

the Upper West Side. Fair warning—prepare to have

your mouth water

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m OPERA

Marina Poplavskaya in the Met Opera’s La Traviata.

MARCH 2011 / 19

The enigmatic soprano Marina Poplavskaya sounds off on New York, La Traviata and bad press by Rachel Morgan

I interviewed Marina Poplavskaya in the press office of the Metropolitan Opera, where everything is either covered in red velvet carpet—even the walls and banisters—or adorned with some sort of chintzy chrome fixture.

Poplavskaya was dressed all in black, save for a simple silver chain around her neck. Her hair, that infamous curtain of thick blond, was twisted back from her face in a simple braid. She didn’t seem to want attention, unexpected for the woman I have read to be a “diva,” an unbelievably talented Russian soprano with a personality that fills up a room, a woman who as a 9-year-old traveled alone to audition for the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.

Poplavskaya played the title role in the Met Opera’s modernist production of La Traviata, which ran earlier this year and was directed by Willey Decker. This was her second consecutive Verdi headliner for the Met Opera, as she played Elisabeth in Don Carlo in November.

Onstage, Poplavskaya became Violetta, a

fallen woman on the brink of death but on the cusp of true love. She wore a vibrant red dress and matching Stuart Weitzman heels onstage.

“Love, sacrifice—those are the main themes,” Poplavskaya said. “It’s a theme of eternal, soul-searing love. It strikes you in an embrace until the end.”

And she is right—onstage, Poplavskaya truly was Violetta, and there was neither a doubt nor a crack in her perfect armor.

She describes opening night as if she weren’t the seasoned performer she is.

“Petrifying, absolutely petrifying,” she said of the opera’s New Year’s Eve debut. “I understand I cannot always fulfill all these people’s expecta-tions. People want to get something from you that will stay with them.”

And does she quench an expectant audience’s need for fulfillment?

“I can never allow myself to disappoint,” she said simply.

But today, it seems Marina isn’t commanding

attention like her onstage persona. She doesn’t articulate every thought and whim without a second thought.

Perhaps she has learned her lesson. In the December 6 issue of The New Yorker,

in Gay Talese’s essay “Travels With a Diva,” Poplavskaya was painted as a very nearly insuf-ferable diva, difficult and unyielding, someone who complained about hotels, food, flies and just about everything else.

“You have to understand that I felt a great friendship with Gay and his wife. He’s an ex-traordinary man,” she said.

And then, the truth.“Sometimes you give an interview and you tell

the story of your life, and it doesn’t fit the page and they chop it. Then it becomes a completely different story.”

Poplavskaya seems perfectly aware of the impression the article left.

“I think [he] left very strong points,” she said. “He wrote everything, that’s the sad part. He wrote in his article everything was my private sharing as a friend with him, with the part of him being the writer. I think it’s just very strange it happened to me—when a very famous and brilliant writer like Gay Talese lives next door and goes to rehearsals with you, and just writes every bit.”

As for the title, the primly printed “diva,” a four-letter word to some, Poplavskaya isn’t offended.

“People understand the word ‘diva’ in the most opposite ways,” she said. “Diva comes from divine; a diva is a god, something that is beyond human understanding, something which is extraordinary.”

And on that note, I’ll have to agree with Mr. Talese.

As for her thoughts on New York, Poplavs-kaya slipped easily into the role of a native. She frequents eateries like Café Fiorello, Milo’s and Marea. She stays with a friend in her Upper West Side apartment and is friendly with the neighbors.

“It feels like Moscow, it feels like all the other intelligent cities—very busy,” she said. “I find people extremely sensitive, although they are so busy with their lives and pushing their business forward. I think it counts as one of the best times that I’ve had.”

Sounds like a rave review to us. Ken

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‘New York feels like Moscow.’

UWS PEOPLE

Jazz at Lincoln Center’s reigning king of swing at home on the Upper West Side by Chiu-Ti Jansen

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UWS people

Ifirst set foot in Wynton Marsalis’ Upper West Side apartment on a chilly November night in 2009. He sat at his kitchen counter, a pencil in his left hand, working on the composition of Blues Symphony, which would premiere in Atlanta as part of an annual homage to

Martin Luther King Jr. Marsalis was in his Green Bay Packers T-shirt

and jeans, wearing narrow-rimmed glasses. Ellis Marsalis, Winton’s father, softly played the piano in the background. Like his son, Ellis is also an accom-plished musician, as are Wynton’s brothers, Bran-ford, Delfeayo and Jason.

Barely one hour earlier, at the Cultural Services of the French Embassy on Fifth Avenue, Ambassa-dor Pierre Vimont delivered a speech that sounded less like a diplomatic eulogy than a cultural theory. Marsalis wowed guests with a performance by his quintet after receiving Ordre National de la Lé-gion d’honneur—the National Order of the Legion of Honor—the highest award given by the French government. Champagne flowed freely at the party, hosted by the publisher of Elle magazine and the chairman of Alcatel-Lucent, Philippe Camus, and his wife, Betty, with guests such as Le Bernadin’s chef, Eric Ripert; president of the French Institute, Marie-Monique Steckel; and many jazz musicians and Marsalis’ friends from New Orleans.

But here in this house, on this night, Wynton was

quietly working away. “My kitchen counter is my office,” he would later tell me.

Our interview for NYO Magazine was the day be-fore Christmas Eve. Four days earlier, Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra had completed a weeklong performance schedule with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

A simply decorated Christmas tree protruded from a sea of wrapped gifts. The kitchen counter was serving its real function this time—Marsalis’ child-hood friend Maurice was preparing a classic dish from New Orleans. The fragrant waves of scallion, shrimp, okra and rice filled the kitchen.

Marsalis was, literally, at home. His adopted home, that is.

At 17, Marsalis relocated from his native New Orleans to New York. It was 1978 and Marsalis was attending the Juilliard School.

“I felt I was from a different culture,” he said. “I was an Afro. I had never been around that kind of wealthy people. It was a cultural shock.”

In his book To a Young Jazz Musician, Marsalis wrote about that first year in New York, being known as the “cat from New Orleans that can play.” He wrote, “I’m hungry. I’m up here to straighten all this shit out.”

And he did. Marsalis would go on to co-found Jazz at Lincoln Center. In 1996, he was named the artistic director of JALC, a title he still holds. He has sold millions of copies of his recordings, has written five

Jazz at lincoln Center orchestra with Wynton MarsalisFrom left: eliott Ma-son, Marcus printup, Sean Jones, Ryan Kisor, Ali Jackson, Dan Nimmer, Carlos Henriquez, Wynton Marsalis

MARCH 2011 / 23

books and won nine Grammy Awards. Success, it seems, was always in the cards for Marsalis.

On Marsalis’ 43rd birthday, the new $128 million home of Jazz at Lincoln Center on Columbus Circle opened with an inaugural program, Let Freedom Swing.

Sitting among the audience, I was inundated with the dramatic poetry and music, delivered with such gravitas but rhythmically punctuated with Marsalis’ humorous touches. It seems the title of the piece, Let Freedom Swing, was no accident.

“I come from a group of people with a tradition of [experiencing] slavery, so freedom is always impor-tant,” Marsalis later said.

While we’re on the topic, I asked Marsalis a hard question. Has he ever been concerned that the rec-ognition of his accomplishments would be viewed as simply a “token success” in an era of social equality?

“Equality is not about a person being success-ful, but about everybody being successful,” he said. “Equality is about average means.”

Interesting, coming from a relative child prodigy whose first job was cutting grass, until he was invited to play with the New Orleans Philharmonic at the tender age of 14.

Marsalis has played with such greats as Herbie Hancock, Sonny Rollins and Dizzy Gillespie. He seems to have a firm grip on the value of the history of the genre.

“I think this is such a time of deep ignorance that you have to preserve and innovate at the same time,” he said. “That’s what I try to do. Try to come up with new things, but also with old things that would remind people of who we are—because without those things, you can forget.”

When Marsalis first came to New York, he had a significant amount of experience playing music, but didn’t realize just how closely bound together the dif-ferent genres were. By the time he composed pieces like “Blood on the Fields” and “All Rise,” he knew a lot more—from federal music to Anglo-American hymns to spirituals to ragtime; jazz to orchestra music; the relationship of John Philip Sousa to Scott Joplin to Duke Ellington to Art Taylor to Thelonious Monk.

And while Marsalis openly acknowledges his indebtedness to his musical predecessors, he seems less overwhelmed by the “anxiety of influence” than many postmodernist artists.

“I always felt that I was original,” he said. “Nobody can make me feel [that I lack] originality because I can

‘I was known as the ‘Cat from New Orleans that can play.’

From left: Chris Crenshaw, Vincent Gardner, Victor Goines, Ted Nash, Joe Temperley, Sher-man Irby andWalter Blanding

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always come up with so many new ideas all the time.” Marsalis’ home reads like an intellectual history of

the mankind—books everywhere, some lying around as if they were just read five minutes ago. His library em-bodies his wide-ranging curiosities—Proust’s Remem-brance of Things Past (in four volumes), Octavia Paz, Richard Wilbur, D.H. Lawrence, Robert Farris Thomp-son’s Flash of the Spirit: African & Afro-American Art & Philosophy, books about Nelson Mandela, a biography of Mozart, transcripts of Beethoven, even books about baseball, New Zealand and tango. And then there are Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe’s Faust and Christopher Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus. Fitting, since the Germanic mythic-folklore figure of Faust has become a metaphor for the insatiable desire for knowledge.

Marsalis is an active participant in the literary world, having penned five of his own titles. In his book To a Young Jazz Musician, Marsalis touches on his move from New Orleans to New York and his mercurial rise to fame. He also addresses his critics, who have accused him of decreeing what it means to be a jazz musician from atop his post at Lincoln Center.

Despite these criticisms, Marsalis maintains that he still learns every day what it takes to be a good musician.

“I always discover things about myself, like I just discovered the other day that I should become more

sophisticated in how I address harmonic progres-sion when I am playing [trumpet],” he said. “I always notice new things about my playing—things that I can improve.”

Not surprisingly, Marsalis shares similar pieces of advice on how to be a better musician, to the “young jazz musicians” for whom his book was intended.

After meeting with Marsalis I came away knowing two things for sure—he has an unwavering belief in the power of art, especially jazz, to better life. It is comforting in a world that expects very little from art’s ability to address, let alone answer, our ethical dilemma or human conditions.

And two, Marsalis is single-mindedly dedicated to his art—a dedication that makes me wonder if music usurps his own life.

“That is my life; I don’t really have a life outside of that,” he said. “Nothing for me is outside of that, but I have tried to use that to put my life in context.” It seems a perfect answer from one of the city’s most notable musicians—I can just imagine Marsalis living his life to the soundtrack of his own songs, the ebb and flow of the trumpet notes guiding him through his missteps, his successes, his experiences.

While Marsalis is not a native New Yorker, he has very nearly earned the title. “Home might not be where you grew up,” he wrote in Jazz in the Bittersweet Blues of Life. “It might be where you’re going, because some-times it takes a lifetime to figure out what you know.”

And where is Marsalis’ home? After hearing my ques-tion, he replies without thinking, as only a New Yorker would.

“New York.”

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Hitting a top note:Marsalis performs after receiving the French legion of Honor in New York, November 6, 2009.

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B E NJAMIN All About

A year ago, no one outside the ballet world was talking about Benjamin Millepied. Since Black Swan’s release in December, Millepied has garnered a flurry of atten-

tion from devout tabloid followers, the press and ballet enthusiasts alike. The public fascination with Millepied, New York City Ballet’s resident star, cho-reographer of Black Swan and newly minted fiancé to one of America’s most beloved film stars, has only increased as the film continues to sweep the awards circuit.

Since his impending fatherhood and engagement to Oscar-nominee Natalie Portman, Millepied has seen his world tipped upside down. The press, the pa-parazzi, suddenly everyone wants to know everything about the dancer who won the affections of one of the world’s most beautiful movie stars.

Although Millepied refuses to be drawn into the subject of his future wife and mother of his child, he says that when he thinks about fatherhood, he

by Daisy Prince

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becomes “very, very excited.”“It’s life-changing,” he said. “I can’t wait.

I dream about it at night.”But it is in the field of choreography that

he’d like to make his mark. As fate would have it, it’s also his choreography that brought him to Portman.

The pair was first introduced after Millepied was contacted by a producer of Black Swan. The film’s producers needed a choreographer and had seen a ballet Millepied was working on at the time. They liked what they saw and invited him to read the script in one sitting—he was not allowed to leave the room with it. Millepied

liked what he read, and the next step was to meet Natalie.

And therein began a match made in tabloid heaven.

While Millepied stays relatively tight-lipped on his betrothed, he has nothing but praise for the film’s director, Darren Aronofsky.

“What impressed me most about Darren was just how clear his vision for the film was,” Millepied said. “He had such a spe-cific vision for each scene; he described the whole ending to me,” Millepied said.

Despite its dark undertones, Millepied believes Black Swan has done well for the

world of ballet. “It will present

ballet to people who would never have gone to the ballet,” he said. “It’s stirred up controversy, but that’s good. Ultimately, we are all talking about ballet.”

Speaking of controversy, Millepied is censorious about the recent comment New York Times’ ballet critic Alastair Macaulay made about sugarplum fairy Jennifer Ring-er, saying that she looked like a sugarplum fairy who had eaten one plum too many.

“He’s said more than once that I’m out of shape, and he was right,” Millepied said. “But really, I think we are past the point of calling someone fat in the newspaper. It’s humiliating.”

Millepied himself claims not to care what the critics think of his dancing or choreography, a good thing since he has a plethora of work opening in the coming months.

He’s choreographing The Bartered Bride for the Metropolitan Opera—for which The New York Times gave a solid review and

Millepied in one of the practice studios at NYCB.

‘I can’t wait. I dream about it at night.’

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Benjamin millepied

singled out his choreography—and also is working on an unnamed ballet for the American Ballet Theatre next month.

Despite his instant stardom, Millepied remains grounded, even modest.

The day after our interview at the cover shoot for NYO Magazine, he couldn’t have been more polite or gracious. He was kind to everyone, from the groomer—who gave him an impromptu haircut—to the photographer’s assistants. No matter how many poses he was asked to do or jumps he was required to execute without a warm-up—which could have been danger-ous as he was due to go onstage later that night—he performed them with unfail-ing grace. The only time he refused to do anything was when he was asked to wear a leather jacket, due in part to his semi-vegetarian ways.

Later that evening, Millepied was due to perform in Concerto DSCH, choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky of the American Ballet Theatre and also Millepied’s close friend. The segment that Millepied danced was choreographed with him in mind. “We met first at one of the sessions of New York Choreographic Institute,” Ratman-sky said of Millepied. “I didn’t think much of the piece he did then. The next time I saw his choreography [for NYCB] was a few years later. I was really amazed by the progress he’d made.”

But now, Ratmansky has only praise for his friend.

“Two things I admire in his works: his masterful and inventive use of the big groups—the corps—and his desire and ability to be modern,” Ratmansky said. “As

‘I think we are past the pointof calling someone fat in the newspaper.’

MARCH 2011 / 31

a dancer, he is always inspiring. DSCH was done for him.”

NYO Magazine was allowed backstage before the performance that night, and as we looked on, a group of female ballerinas trooped by in full stage makeup, looking in-congruous against the backdrop of pulleys, wires and lighting. The ballerinas looked more like greyhounds at the track, their bodies so tightly sculpted that you could see every muscle tightening as they lightly flexed their shoulders.

When Millepied walked in, he seemed less laid-back than he was at the morning shoot. After a few gentle leg stretches at the barre, he headed to his dressing room, and we followed him there. He was much less chatty, his mood focused and tense.

Later, just before the curtain call, an-other reason emerged as to why Millepied might have been a little keyed up. A slight figure wearing a black sparkly top slipped into the audience. Natalie Portman was

back in New York, fresh from her triumph at the Golden Globes, just in time to watch her fiancé strut his stuff.

Millepied seems born to play the ro-mantic lead. Concerto DSCH is a brilliant score with everything from elements of Tchaikovsky to the British sailing ditty “Drunken Sailor.” It is not your rigorous George Balanchine classic. The choreog-raphy veers from Broadway show tunes to elements of jazz to more classic poses.

Millepied stands out as its star not merely because of his ability as a dancer but because he can act onstage. He con-veys with complete sincerity a deep love and feeling for Wendy Whelan, who plays his partner in this complex and moving piece.

After the ballet finished, we hoped to get a quick after-show rundown of the evening from Millepied’s perspective, but alas, he and his pregnant fiancée had already slipped out into the night. G

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Photographer: Alexander Wagner; Stylist: Priscilla Polley at the Magnet Agency; Groomer: Losi at the Wall Group; Fashion Assistant: Caitlyn Leary; Photo Assistants: Nicolas Kern, Britta Leuermann; Digital Technician: Sheri Manson. On page 32, Stylist: Brent Austin Coover; Fashion Assistants Michell Costa and Joe Reilly; Groomer: Rheanne White at See Management.

On page 28-29, Millepied is wearing a Robert Geller black jacket, Kai-aakmann grey tee; on page 30, Millepied is wearing Burberry navy pants and a Gap White T-shirt.

Millepied with fiancé Natalie Portman

Millepied back-stage before a performance.

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m UWS PEOPLE

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What’s Cooking Behind the Blue Door?

Perhaps most well known for Upper West Side eatery Per Se, Thomas Keller is the only American chef to have two restaurants with three Michelin Stars each: the French Laun-dry in Yountville, Calif., and, not surprisingly, Per Se. He is due to open his latest venture, Bouchon Bakery in Rockefeller Center, at the end of March. How did you get into the restaurant business? Growing up, my mother ran restaurants. I started by washing dishes, which was a wonderful way to begin in the restaurant business. It taught me about myself, and I learned about some basic qualities about being a cook. It can become very chaotic in a restaurant, but you become a part of the team with a common goal and a common vision. That’s the greatest advertisement for being a dishwasher I’ve ever heard—you must have been a precocious teenager. [laughs] Of course, at 13 or 14, I wasn’t think-ing these things. But learning to do things over and over liberated me from the task at hand. When you are a chef, you need to be able to clean a salmon as well as observe whatever else is going on around you to make sure that the restaurant is run properly. You started out in the 1980s in New York—what was the food scene like at that time? Nouvelle cuisine had just taken off, and the great chefs were all coming to New York. The Department of Labor had just classified ‘chef’ as a profession, as opposed to just being thought of as ‘help.’ I started the Polo Lounge, moved to Raoul’s in Soho and then moved to Paris. Tell me about living and working in Paris. I was there a year and a half, living in the 15th Arrondissement and completed eight different stages (culinary internships). There weren’t too many differences between the

American and French systems. I loved the phenomenal street markets full of steaming beets, seasonal apples and peaches. Being a chef is a profession for which the French have a lot of respect. After living in California, you came back to New York and opened Per Se to enormous acclaim. What was it like to receive three Michelin stars? It’s never about one person—I have an exemplary team. The morning of the Mi-chelin announcement, I was in Paris and

would have been midflight back to New York when the call was due to come, so I decided to stay in Paris. I was with Laura [his fiancée], and we found out at about 4 p.m. It was a wonderful time; we had a leisurely walk through Paris, and that night we asked for a table at Taillevent restau-rant, telling them that we’d just received the highest ranking from Michelin. Not only did they give us a table, but the chef himself came out and sat down with us. How did you come to chose Columbus Circle for Per Se’s location? It is an iconic location. I always loved the Upper West Side, lived there for 10 years and used to go to Maurice’s for our sturgeon, Zabar’s and Fairway. I loved Shakespeare [& Co.] Bookstore. We had an inauspicious beginning at Per Se; a fire broke out in the kitchen a week after it opened. All my Asian friends congratulated me, saying that it was a good sign.

Thomas Keller sits down with NYO Magazine to talk about his start as a dishwasher, his newest venture and what it’s really like to receive the rating of three Michelin stars—twice by Daisy Prince

1. Salmon Tartare with Sweet Red Onion Crème Fraiche2. “Sabayon” of Pearl Tapioca with Island

Creek Oysters and Sterling White Stur-geon Caviar 3. The entrance to Per Se

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ART

East meets West A New Yorker’s Encounter with Chinese artby Chiu-Ti Jansen

Any New Yorker who wants to understand what’s happening in China must first encounter its contemporary art. Contemporary Chinese art embodies all of the exploding promises and brilliant contradictions in Chinese society—a society full of raw energy but unsure about its materialistic transformation, haphazard with rough edges but tremendously fascinating. Contemporary Chinese art is leading the lifestyle-industry revolution in China—ahead of fashion, design, architecture, music, dance and literature, all of which are attempting to replicate the contemporary art’s Cinderella rise from obscurity and marginalization to the central stage. Each of these fields is wrestling with the same transition—from “Made in China” to “Created in China.”

What does the rise of contemporary Chinese art mean to New York? Look at the Art Dealers Association of America Art Show, at which the Pace Gallery is dedicating its entire booth to 12 new ash paintings by Shanghai-based Zhang Huan. At the Armory Show, Carolina Nitsch and Galerie Urs Meile are among others to show New York veteran Ai Weiwei’s iconoclastic, conceptual

works, Marble Chair and Sunflower Seeds. Ai Weiwei, who lived in the West Village

in the early ’90s, seems to be constantly in the spotligh—from the “Bird’s Nest” Olympic Stadium in Beijing, which he co-designed, to his politically charged blogs to his recent house arrest. He studied and lived in the United States, mostly in New York, from 1981 to 1993, where he found inspiration from Duchamp’s conceptual art based on altered ready-made objects. In October 2010, he carpeted the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern in London with 100 million porcelain “seeds,” each individually sculpted and hand-painted in the town of Jingdezhen in China by 1,600 Chinese artisans. The miniature version of Sunflower Seeds shown at Carolina Nitsch consists of a handful of seeds contained in an air-sealed, wire-bail glass jar that is more commonly seen in the United States than in China. It is as if the work is trying to demonstrate how content can be repackaged and re-contained in a foreign context; the sunflower seeds are the mundane objects re-manufactured through traditional Chinese craftsmanship in an ancient city rich in imperial patronage of its porcelain production.

By playing with the concept of “Made in China,” the artwork is where “Made in China” and “Cre-ated in China” converge.

Outside the art fairs, downtown’s Chambers Fine Art, a gallery focusing solely on contemporary Chi-nese art, is showing in its New York gallery recent paintings and an installation by Xiaoze Xie. “Wang Qingsong: When Worlds Collide,” currently on view at the International Center of Photography in mid-town Manhattan, showcases photographic works by Qingsong that capture monumental staged cinematic settings, often embedded in grotesque allusions to classical artworks.

Surprisingly, only one of the 272 galleries at the Armory Show is an indigenous Chinese gal-lery. Chinese dealers are staying home, probably because while many Chinese power players in various fields have entered into the art business, the industry is not mature enough for these new-comers to venture outside China.

Last year while attending a reception, I met a hedge fund manager who mentioned a few minutes into our conversation that he had collected a few pieces of contemporary Chinese art. He must have thought that it was terribly sexy to mention that he

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collected contemporary Chinese art. Yes, contemporary Chinese art is sexy.

After all, in our society, anything that is close to money and its attendant power can be considered so. According to the Artprice survey, prior to the most recent financial crisis set off by the Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy, 11 Chinese artists accounted for the world’s top 20 best-selling contemporary artists based on results from 2,900 auctions. Although Chinese art was not immune to the downturn of the art markets, at least the works by certain Chinese artists actively traded in the auction-driven secondary market have recovered handsome-ly—they have routinely surpassed the highest estimate as well as the highest price achieved by the same artist prior to the financial crisis. In the 12 months ending in June 2010, 15 of the top-selling 50 contemporary artists in the world were Chinese.

As contemporary Chinese art has gained currency in China, the prices of contemporary artworks are no longer quoted in U.S. dollars or euros but in renminbi (RMB). This clearly re-flects a gradual shift of the buyer base from the non-Chinese to the Chinese. March 2011 marks the fifth anniversary of Sotheby’s seminal sale of contemporary Chinese art in New York, the first of its kind to focus solely on contemporary Chinese art. But since the fall of 2009, when the art market seemed to be in a free fall following the financial crisis, major international auc-tion houses have shifted their contemporary Chinese art auctions to Hong Kong—where the mainland Chinese buyers are the drivers

behind the revival of certain segments of the auction markets.

It doesn’t take an economist to figure out the math—the rise of the Chinese economy, in full swing following China’s entrance into the World Trade Organization in 2001, means that the purchasing power of the emerging wealth in China will dictate the shift of tastes in certain cultural consumption.

Since “Inside Out: New Chinese Art” opened at the Asia Society in 1998, contemporary Chi-nese art has come a long way in New York City. In the past, we have witnessed group shows where artists of disparate styles were lumped together under a China label with little or no emphasis on individual artists’ idiosyncrasies.

By the time Zhang Huan had his solo show “Altered States” at the Asia Society in 2007, Yue Minjun his solo show “Yue Minjun and the Symbolic Smile” at the Queens Museum of Art in 2007 or Yin Xiuzhen his “Collective Subcon-scious” at MoMA in 2010, these exhibits were more than a ride on the China brand. They were viewed as individual artists, each with their own visual language and artistic vision. In 2010, MoMA published Contemporary Chinese Art: Primary Documents, which injected scholarly rigor into the field of studies of the contempo-rary Chinese art.

I am an art collector myself, and one of the first assumptions about my art collection is that I collect only Chinese art. I often thought to myself, “Collecting only the art, especially only that produced from one’s own country —how boring is that?”

Having spent an equal amount of time in American and Chinese culture, I often wonder what is so compelling about contemporary Chinese art. For me, it’s refreshing that, unlike a debate that plagued the intellectual discourse in early-20th-century China, many post–Cultural Revolution artists are no longer obsessed with the binary opposition between the Western and Eastern mediums.

Chinese artists are still trying to make sense of the spectacular historical changes that are happening to their lives and society. China is happening, and so is its art scene. And it is still happening. I’d like to think that there is more than an economic force behind New York’s fascination with the Chinese art scene. Beyond the simple economic motivations and blind trend-chasing, there is also a fundamental human desire to be part of the next big thing—and New Yorkers would naturally not want to be left out of the next big thing that is New China.

Chiu-Ti Jansen is the founder of CHINA HAPPENINGS, a multimedia and advisory platform that focuses on the lifestyle and cultural industries in China.

1. Song Dong’s Waste Not2. Ai Weiwei’s Sunflower Seeds in Glass Jar 3. Wang Qingsong’s Competition

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WHAT TO READ1. Chinese Contemporary Art: 7 Things You Should Know, by Melissa Chiu, 20082. New China, New Art, by Richard Vine, 20083. Mahjong: Contemporary Chinese Art From The Sigg Collection, by Feng Boyi et al., 20054. Young Chinese Artists: The Next Generation, by Christoph Noe et al., 2010

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22 Informing the Eye of the Collector: ChineseCeramics and Works of Art from J.T. Tai & Co.

23 Harmony of Form, Serenity of Color: A Private Collection of ‘Song’ Ceramics

Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art

24 Indian and Southeast Asian Works of Art

25 Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art

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Pat Steir refuses to limit herself in terms of the mediums she utilizes. The New Jersey native is known just as much for her installation pieces as for her paintings and prints.

Tell me about the print for the ADAA show. It’s a collaboration between me, Dick Solomon at Pace Editions and Adam Sheffer at Cheim & Reid. It’s a series of monoprints as well as an edition. Each monoprint is different and has a lot of handwork on it, and some of them will also be made into editions. There will be eight of them available at the art show. They’re printed by silkscreen in Brooklyn by Jo Watanabe Press, which is part of Pace Prints.

I’ve heard you have an unusual method of painting.I pour the paint—sometimes from brushes, sometimes from the can. It evolved slowly over a really long time. I began to get involved with the ideas of chance and control, nature and culture. We see nature as chance. I have some control, but I don’t have a specific system. My system is just pouring. So it’s up to chance and gravity. I want to make a painting that makes itself.

What do you hope your art communicates to its audience?Whatever they need to find.

ARTIST PROFILES

Iván Navarro: Lighting up the Armory Show Iván Navarro, a Santiago, Chile, native, now lives and works in Brooklyn, but the political climate of his home country continues to influence his work.

Tell me about the installation piece you’re ex-hibiting at the Armory Show.It’s made out of neon lights, and it’s in the shape of a fence. The piece will be installed in the perimeter of the booth. It will be enclosing the booth and people won’t be able to enter, so it will work as a real, actual fence.

Why do you work so much with Minimalism?Minimalism in New York is very well respected as a historical movement, but I think it’s something

that should be criticized for the purity it involves, the lack of relationship to social content. In Chile the social content is so strong in art that working as a Minimalist artist doesn’t really make any sense. It’s almost like you’re forgetting about all the social issues.

Do you want people to have that type of physical interaction with your work?I do, yes. It’s important to have unexpected interac-tions between the public and from your pieces. That makes it anti-Minimalism because Minimalism doesn’t allow anything like that. For me, that’s what happens; you take your pieces to the outside world after making it in the studio.

Thinking outside the booth with Jessica StockholderJessica Stockholder is well known for her site-specific pieces that take influence from their physical contexts.

Tell me about your pieces at the ADAA Art Show.There’s a chandelier and some smaller sculptures mak-ing their world premiere. They are all separate pieces. They are related to one another in that I made them as a group and, moving from one to another, they inform each other, but they are single, autonomous pieces.

Where do you get the materials to use in your pieces?My studio is full of things that I can use, and sometimes my work is generated by what things happen to be there. People give me stuff or I get it from Goodwill, TJ Maxx, Home Depot. I stumble upon things. This body of work emerged from stuff I have here at the studio.

Are you trying to communicate something spe-cific to your audience?I don’t make my works with the hope to communicate something particular to somebody else. The work is an endeavor to uncover, discover or shift a way of looking at things and to share that with people. It’s a dynamic and layered process of experiencing and understand-ing that I’m engaged in for myself, and then my hope is to share that with other people.

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Chilean artist Navarro’s Death Row.

Stockholder’s ‘Bow-tied in the Middle’

Pat Steir talks paints and prints

by Natalie Howard

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ART

Truly an international art fair, the Armory Art Show spotlights Latin America with galleries hailing from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela by Chiu-Ti Jansen

In the past few decades, art fairs have proliferated throughout the world. They have morphed from trade shows into cultural spectacles and tourist destinations, complete with one-of-a-kind installations, late-night parties and even fashion shows. The Armory Show is no exception.

Despite its name, the Armory Show is not located in the Park Avenue Armory or the Downtown Armory. The name traces back to its roots—the show began at the Gramercy International Art Fair, organized by four dealers in 1993 to drum up sales in the midst of a recession. The fair became the Armory Show in 1999, when it was held at the 69th Regiment Armory, the same site of the legendary Armory Show of 1913 that introduced modern art to America.

The proliferation of contemporary art fairs globally means that there is an added pressure to distinguish oneself from com-petitors.

“We distinguish ourselves by being sup-ported by the most vibrant contemporary art environment,” said Katelijne De Backer, exec-utive director of the Armory Show. “Galleries and museums in New York City are second to none in the world, and they all come together to provide concurrent exhibition offerings.”

But it would be a mistake to classify the Armory Show as simply a “local art fair.” Af-ter all, the art business is now by definition global. To counteract this classification, the Armory Show has increased and maintained the presence of international participants over the years.

For example, in 2010, the Armory Show spotlighted Berlin as part of its geographi-cal focus on a vibrant art community out-side New York. This year, “Armory Focus: Latin America” will feature a selection of 21 galleries from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. These are in addition to approximately 10

Latin American galleries that are already part of the main contemporary and Modern sections. According to De Backer, these pro-grams are effective tools to cultivate new exhibitors for the fair. Many of the galler-ies showcased in last year’s “Armory Focus: Berlin” will join the main fair the first time this year. To complete the Latin America theme and continue a tradition started in 2002, the Armory Show has also commis-sioned Mexican-born, Belgium-based artist Gabriel Kuri to create the visual identity for the 2011 fair.

As a result of such efforts, out of the 272 participating galleries in the 2011 edition, just about 40 percent are from the United States, with the remainder hailing from all over the world. According to the Armory Show’s own statistics, last year the fair at-tracted 60,000 visitors, of which 56 percent were from outside New York City and more than a third came from outside the United States.

De Backer said that many galleries, encouraged by the sales results at London’s Frieze Art Fair and the Art Basel Miami Beach last year, have opted to increase the size of their booths. As a result, the number of participating galleries is smaller this year—272 compared with 289 last year—to

Armory Show 2011, Focus on Latin America

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accommodate the increased space require-ments of these exhibitors. Although the scale may not measure up to its peak four years ago, De Backer maintained that there is a steady uptick in activity.

For a gallery to participate in the Armory Show, it has to go through a managed peer-review process. The selection committee is typically reconstituted immediately after the close of the Armory Show, with some continuing members interacting with the new ones. The current six-member com-mittee consists of art dealers and galler-ies representing different geographical regions: New York, Los Angeles, Neth-erlands, London, Paris and Dubai. Based on the applications received through the early summer, the selection committee will determine the exhibitors by the end of Au-gust. Then the production of the show will be in full swing—charting a floor plan and creating bespoke booth layouts and various other preparatory activities.

How does a visitor navigate the sprawling art fairs? De Backer has her own set of tips.

“Do your homework,” she said. “Come prepared. Check out the information on our Web site.” Also, visitors should take advantage of the readily available gallery representatives to ask questions and learn

about the artists and artworks in an other-wise overwhelming environment, she said.

Observing how the fair has evolved in the 10 years since she started getting involved, the “decorating three walls” approach is now passé, De Backer said. In fact, many of the exhibitors view the Armory Show as an opportunity to emulate the quality of a curated museum exhibition. What’s more, many galleries are opting for spotlighting one single artist or one major installation with a view to creating an indelible impres-sion on the collectors and visitors, even at the risk of compromising financial returns.

In the end, all the preparation is done with the hope that this would be an art fair to remember.

The Armory Show is open from noon to 8 p.m., March 3-5, and noon to 7 p.m. March 6. The show hosts a professional preview on March 2 and is open to the public March 3-6. Contemporary art by living artists is located on Pier 94 and a Modern section focusing on secondary market is on Pier 92. With a single $30 admission ticket, visitors will have access to upward of 300 Modern and contemporary dealers (Student tickets are $10, group sales are $15, four-day passes are $60.)

1. Untitled by Brazilian artist Anna Maria Maiolino at Vivian Horan Fine Art booth on Pier 922. Gabriele Basilico’s

piece Contact, 1984 at the Oliva Arauna Gallery3. Iván Navarro’s new optical “wall hole” Pause at Galerie

Daniel Templon 4. Wave Bias, 2010, by Cordy Ryman at DCKT Contemporary. All photos courtesy of the artists

MAke suRe Not to MIss

• Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects will be presenting a massive painting by the artist Rodney McMillian. The painting is 27 feet long and made from hand-sewn vinyl. • Vera Lutter is presenting her most recent works, which were taken on her trip to Egypt last year and were made in a custom fabricated suitcase/camera obscura at the Carolina Nitsch booth. • Ivan Navarro is creating a site-specific installation in the Paul Kasmin Gallery booth, titled Armory Fence, made of neon lights with a parameter of 82 feet.• New York gallery Lehman Maupin is pre-senting a solo exhibition of never-before-seen Urethra Postcard Pictures by Gilbert & George.• Ronald Feldman Gallery is presenting a solo presentation by Sam Van Aken that will transform the booth into an orchard of live trees, with unusual genetically altered properties. As designed by the artist, the trunks and leader branches identify the trees as being five different types: peach, plum, cherry, nectarine and apricot. But each tree has the capacity to simultaneously grow all five fruits.

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ART shows

Offering a deep exploration of a selected body of work, VOLTA NY showcases the works of exclusively solo artists, from Aaron Johnson to Natasha Kissell to Robert Kunec, among many others. Featuring stand-alone artist exhibitions in exploration of differing ideas of contemporary art, this one is a must-see. (March 3-6, 7W at 7 West 34th St., $15)

Fountain Art Fair returns for its sixth year in New York City, boasting a wide array of ec-centric artists and Brooklyn-based perform-ers and galleries. More than 20 projects will be featured at this envelope-pushing art fair, which features exhibits by Christina Ray Gallery, Greg Haberny and McCaig-Welles, among others. (Pier 66 Maritime, 26th St. and 12th Ave., March 3-6, $10)

The award-winning temporary exhibition fo-rum INDEPENDENT is back for its second edition. The free show hosts 40 artists show-casing their work in an atypical style of the art fair. (March 3-6, 548 West 22nd St., free)

The 2011 PULSE Contemporary Art Fair, New York will be held in the newly built venue Metropolitan Pavilion in the Flatiron district. The fair, dedicated solely to contem-porary art, has a brand new contemporary venue to match. International galleries will present works by leading contemporary art-ists alongside up-and-coming artists. (March 3-6, 125 West 18th St., $20)

The Red Dot Art Fair features art from galleries such as Art Gotham, Nine Gallery, Gallery Edel and FAN Fine Art, among oth-ers. The show is partnering with the Korean Art Show, organized by the Galleries As-sociation of Korea; 30 Korean Art Show galleries will share the space with Red Dot’s exhibitors. All funds garnered from the art show will fund a breathtaking installation by Patrick Singh, projected on the Manhat-tan Bridge during the fair. (March 3-6, 82 Mercer St., free)

A 60,000-square-foot hall at 320 West Street across from Pier 40 on the West Side Highway is the venue of choice for Scope Art Show. The New York Edition of the Scope Art Show will showcase 50 international gal-leries from four continents and 16 countries extending from China to Canada. (March 3-6, $20)

A stage for groundbreaking and exciting art, Verge Art Fair serves to push the boundaries in which art is appraised and presented to the public. The show focuses primarily on emerg-ing art and all that entails. (March 3-6, Dylan Hotel, 52 East 41st St., $10)

Moving Image: An Art Fair of Contempo-rary Art showcases contemporary instal-lations of video, single-channel video, even video sculpture. (March 3-6, Waterfront New York Tunnel, 261 11th Ave., free)

PooL Art Fair is dedicated to providing a platform for underrepresented artists and originates from the 1863 Courbet’s Salon des Independents. (March 4-6, Gershwin Hotel, 7 East 27th St.)

New York Arts Week

Check out these other art fairs

happening this spring as part of Armory

Arts Week By Christine Liu

Art lovers at last year’s PULsE Contemporary Art Fair

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7 3 0 F I F T H A V E N U E N E W Y O R K , N Y 1 0 0 1 9 2 1 2 - 8 8 8 - 3 5 5 0 F : 2 1 2 - 8 8 8 - 7 8 6 9 g a l l e r y @ n o h r a h a i m e g a l l e r y . c o m

NIKI DE SAINT PHALLE: STAR FOUNTAIN installed at Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago, 2007 polyurethane foam, resin, steel armature, stained and mirrored glass, glass, pebbles, ceramic tiles 118 x 80 x 80 in. 300 x 200 x 200 cm. @ 2011 Niki Charitable Art Foundation, All rights reserved. Photo @ Thomas Marlow.

at the Armory Modern

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in Time Square

Niki de Saint Phalle

NOHRA HAIME GALLERY

REPRESENTING THE NIKI CHARITABLE ART FOUNDATION

BASTIDAS BOLLA BOTERO CHIA DOWNEY DUNOYER HEIZER HIRD MERLINO MUTAL SAINT PHALLE SONNEMAN STRAUS SUTIL

PALADINO VARI

7 3 0 F I F T H A V E N U E N E W Y O R K , N Y 1 0 0 1 9 2 1 2 - 8 8 8 - 3 5 5 0 F : 2 1 2 - 8 8 8 - 7 8 6 9 g a l l e r y @ n o h r a h a i m e g a l l e r y . c o m

SOPHIA VARI: LA HAUT RIEN NE BOUGE, 1989, bronze, ed. 3, 86 x 40 x 23 in. 218 x 102 x 60 cm.

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ART

ADAA Show: Quality, not Quantity

Currently the country’s longest-running art show, the ADAA show continues

to showcase a unique and eclectic mix of artist exhibitions. This year is

no exception.

by Natalie Howard

The Art Dealers Association of America Art Show is back for its 23rd year, proving once again that it’s a show with staying power.

“If there’s one thing we want, it’s interest-ing, quality material,” said Linda Blumberg, ADAA’s executive director. “Without a doubt, I think we have a reputation for showing really first-rate art, and that’s what draws people year after year.”

The ADAA Art Show maintains that high level of quality with a stringent application process for exhibition hopefuls. The ADAA sends out a request for applications and also send out requests for proposals. Then the ADAA members vote on which propos-als to accept. The committee also selects five additional artists that will appear at

the show, Blumberg said, to ensure that all their bases are covered—American paint-ing, Modernism, contemporary photogra-phy, print.

Artists who will display work at the 2011 show include abstract painter David Reed; Robert Motherwell, a former member of the New York School and colleague of Jackson Pollock; Dutch sculptor and installation artist Mark Manders; installa-tion artist and Yale University’s director of graduate studies of sculpture Jessica Stock-holder; and photographer and filmmaker William Klein.

The placement of the 70 artists’ booths is carefully considered.

“We want the exhibits to be mixed,” Blum-berg said. “We’re very careful about trying to place booths so that they’re interestingly juxtaposed to each other. It’s not random.”

The ADAA Art Show’s main event is, predictably, the art show, but there are sev-eral other events for visitors to enjoy. Gary Tinterow, Engelhard curator of European paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, will host a collectors’ forum focusing on Picasso March 5.

“There’s always pressure to make sure it’s

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fresh and interesting and not rest on your laurels,” Blumberg said. “Every year we make a conscious effort to make it better and as interesting as we can.”

The show entices visitors and art collec-tors with an intricate balance of excitement and intimacy. While the ADAA’s show is smaller like many other similar national art fairs, garnering only 10,000 to 12,000 visi-tors a year, Blumberg sees this as an asset rather than a fault.

“We are a small show compared to some, but that makes it so much easier to navigate and actually talk with the dealers,” Blum-berg said. “It’s a more intimate showcase.”

Entrance fees to the show directly ben-efit the Henry Street Settlement, a social service agency based in the Lower East Side. Henry Street Settlement has been the beneficiary of the show since its inception 23 years ago.

“Henry Street has been there from the beginning,” Blumberg said. “Everybody who buys a ticket, all of that entrance fee

goes to the benefit of Henry Street com-pletely, 100 percent.”

To raise additional funds for Henry Street, the ADAA Art Show also commis-sions an artist to create a unique print specifically for sale during the show.

“This year, Pat Steir is doing the print,” Blumberg said. “It’s a collaboration be-tween Pace Prints Gallery and Cheim & Read Gallery.”

Pace Prints and Cheim & Read aren’t the only galleries teaming up this year. For the first time in the ADAA Art Show’s history, two galleries are joining forces to show the works of one artist—Richard Grey Gallery and Galerie Lelong will both exhibit the art of Jaume Plensa, a Spanish sculptor and mixed-media artist best known for creating

the Crown Fountain in Chicago’s Millen-nium Park.

While the show garners tremendous pub-licity for the ADAA, it is the artwork that really takes center stage.

“We’re very sensitive to doing what is best for the work being presented,” Blum-berg said. “We ask, what makes the art look best? How can we best present them so that people can see them in the best light?”

And Blumberg is confident that the 23rd year will be yet another successful one.

“We have proven ourselves over the years to be a premier showcase for first-rate gal-leries from around the country,” Blumberg said. “We’re very proud of it, and we hope people can come and enjoy it.”

The Art Show, held at the Park Avenue Armory at 67th Street, runs from March 2-6 with a special preview on March 1. Admis-sion to the show is $20 per day, which is open from noon to 8 p.m. on March 2-5 and from noon to 6 p.m. on March 6.

1. Irving Penn’s Truman Capote, New York, 1948; Pace/MacGill Gallery 2. Marilyn by Andy Warhol at David Tunick, Inc. 3. Jessica Stockholder, 2009, Plexi-glass, plastic tray, gray plastic, hardware, African wood, foam, cloth, Styrofoam, ribbons, tape, 35 x 21 x 9 in. at Mitchell-Innes & Nash 4. Burgoyne Diller’s Early Geometric (Abstraction), 1933. Oil on canvas 27 x 41 inches. Menconi & Schoelkopf Fine Art. 5. Repas Frugal by Pablo Picasso at David Tunick Inc.

‘We have a more intimate showcase’

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StreetbeatFA S H I O N

We wandered the streets on one of the coldest days in February to see how these Upper West Siders bundled up in style By Coco Mellors

1. Ariel EngebretsonFavorite thing you’re wearing? My Maxfield Parrish jacketBest thing about the Upper West Side? The beautiful brownstone buildings

2. ChiFavorite thing you’re wearing? The keys to my storeBest thing about UWS?Great people watching

3. Irakli BukrashviliFavorite thing you’re wearing? My new Hugo Boss coatBest thing about UWS?The amazing location

4. Ruth MuindeFavorite thing you’re wearing? My Cole Haan boots—they’re keeping my feet warm!Best thing about UWS?You’re free to be yourself here

5. Rodney IngramFavorite thing you’re wearing? My sneakers from Urban OutfittersBest thing about UWS?The awesome buildings and churches

6. Britannie BondFavorite thing you’re wearing? My hatBest thing about UWS?Magnolia Bakery!

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Fashion west sidestyleFa s h i o n

Our resident style expert trolled the streets to find unique pieces that you can only get on the Upper West Side

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1. Ssemienne for Think Closet polka dot dress with ruffles, $139

2. Jennifer George concho belt, $1,800

Photos by Ivylise Simones

Model: Michele Molina; Photo Assistant: E.F. Angel

Styled by Kathryn Typaldos

MARCH 2011 / 53

3. Urban Behavior for Shi Shi military jacket in olive, $98Paige Braided Silverlake short, $143Pookie & Sebastian Megan sheer one pocket top, $38

4. Creatures of Comfort for Steven Alan striped maxi, $238Patricia Underwood for Malia Mills Ladies Who Lunch hat, $355

5. Malia Mills Coral Casino Romper in Noir, $345 (for jewelry, see 6)

6. Jennifer George jewelry; Lorne Michael’s Mortgage Full necklace, $1800; Drink Milk Bolo necklace, $795; Tallahassee Laveliere necklace, $595

7. Pookie and Sebastian Whitney grommet shoulder dress in poppy, $138Marley Moretti for Shi Shi turquoise, sterling silver and pyrite ring, $89

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Pookie & Sebastian, 322 Columbus Ave., 212-580-5844 Malia Mills, 220 Columbus Ave., 212-874-7200 Shi Shi, 2488 Broadway, 646-692-4510 Steven Alan Outpost, 465 Amsterdam Ave., 212-595-8451 Think Closet, 324 Columbus Ave., 212-877-9777 Jennifer George, www.jennifergeorgenyc.com, 917-657-2267 Paige Premium Denim, 245 Columbus Ave., 212-769-1503

Model: Michele Molina; Photo Assistant: E.F. Angel

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Jill NewhouseDavid Nolan GalleryOdyssia The Pace GalleryPace/MacGill GalleryPace Prints & Pace PrimitiveFriedrich Petzel GalleryRegen ProjectsJames Reinish & AssociatesSusan Sheehan GalleryManny Silverman GallerySkarstedt GallerySperone WestwaterAllan Stone GalleryLeslie Tonkonow Artworks+ProjectsDavid TunickMichael WernerWorthington GalleryDonald Young GalleryZabriskie GalleryPavel Zoubok GalleryDavid Zwirner Gallery

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Willey removed three closets in the cor-ridor leading to the bedrooms to create an inviting reading room out of what was formerly underutilized space.

MARCH 2011 / 57

See how interior designer John Willey worked his magic to give this iconically addressed New York apartment a superbly comfortable and functional feel by Rachel Morgan. Photos by David Jacquot

I N T E R I O R D E S I G N

UPTOWN in style

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interior design

1. dramatic furnishings are juxtaposed with more humble accents.2. turning the space into a “modern Ver-sailles,” Willey trans-formed the gallery of the residence.

3. taking advantage of the apartment’s unparalleled views of Central Park, Willy opened up the dining and living rooms to create an open living area.

The five-bedroom, 3,600- square-foot residence at 15 Central Park West is a blank canvas any interior designer would love to get their hands on. John Willey, owner and

founder of Willey Design, LLC was the man who got to make it happen. “The apartment has a lot of dramatic furnishings and color, but I wanted to combine all of the elements into a space that wasn’t fussy and lends to entertaining or movies at home with the family,” said Willey. “For instance, if I used a vintage high-gloss dresser, I paired it against a more humble element, like woven rope beds, or luxurious velvet against grass cloth wallpaper. It takes the seriousness out of

the equation, but still keeps it sophisticated and polished.” Completed over the course of a year, the renovation included opening up the dining and living room to make one cohesive living space, taking full advantage of the property’s park views and replacing the wooden floors with a traditional European custom gray limestone mosaic in the gallery. It also included turning the existing library into an additional bedroom to accommodate the large family’s needs and transforming a formerly “wasted space” into a replacement library, a hidden reading room.

“A dedicated space for books is vital, and a home must have books to give it life,” Willey said. “The corridor leading to the bedrooms

was dark and tunnel-like, so I ripped out three unnecessary closets and created a reading area with a 14-foot sofa against black lacquered bookcases and inset antique mir-rors. Instead of a pass-through, it’s now a place that brings a pleasant surprise and lets one can curl up with a book.”

The overhaul also included an asymmetri-cal gallery space that was divided into two separate spaces, one with a custom plaster made to resemble terra cotta pots and the other with framed inset mirrors.

“It’s my little homage to the Galerie des Glaces, but done in a modern way,” Willey said of the mirrored portion of the gallery.

Willey has his own unique creative process when it comes to redesigns like this one.

“Every project is a true collaboration

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NIKKI FIELD, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, ASSOCIATE BROKER | T 212.606.7669 | nikkifield.comKEVIN B. BROWN, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, ASSOCIATE BROKER | T 212.606.7748HELEN MARCOS, ASSOCIATE BROKER | T 212.606.7747JEANNE H. BUCKNAM, ASSOCIATE BROKER | T 212.606.7717ZOE HAYDOCK, SALES ASSOCIATE | T 212.606.7727

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with my clients,” he said. “First, I walk through the space with them, listening to their practical needs, and I also try to read between the lines to decipher what they may not be able to express. Once I have a

design theme, it’s a fairly quick and easy process coming up with the design direc-tion and palette, but then the real work begins by implementing the ideas into reality.”

One of the clients’ needs was bedroom space for each child in the large family.

“A unique and pleasant request from my client was that instead of designing bedrooms for each specific child, they preferred for each child to pick a room when they’re in New York,” Willey said. “That allowed me to create a more grown-up and gender-neutral design for all the rooms, so that if an adult relative were staying over, they didn’t feel like they were camping out in a child’s room.”

Another unique feature of the apartment Willey took into account were the breathtak-

ing views of Central Park throughout the entire apartment.

“The residence overlooks Central Park, including all the bedrooms, but I especially wanted to take advantage of the views in the main areas by opening up the dining and living rooms to create an open living area,” he said.

Mirrors were another key element in the design scheme.

“I brought in mirrored or reflective items to expand the existing light and park views throughout, like a faceted mirrored screen which then becomes a sculptural element in the space,” he said.

We couldn’t think of a better addition to a property that is very much a “modern Ver-sailles,” right here in New York.

A dedicated space for books is vital. a home must have books to give it life.

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400 E 67TH ST – THE LAUREL: Gorgeous2 bedroom, 2½ bath with high ceilings and luxuryfeatures. World-class condo. $1,499,000. WEB: A0017431. Austin Schuster, 212.606.7797

303 E 57TH ST: Panoramic views from every room.44th floor, 2-bedroom (convertible 3-bedroom),3 baths, balcony. $1,250,000 WEB:A0017400.W. Hilliard, 212.606.7689, D. Senko, 212.606.7785

170 EAST 88TH STREET: Mint 2 bedroom, 1½ bathloft duplex with soaring ceilings and towns of warmthand character. $1,150,000 WEB:A0017453 MicheleLlewelyn, 212.606.7716

TOWNHOUSE OFF SUTTON SQUARE: Privategated cobblestone street with own parking space.River views from all rooms. 4 bedrooms. $15,500,000.WEB: A0017423. Lee Summers, 212.606.7789

GREAT INVESTMENT PROPERTY: 21’-wide,6-story mixed use building near Columbus Circle.$8,000,000 WEB: A0017416. M. Landegger,212.606.7665, C. Mouterde-Berk, 212.606.7642

485 PARK AVENUE: Sun-flooded, high floor,11-room prewar co-op offering a versatile layout.$10,000,000 WEB: A0017028. Serena Boardman,212.606.7611, Brucie Boalt, 212.606.7702

511 E 82ND ST: Enjoy townhouse style living in an inti-mate prewar co-op. Beautiful triplex with garden.$1,895,000 WEB: A0017465 Juliette Janssens,212.606.7670, Allison Koffman, 212.606.7688

232 EAST 61ST STREET: Beautifully renovated 20’-wide 5-story plus roof deck townhouse. 7 bedrooms, 6½baths, 6,675± sq ft. $8,750,000. WEB: A0017411. EvaMohr, 212.606.7736

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interior design

Artsy apartment has an eclectic taste

Designing the interior of an apartment around an art collection isn’t something interior designers face every day, but Gary Paul, owner of GP Incorporated Design Consulting, was up for the challenge.

“It is important to me to not dictate style to my clients, but to find the style elements that they respond to, that define them and bring the style elements to a place that both sur-prises and excites them but still allows them to feel at home,” Paul said.

The apartment, located on the iconic Upper West Side location that is West End Avenue, was designed from 2002–08 and fully reflects the clients’ busy lifestyle—and eclectic art collection.

“The substantial parts of the alterations were woven into the existing apartment but conceived with an updated new spirit, even

when the design appears to be more tradition-ally conceived,” Paul said. “The choices were indeed selected with the artwork in mind—we moved pieces around to highlight each piece specifically and pulled colors that were found in the paintings.”

The den and the living room were de-signed with two specific pieces in mind—in the living room, a piece by Shirley Kaneda, a Japanese-born, New York City–educated artist; and in the den, a piece conceived by Victor Matthews.

But the renovation was also a product of simply a new chapter in life.

“After years of parties, raising children and an increasingly active lifestyle, it was time to redesign the kitchen, bathrooms and refurbish the spaces in between,” Paul said. “My clients are both accomplished, work in

finance—largely in the public sector, finding niches in the industry that give back. They travel, have large extended families.”

The renovation, which included the kitch-en, the breakfast room, the living room, the master bedroom, an additional bedroom, the den and three baths, needed to reflect that.

But sometimes renovations involve keeping what works, as Paul learned.

“The Chinese Deco carpet in the living room was a purchase I advised on for [the client’s] first apartment, before she had a husband, a child and a dog,” he said. “And it became the centerpiece of the colorful living room 20 years later.”

While the apartment may seem rather bright to some, that was Paul’s intention.

“Color unites the rooms of this apartment,” he said.

Interior designer Gary Paul creates a lively apartment with a bold palette inspired by a unique art collection and a few statement pieces in a sought-after Candela-designed cooperative on West End Avenue by Rachel Margan

in the residence’s den (left), Paul designed the room around a piece of artwork by William dutton and Victor Matthews. in the living room (right), the room’s atmosphere was created around a piece by shirley Kaneda, a Japanese-born, new York City–educated artist.

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Nearly every day Lucien Lagrange walks past 65 East Goethe near his home in the River North neighborhood of Chicago, admiring the gentle curves of its facade, the French Renaissance–inspired, old-world charm of the eight-story stone building. They simply don’t make them like this anymore. Except they do. Lagrange is an architect, arguably Chicago’s most well known. In fact, Lucien Lagrange Architects designed 65 East Goethe, along with more than 16 other high-end buildings in Chicago since the firm opened its doors, in 1985.

But he’s not just big in Chicago. In 2008, Lucien Lagrange Architects, at

which Lagrange is one of four principals, made the leap from the Midwest to the Northeast to build the luxurious, 20-story prewar building that is 535 West End Ave.

Nestled in New York’s historic Upper West Side, the Extell-developed building meshes seamlessly with the block and boasts features such as full-floor units, kitchens designed by England’s Smallbone of Devizes, custom baths, an indoor pool, saunas and even a kosher kitchen.

“It’s contextual,” Lagrange said of the build-ing. “We curved the corner in a very gentle way, which isn’t normally done in New York. It’s very soft as you turn. We used brick, then limestone to give it some accent. One thing we did differently is we did larger windows, more light coming in, so it’s a more modern building in a way. At the top, we changed the window proportions with the arches, acknowledg-ing the fact that we are reaching the sky and there’s an end to the building.”

According to Lagrange, designing high-end residential housing is all about understanding the clients wants and needs.

“You have to understand the culture, the lifestyle,” he said. “Different societal groups will have a different lifestyle. The blue-collar guy goes home and watches TV and drinks beer. The fancy, rich lawyer has different needs.”

Despite initial trouble selling the luxury apartments in the prewar building and some units selling for just a fraction of their asking prices, sales are being made nonetheless. Even Matt Damon was rumored to have been apart-ment shopping in the building.

But for Lagrange, 70, it seems to be the end of an era. His firm filed for Chapter 11 protec-tion in July 2010 and will close its doors some-time in 2011, he said. The firm, once boasting as many as 75 employees, has now dwindled.

“We used to be at 75 [employees] at one point, then 40, then 25,” he said. Now Lucien Lagrange Architects has just four or five

Architecture

The luxurious legacy of Lucien LegrangeFor 25 years, this French architect’s upscale condos have been popping up in Chicago. Now, after 535 West End Ave., the master builder sounds off on his next step - bankrupcy by Rachel Morgan

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architecture

employees. Lagrange himself is in the midst of retire-

ment and divorce. “I’m getting divorced and that’s taking a lot

of energy,” he said, sounding a tad tired. “A lot of life changes, going through a bad recession, closing the office, getting divorced—that’s a lot of stress for a 70-year old man.”

But he still remains committed to the craft, on his way to finishing his firm’s last two proj-ects, the Ritz-Carlton Residences and Lincoln Park 2520, both in the windy city. Lagrange estimates that both will be completed in two years’ time.

Despite his impending retirement, he still talks about his French Renaissance architec-ture with the passion of a young man, espe-cially that of the Upper West Side’s 535 West End Avenue.

“It’s a very simple building, but extremely well done,” Lagrange said, not so modestly. “I’ve been there several times, and the door-men will tell me that every day someone will stop by and talk to them and say this is a beautiful building. It’s amazing how people will notice, especially in New York.”

The building was met with some contro-versy among its Upper West neighbors, who are slow to accept new buildings along their historic, tree-lined blocks.

But in Lagrange’s eyes, it is a work of art.Lagrange designs mostly prewar buildings,

with a strong French Renaissance inspiration paired with modern luxuries that have become staples for high-end development.

“When you do high-end housing, you re-ally have to understand the lifestyle,” he said. “When you do cheaper buildings, you just want the highest return. You don’t have to pay that much attention to the layout; it’s pretty standard. When you do the larger apartments, you really have to understand the lifestyle. I find it more challenging, interesting and rewarding.”

Some of the most notable creations of the firm with Lucien at the helm include the Park Tower hotel-condo at 800 North Michigan Avenue, Elysian Hotel and Residences at 11 East Walton Street and a condo building at 840 North Lake Shore Drive.

But Park Tower is perhaps Lagrange’s most well-known creation, with the first 20 floors a hotel and the top—a whooping 47 floors—made up entirely of high-luxury condimini-ums.

Lagrange comes alive when recalling the Park Tower, completed in 2000 after nearly a 10-year lull in high-rise residential develop-ment in Chicago.

“The opportunity to do a high-end build-ing there was incredible,” he said. “We were

allowed only 120 feet of frontage, but we found a way to do 16 rooms per floor, a 2,500-square-foot ballroom, 200-car parking, 15,000 square feet of retail, a 208-room hotel, a restaurant and 450,000 square feet of condos—838,000 square feet of space used.”

He rattles of the numbers from memory, and it becomes strikingly obvious that he played a vital role in the creation of Park Tower, the building that more or less got Luc-ien Lagrange Architects noticed.

“Everybody had a view of the lake, that gave value to the building,” he said. “It was quite a task, very challenging, complex; the building ended up being so tall we had to design a (pen-dulum) on the roof to stabilize the building,” he said, pausing.

“There’s only a few in the world.” The French-born Lagrange started off as an

intern at Chicago firm Skidmore Owings and Merrill LLP in 1968.

“It was really important because I was on a small team, three people working on a high-rise,” he said of his internship. “It really proved it was right to go into architecture.”

Lagrange graduated from McGill University in Montreal in 1972 and worked at various other firms before starting at Skidmore, Ow-ings & Merrill LLP as a full-time employee. But it didn’t take long for him to venture off on his own, starting Lucien Lagrange Architects in 1985.

But it seems Lagrange isn’t only about creating new buildings—restoring old, oth-

erwise obsolete gems was also a priority for the firm, like the Hard Rock Hotel, the Insurance Exchange Build-ing and a new J.W. Marriott Hotel, currently under construc-tion.

“It is a chal-lenge,” he said of the Hard Rock restoration. “What we did is we took a building that was really obsolete, in its last years of life. We took a huge building that no one knew what to do with and we gave it new life. It’s bringing new life to buildings.”

As for the next step in Lagrange’s life, per-haps that question is a bit premature.

“First I have to close, then the divorce, then see what I can do—what I want to do,” he said. “I have to take it easy, relax. Then move forward.”

For now, Lagrange still makes it a point to walk past 65 East Goethe.

“It makes me feel good to walk by the build-ing,” he said. “I’ve done something good. I’m leaving something behind of value and in 50 years from now, it’s going to be there, the qual-ity is going to stay, the beauty is going to stay.”

Perhaps that’s something that a Chapter 11 filing can’t take away.

1. iconic: Park tower, chicago2. Lagrange architects’ luxurious 20-story resi-dential building at 535, West end avenue, on the upper West Side3. the breathtaking neo-classical atrium of 175 West Jackson, chicago

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The Upper West Side: History meets new luxury

New York Times reporter and neighborhood expert Richard Shepard once described the Upper West Side as “a complex character, one fashioned of a multiplicity of ethnic shadings, of buildings that range from ramshackle tenements to fine apartment houses, of age spans that embrace energetic young upwardly mobiles and quiescent elderly residents.”

These “ramshackle tenements” have since been replaced with luxury high-rises like Trump West, the Rushmore, 535 West End Avenue, the Aldyn, the Ashley, 10 West End Avenue, 845 West End Avenue, 200 West 72nd Street, 808 Columbus, 801 Amsterdam, 775 Columbus, 795 Columbus and 455 Central Park West, the Laureate, and Ariel West and East, just to name a few. Add to the mix highly desirable historic buildings like the Apthorp, a Renaissance Revival luxury building complex that takes up an entire block at Broadway and 79th Street, or major commercial developments like Columbus Square and Riverside Center, the Upper West Side seems to have it all.

“The West Side is truly a diverse market,” said Beth Fisher, a senior managing director at Corcoran Sun-shine. “You are literally surrounded by millions of dollars in investment.”

Corcoran senior vice president Lawrence Schier has definitely seen an uptick in the interest in proper-ties on the Upper West Side, but that is paired with a more realistic view on how much they’re willing to spend.

“I see the UWS market as ex-tremely active,” he said. “My open houses were packed this weekend and I am busy day and night with showings. I see more properties re-ducing prices as sellers become more realistic about their pricing.”

“UWS is booming with activity,” said Howard Margolis, executive vice president at Prudential Doug-

las Elliman. “We have seen an increase in activity and Web inquiries to book appoint-ments at the properties over the past couple month. Spring is in the air and people are coming out of hibernation to see what the real estate market is offering.”

Corcoran senior vice president Sherry Matays said that price is really the tipping point when it comes to buyer movement in the neighborhood.

“When priced right, properties are hot, hot, hot,” she said. “[We are seeing] a big pool of buyers are still conscious of price but very much want to buy. Many properties

are selling at or close to asking, so whereas the asking prices might look similar to six months ago, the agreed-upon prices appear to be strong.”

The area’s beautiful setting is another draw.

“The Upper West side is just very bucolic,” said Cliff Finn, Citi Habitats managing direc-tor of new development marketing. “It’s a beautiful, tranquil setting. There are a lot of open spaces, a lot of green space, it feels very residential now and didn’t always feel that way.”

Luxury residential buildings have become a new trend for renters and buyers in the area.

“Not just on the Upper West Side, but everywhere, I would say, the higher lux-ury rentals are doing extremely well,” Finn said. “People have a lot of money; some of them can afford to purchase and are electing instead to rent for numerous reasons. They want similar or the same standards they would have if they were buying. Buildings like the Aldyn or the Ashley speak to that.”

Many of these new developments, like the Aldyn, are part rentals, part condominiums, and come with the stan-dard luxury amenities—a gym, condo finishes, even a pool.

“The amenities all over New York City are crazy, the Upper West Side included,” James Brettholz, senior vice president at Citi Habitats. “The Ashley and the Aldyn are prime examples of this—they share a 40,000-square-foot amenities level that includes a bowling alley, rock climbing wall, indoor pool and regulation basketball court.”

When it comes to renters and buyers, the distinction is clear.

According to Schier, there are more renters in neighborhood – but they ex-pect the same amenities as they would find when buying.

“Part of this is because some people who have sold their apartments and want to be liquid while they wait to see how the market is progressing,” he said.

r e a l e stat e

It feels very residential now – it didn’t always feel that way.

When it comes to real estate on the Upper West Side, things are hoppingBy Alexander Cacioppo and Rachel Morgan. Photos by Michael Chimento

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“Others are not sure where their next move will be and prefer not to buy at this time so they are renting in the meantime.”

The exception to that rule comes with townhouse buyers, said Brown Harris Stevens senior vice president and managing director Wolf Jakubowski.

“Townhouse renters are the exception,” he said. “Most people who want townhouse liv-ing buy one. Because I have half a dozen for-sale signs posted on townhouses on the UWS at any time; I have a pretty good pulse on the buyers looking. My inquiry rate is back to normal (contrasted with early 2009 when it was virtually zero), and the number of serious buyers with the resources to buy is high.

Jakubowski said he expects to see 40 town-house sales on the Upper West Side alone in 2011.

The only drawback of the area may be its limited inventory.

“It’s a fresh, casual and friendly place to live with a diverse housing stock, though right now very limited inventory,” said Stribling & Associates executive vice president and as-sociate broker Cathy Taub.

But luxury high-rise living quarters are just the beginning. Massive, all-encompassing developments like Columbus Square and Riverside Center have begun to move into the Upper West Side, as well.

In December 2010, the plans for Extell’s Riverside Center was approved by New York City Council. While this development is still in the early stages, it certainly is another indicator that the area is still changing.

Columbus Square is another major de-velopment in the area—perhaps the Upper West Side’s biggest project in years. The 3.1 million–square–foot, juggernaut retail and condo complex is a mini-neighborhood in itself, spanning from 97th Street to 100th Street.

“Our project, Columbus Square, is leading the way in reenergizing the Upper West Side,” said the director of development at Columbus Square Management, Jeffrey Brett Davis. “We built a vibrant new residential commu-nity and a bustling retail corridor that draws thousands of shoppers daily.”

Columbus Square’s five buildings contain a Whole Foods, a TJ Maxx, a Petco, gardens, two private schools and five-high rise rental buildings—808 Columbus, 801 Amsterdam, both of which are fully leased; 775 Columbus, which opened in January and was 45 percent leased as of press time; 795 Columbus, which opens this month; and 805 Columbus, which opens in April. The project’s developers are Stellar Management Co. and Chetrit

455 Central Park West

The table below presents recorded sales data of condos, co-ops and townhouses in Manhattan and within the Upper West Side market. Data is from December 2008, 2009 and 2010. Overall, the volume of transactions in Manhattan this December has dropped 16.9 percent since the year prior but is up 19 percent since December 2008. Median price increased 14.1 percent since the year prior and is relatively level since 2008 in overall Manhattan. In the entire Upper West Side market, prices are down 13 percent since the year prior and up by 5.1 percent since December 2008. PROVIDED BY STREETEASY Manhattan sales of condos, co-ops or houses (as of 02/15/2011): Manhattan Closed On Closing Count Median Price AveragePrice Dec. 2008 933 895,000 1,540,426 Dec. 2009 1,336 782,026 1,457,980 Dec. 2010 1,110 892,500 1,622,814Dec. 2010 v. Dec. 2009 -16.9 percent 14.1 percent 11.3 percent Dec. 2008 19.0 percent -0.3 percent 5.3 percent All UWS Closed On Closing Count Median Price AveragePrice Dec. 2008 132 940,940 1,768,508 Dec. 2009 310 875,000 1,480,287 Dec. 2010 244 988,851 1,943,118Dec. 2010 v. Dec. 2009 -21.3 percent 13.0 percent 31.3 percent Dec. 2008 84.8 percent 5.1 percent 9.9 percent Lincoln Square Closed On Closing Count Median Price AveragePrice Dec. 2008 61 1,125,000 2,284,638 Dec. 2009 153 865,000 1,736,562 Dec. 2010 91 1,020,000 2,474,403Dec. 2010 v. Dec. 2009 -40.5 percent 17.9 percent 42.5 percent Dec. 2008 49.2 percent -9.3 percent 8.3 percent Manhattan Valley Closed On Closing Count Median Price AveragePrice Dec. 2008 22 502,500 993,845 Dec. 2009 12 600,000 688,608 Dec. 2010 15 617,500 829,133Dec. 2010 v. Dec. 2009 25.0 percent 2.9 percent 20.4 percent Dec. 2008 -31.8 percent 22.9 percent -16.6 percent UWS Closed On Closing Count Median Price AveragePrice Dec. 2008 49 940,000 1,473,787 Dec. 2009 145 929,000 1,275,391 Dec. 2010 138 990,380 1,713,864Dec. 2010 v. Dec. 2009 -4.8 percent 6.6 percent 34.4 percent Dec. 2008 181.6 percent 5.4 percent 16.3 percent

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Group. Columbus Square also offers a lot in terms

of amenities.“Columbus Square offers not just beauti-

fully designed lobbies and lounge space but state-of-the-art fitness centers, a 70-foot salt-water swimming pool, children’s play rooms and lusciously landscaped decks,” Davis said. “Our amenities are more in line with what you’ll find in some of the most-sought-after condo buildings in Manhattan.”

Winick Realty associate director Kelly Gedin-sky believes Columbus Square has already done much to change the neighborhood.

“Columbus Square exemplifies the future,” Gedinsky said. “We have created a market in a section of the Upper West Side that did not exist.”

The Upper West Side, once known for its quiet residential streets and boutiques, has undergone a systematic transformation when it comes to commercial development as well. It’s a stark departure from the 1970s, when Verdi Square, the iconic triangle on the West 72nd Street subway stop at which Broadway and Am-sterdam diverge, was commonly referred to as “needle park” due to the high volume of heroin users who openly did drug deals there.

Upward of 40 years later, this area is a nexus of a different kind—that of inventory, consumer-ism and development.

“It’s been a destination market,” said James Gricar, executive vice president at Brown Harris Stevens, West Side division. The neighborhood’s diversity also lends itself to the new develop-ments, he said.

In January, the 66th Street Barnes & Noble moved out because of the high rents—and in its place will be discount fashion retailer Century 21, to open later this year.

Century 21 is joined by a new Upper West Side neighbor, the gourmet chain grocery store Trader Joe’s, which moved in a few months before, driving a wedge between shoppers at the Fairway, an Upper West Side staple.

And just why has the development in the area been so successful?

Fisher attributes it to the Upper West Side having the “best of both worlds.”

“We’re visual creatures,” she said. “The Upper West Side provides every kind of input a city-dweller seeks.”

Jakubowski agrees. “It is a cultural and food haven,” he said.

“The buyers who come to me know this already and know which they want to be close to—Zabars, Citarella, Fairway, Trader Joes; Lincoln Center, Central Park, Museum of Natural History, Children’s Museum.”

Convenience is also a big seller, said Abby

Plitt Gellert, executive director of West Side Sales for Halstead Property, LLC.

“The neighborhood has facilities that appeal to all aspects of buyers—it’s all here within a few blocks and convenient to get around,” she said.

And who can argue with that? The Upper West’s quiet, residential streets combined with top-of-the-line retail and luxury living quarters seems to be something of a trifecta in terms of city living.

And when asked what the future of the area may hold, Fisher maintains that the area is already a pinnacle of development.

“Over the last ten years,” she said, “there’s been a significant investment made to the West Side that has catapulted it to the pantheon level in New York City.”

Finn sees a continuation of current growth for the area.

“I see a lot more building, a lot more retail,” he said. “A finished Riverfront park. It looks fantas-tic there. You’re talking to someone who grew up here. I know what that used to look like.”

Lisa Lippman, senior vice president and director of Brown Harris Stevens/Christie’s Great Estates, thinks things can only go up from here.

“I see it just getting better,” she said. “The Upper West Side has many great schools, both public and private, great parks, museums, and architecture. We even have great restaurants now.”

Despite the always-changing, dynamic real estate market of the city, there are few things that remain constant on the Upper West Side, Schier said.

“Some things don’t change —everybody would love to own a piece of Manhattan.”

‘The Upper West Side is booming with activity’

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Rob DeSalle, brain behind ‘Brain’As the Museum of Natural History unveils ‘Brain: The Inside Story, we find out what inspired the curator and what he has against dinosaurs’ by Rachel Morgan

Not everyone at the American Museum of Natural History is a fan of dinosaurs.

“I hate dinosaurs,” said Rob DeSalle, curator of the museum’s new exhibit “Brain: The Inside Story.” “They get all the glory and somebody like me who works on genes and genomes [is] just sitting around waiting for a good topic to come up.”

DeSalle, also curator at the museum’s Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics and co-director of its molecular laboratories, knows

that when it comes to exhibits, some subjects are simply more marketable than others.

And it’s hard to beat the museum’s showstop-per—a giant Tyrannosaurus rex fossil on the fourth floor. But “Brain” may give this dino a run for his money.

The interactive and technologically advanced exhibit starts with a bang, or more accurately, a crackle. Visitors walk through the entry exhibit by Spanish artist Daniel Canogar, a demonstra-tion of the 100 billion neurons in the brain and its more than 100 trillion connections, or

synapses. In the exhibit, these connections are represented by actual recordings of synapses “firing”—half-disgusting, half-intriguing.

“Brain” is interactive, filled with flashing lights, gargantuan models and games for visitors to play—all while subconsciously picking up the neuroscience and genetic lingo. “Brain” is a 21st-century exhibit, replete with 21st-century technology to match, visually thrilling aspects and touch sensor games. You don’t just see “Brain.” You experience it.

The exhibit itself is divided into five sections—your sensing brain, your emotional brain, your thinking brain, your changing brain and your 21st-century brain. Its purpose was simple—explaining the brain in terms of neurobiology to the public in a way they could understand.

“Brain” was the brainchild of DeSalle, Co-lumbia University’s Joy Hirsch and Rockefeller University’s Maggie Zellner, both scientific co-curators of the exhibition. AMNH Department of Exhibitions VP David Harvey and Lauri Hal-derman, director of Exhibition Interpretation, transformed DeSalle’s very scientific version of “Brain” into something the public could absorb.

A high point within the exhibit is the mas-sive model of the brain that accompanies a video about a young dancer. While the dancer undergoes the stress of a tough audition and the

excitement of gained acceptance into Juilliard, different parts of her brain light up according to her emotional and physiological responses—motor cortex, auditory cortex, basal ganglia, hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex are some of the foreign sounding regions of the brain that are detailed.

While it seems elementary, it works. Also intriguing was an art piece by Devorah

Sperber. It’s a wall of brightly colored spools of thread that don’t look like anything in particu-lar at first glance. But look at the wall through a small glass ball, and the image becomes the Mona Lisa. It’s a very much like what happens in our brain when we see—our brain combines images our eye detects and arranges them into something recognizable. Well played, AMNH, well played.

All in all, “Brain” seems to have accomplished its goal—becoming one of the must-see exhibits of the season, no easy feat in a city ripe with museums.

DeSalle takes it all in stride, still beginning his day with an early-morning stroll through the massive, empty halls of the museum before it opens.

“I come in and walk through the empty halls downstairs,” he said. “No one else is there, and it’s just the coolest part of the day.”

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Season support provided by The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

“Terrifically involving and entertaining … a riveting story for the stage.” —Variety

The composer of hit show Wicked creates a new psychological thriller starring Lauren Flanigan as an ambitious psychic who orchestrates an elaborate kidnapping scheme to win the fame she so desperately craves.

“An irresistible opera: silly and sweet and bubbling over with whistle-able tunes.” —The New York Times

Donizetti’s beloved bel canto classic receives a modern update in Jonathan Miller’s inventive production. Stefania Dovhan stars as the heart’s desire of the underdog suitor, sung by rising Mexican tenor David Lomeli in his City Opera debut.

Music, visual art, design, and dance collide in a triple bill of one-act operas by some of the greatest composers of the 20th century. Directed by theater visionary Michael Counts and choreographed by Ken Roht, this compelling dreamscape incorporates video by Jennifer Steinkamp and designs inspired by laser art pioneer Hiro Yamagata.

Tickets start at $12NYCOPERA.COM • 212.721.6500David H. Koch Theater box office (63rd & Columbus)

Season 2010–2011

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Plus captivating concerts including John Zorn’s Masada Marathon, Where the Wild Things Are family opera, and Defying Gravity: The Music of Stephen Schwartz featuring Ann Hampton Callaway, Kristin Chenoweth, Raúl Esparza, and Victor Garber.

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calendar

The Armory Show 2011 Preview and PartyWEDNESDAY, MArch 2, NooN–11:30 p.M. Be one of the first to see the show everyone’s talking about this spring at this exclusive preview and party. The preview of the show starts at noon (Piers 92 and 94, 12th Ave. at 57th St.) and the party, with a performance by Kate Nash, gets started at 8:30 p.m. at the Museum of Modern Art. Additional support for the event provided by Pernod Absinthe. Ticket packages range from $10,000 (Lead Benefactor) to $5,000 (Benefactor) to $750 (Patron ticket) to just $100 (Friend ticket). For more information, call 212-708-9680.

Mahler’s Fourth SymphonyThurSDAY, MArch 3. 7:30 p.M.The New York Philharmonic is celebrating its former conductor Gutstav Mahler this year, marking the 100th anniversary of the famed conductor and musician’s death with Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with Lisa Milne and Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with Glenn Dicterow, conducted by Daniel Harding. (Avery Fisher Hall; also showing Friday, March 4, at 2 p.m. and Saturday, March 5, at 8 p.m.)

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis: The Music of Kurt WeillThurSDAY, MArch 3, 8 p.M.Jazz fans will delight in this production focusing entirely on the music of German composer Kurt Weill—performed by the always excellent Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. (Rose Theatre; other performances Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m., $30-$120)

Lucia di LammermoorFrIDAY, MArch 4, 8 p.M.Catch Gaetano Donizetti’s tragic, three-act opera put on by the Metropolitan Opera Guild. Natalie Dessay returns as the heroine of this nearly four-hour production and is joined by Joseph Calleja. (Other performances on March 8, 12, 16, 19)

Kodo One Earth TourSuNDAY, MArch 20, 7 p.M.Take in the rhythmic, pulsating sound of the Japanese taiko drum at the Kodo One Earth Tour. Kodo, in existence since 1981, is a performance group that prides itself on teaching its audience to accept one another and embrace diversity, especially on this rapidly shrinking planet (Avery Fisher Hall, $40-$75)

Met Gala Premiere: Le Comte OryThurSDAY, MArch 24,6 p.m. cocktail reception; 6:30 p.m. black-tie dinner; 8 p.m. performanceCelebrate the premiere of the scarcely performed masterpiece Le Comte Ory, starring Juan Diego Flórez, Diana Damrau and Joyce DiDonato, with Tony Award–winning director Bartlett Sher. Maurizio Benini conducts. Prior to dinner, enjoy cocktails and drinks, and during intermission, enjoy Champagne and dessert with your fellow opera-goers on the Mercedes T. Bass Grand Tier. Gala benefit is a gift of the Sybil B. Harrington Endowment Fund; underwriting for event by Yves Saint Laurent.

Lecture: Capriccio: The Persuasive Charm of MusicMoNDAY, MArch 28, 6 p.M.Unlock the secrets of Richard Strauss’ final opera at this provocative lecture put on by the Metropolitan Opera Guild. Led by Dr. W. Anthony Sheppard, the lecture debates the opera’s central question—which is more important, words or music? (Metropolitan Opera Guild Opera Learning Center, sixth floor of the Samuel B. and David Rose building at Lincoln Center, $16)

Hot tickets on the UWSFrom ballet and opera to jazz and gala dinners, here is our definitive guide to the Upper West Side’s lively art and entertainment scene by Rachel Morgan

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Die Walküre Panel DiscussionFriday, april 1, 5 p.m.The second installment of Metropolitan Opera’s epic production of Richard Wagner’s Das Rheingold, directed by Robert Lepage, garnered plenty of media attention when it first hit the stage. After all, anytime an opera requires that the stage be reinforced with steel to prevent collapse, it’s bound to attract attention. Now, hear what the cast and artistic team of this epic performance has to say. Peter Gelb hosts. (Metropolitan Opera House)

Lincoln Center’s Atrium Gala honoring Roy Furman Saturday, april 4, 20116 p.m. cocktails; 7 p.m. dinner; 8:45 p.m. award presentation and performance. This fete supports Lincoln Center’s brand-new public facility, the David Rubenstein Atrium. With a performance by Broadway great Laura Benanti, this gala is a must-attend event. Another reason to attend? David Rubenstein Atrium provides discount tickets. (Tickets, $1,500, $2,500, Frederick P. Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center, performance in the Allen Room, 60th St. and Broadway)

CapricciotHurSday, april 7, 8 p.m.Perennial favorite Renée Fleming performs composer Richard Strauss’ opera Capriccio, as the countess, a nod to her earlier performance on opening night of the Met Opera 2008–09 season at which she sang just the final scene. Andrew Davis conducts the two-hour-and-15-minute opera. (Other performances on March 28, April 1, 7, 11, 15, 19, 23).

Symphony Space’s Spring Gala 2011Saturday, april 16, 7 p.m.Presented by Valentina Kozlova’s Dance Conservatory, this spring gala showcases the talents of young dancers performing both contemporary ballets and classics like La Bayadère. (Peter Jay Sharp Theater, $30; seniors, children, $20)

American Museum of Natural History Museum Dancemonday, april 28 7-9 p.m. cocktails and dinner; 9 p.m.–midnight dessert and dancing.New York City’s longest-running junior benefit is back for another year. The benefit, frequented by philanthropic young professionals, benefits the AMNH’s scientific and educational program. Dinner tables start at $5,000; dinner tickets start at $500; and dancing tickets start at $200. To purchase, call 212-313-7161.

Lincoln Center’s Spring Gala WedneSday, may 45 p.m. cocktails; 6 p.m. dinner; 7:30 p.m. performances.This annual benefit honoring JPMorgan supports the Lincoln Center—and as a bonus, attendees can go to any performance held on the Lincoln Center Campus the same night. (Tickets $1,500, $2,500, the Tent at Lincoln Center in Damrosch Park)

ApollotHurSday, may 5, 8 p.m. New York City Ballet presents the lasting classic Apollo, the first collaboration between Balanchine and Stravinsky that tells the story of the god Apollo and his inspiration by three muses—mime, dance and poetry. (Other performance dates: May 7, 2 p.m., May 18, 7:30 p.m., June 12, 3 p.m., $20-$135)

New York City Ballet Spring GalaWedneSday, may 11, 7 p.m. The New York City Ballet’s Spring Gala promises to be one of the must-see events of the season. The gala includes a world premiere of The Seven Deadly Sins, choreographed by Lynn Taylor-Corbett,and George Balanchine’s Vienna Waltzes ($130). American Museum of Natural History Junior Council Event tHurSday, June 23, 6:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m. The AMNH’s season ends on a high note, with this annual event that’s kicked off with a panel discussion and followed by a cocktail reception and live jazz music on the museum’s Arthur Ross Terrace. This event benefits the AMNH’s scientific and educational programming. (Tickets to each event are $80 in advance or $100 at the door; for reservations call 212-769-5256)

1. Daniel Harding conducts the New York Philharmonic 2 . Natalie Dessay in Lucia di Lammermoor 3. Kodo at Avery Fisher Hall4. At last year’s AMNH Dance (from left) Blair Husain; Elizabeth Grimaldi; Dana

Wallach Jones, Tinsley Mercer Mortimer, Andrew and Zibby Right; and Nina Patterson 5. Juan Diego Flórez in Le Comte Ory6. Apollo

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Scott Harrison is the founder and presi-dent of charity: water, a nonprofit organi-zation that brings clean drinking water to developing nations. But for Harrison, the path to service was a circuitous one. After 10 years of working as a nightclub promoter in New York City, Harrison took a trip to Uruguay that changed his life. He returned to New York with a new focus—water. Since its inception five years ago, charity: water has raised upward of $32 million and has 3,800 water projects in 17 countries.

How did you get started as a nightclub promoter in New York City?At 18, I grew my hair long and moved to New York City to play in a band. We immediately broke up, and the guy who booked us was my

foray into nightlife. That ended at 28, after a decade of filling up nightclubs with people that would pay $16 for a cocktail or $500 for a bottle of Champagne.

Tell me about the trip that changed your life. On a trip to Uruguay, I came face to face with what a scumbag I was and what a selfish mess I had made of my life. I wanted to find a way to serve God and serve the poor, two things that I hadn’t done for a decade. I started applying to humanitarian organizations, and one, Mercy Ships, decided to take a chance on me. They had a position open as a volunteer photojournalist. I asked them if I would be paid to go on this mis-sion, but it turned out I had to pay them $500. I can fully appreciate the irony.

Why did you decide to focus on water spe-cifically? I remember being so shocked and angered that people were drinking out of scum-filled ponds, water that I wouldn’t walk in, water that I couldn’t even imagine letting an animal drink from—and this was the community’s only source of drinking water. One billion people on the planet didn’t have access to something I’d taken for granted my entire life—clean water. In that moment, charity: water was born. What do you think sets charity: water apart from other nonprofit organiza-tions? I wanted to reinvent charity, so the 100 per-cent model was really important. We started off with two bank accounts—one where 100 percent of the public money would always go, and one to pay our staff. We also prove where the money goes. For every water project that we fund, we require our implementing partners in the country to give us photos and GPS, and then we make all of that informa-tion public on Google Earth. We also created a brand. Right after Mercy Ships, I traveled around Africa meeting with local NGOs that were bringing clean-water solutions into these villages, but they were terrible at telling their story. If we were going to bring clean water to a billion people, we would need an epic brand to do that.

With the 100 percent model, is it hard to keep things going? It’s difficult, but we’ve had some angel inves-tors. We launched a donor program called the Well. There’s more than 65 people in that program, from Ed Norton and Adrian Grenier to Blake Mycoskie of Toms Shoes to Steve Sadove, CEO of Saks Fifth Avenue, to John Tisch. What are your goals for the future of charity: water? Our water projects have provided clean water to 1.7 million people, which sounds like a lot, but it’s really just a drop in the bucket towards the billion. We’re aggressively trying to reach a goal we’ve put out there of trying to serve 100 million people with access to clean water, and we’d love to do that by 2020.

For more information on charity: water and how to get involved, visit www.charitywater.org.

PhilanthroPy4

Source of inspirationHow one New Yorker abandoned a career in the nightlife business to bring clean water to struggling nations around the world by Natalie Howard

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208 West 96’s contemporary architecture and sophisticated materials create 9 homes that are as rare as they are refined. Careful attention went into selecting warm finishes to

enhance the generous, modern layouts that evoke the feel of a downtown loft in an uptown neighborhood. 3 Bedroom, 3 Bath homes prices from $2,290,000 with a 10 year 421-A Tax Abatement. www.208W96.com For more information, contact Frances Lucy [email protected] 212-381-2557

845 West End Avenue is a grand corner building in the heart of the Upper West Side. Generous well-proportioned homes and elegantly restored classic details are found in each of the six different layouts of

two to four bedrooms. Features include new modern conveniences like air-conditioning and washer dryers in each home. Condominium pricing begins at $1.8 million, financing is available. www.845wea.com For sales information, contact Elizabeth Unger or Mark Samsky of The Corcoran Group, [email protected] or 212-784-9845.

ACA Galleries, est. 1932, specializes in Contemporary Art 19th and 20th century European and American Art.ACA Galleries 529 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011 Tel. (212) 206-8080,

[email protected], [email protected], visit www.ACAGalleries.com

The Aldyn is Extell Development Company’s newest luxury residence in the vibrant Riverside South neighborhood. Many of the 286 exquisitely crafted rental and condominium residences enjoy unobstructed views of the Hudson

River. Aldyn residents will be treated to over 40,000 square feet of amenities, including the LA PALESTRA Athletic Club and Spa and a KIDVILLE USA indoor playground. Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group is the exclusive sales and marketing agent. For more information, please call 212.579.6006 or visit www.thealdyn.com

Algin Management is a family-owned company that manages, builds and owns some of New York’s finest residential properties, including the West

Side’s most striking rental building, Sessanta. Sessanta’s apartments are unusually large and offer breathtaking views. What sets Sessanta apart is the attention to detail concerning amenities, one being the desirable lighted outdoor tennis court. Play a set, take a swim, or stroll in the English garden, Sessanta is where you want to live. For more information, visit www.alginny.com

For over a century, The Apthorp has been a celebrated enclave in the heart of New York’s Upper West Side. Today, a limited selection of residences is available

for purchase. The residences — spacious and light filled, no two alike — have been newly renovated and meticulously restored. Here is a rare opportunity to live in a true New York City landmark that must be seen to be believed. Two to five bedroom condominiums priced from $3,250,000. 212.799.2211. www.theapthorp.com

ALSKLINGS, a Columbus Avenue staple, is known for its Specialty Apparel. Whether it’s Mother/

Daughter outfits, or, the newly launched Alsklings (Swedish for darling) line of t-shirts and onesie in 30 languages, this is the place to turn for unusual and unique clothing. 228 Columbus Avenue, New York, NY 10023, 212-787-7066, [email protected]

Brief Encounters Is your Lingerie Closet on the corner of 71st and Columbus. It’s in the FIT! Our forte is Style and Comfort. Courteous

Professionals assist our clients in the selection of Fine Fashion and Basic merchandise from a full range of sizes. 239 Columbus Ave., New York, NY 10023, 212-496-5649, Hours: 11AM – 7 PM Daily

Lisa Lippman, Senior Vice President and Director, is a distinguished broker at Brown Harris Stevens with over 13 years of experience selling real estate. Lisa specializes in the sale

of high end cooperatives, condominiums and townhomes. As is clear from her record, even in tough times, Lisa excels in both selling and finding homes for her clients. Her well-rounded approach to navigating Manhattan’s real estate landscape, brings to life the nuances and charms that the City has to offer. For more information, please visit www.bhsusa.com/lisalippman

Jimmy Brett, Senior Vice President, Associate Broker with Citi Habitats is a highly valued member and consistent Top Producer throughout his decade long career with the firm. Beginning in 2007, Jimmy has been consistently recognized by NRT,

the nation’s largest residential real estate brokerage holding company, as being amongst the top 1.4% of NRT’s 54,000 sales associates; Jimmy’s team “Team Brett” has also been acknowledged within the top 100 teams nationwide. Please contact Jimmy at 917.687.4614 or [email protected]

Columbus Square, a collection of five unique rental buildings and over 500,000 square feet of prime retail and community space rising from 97th to 100th Streets between

Columbus Avenue and Amsterdam Avenue, has become one of NYC’s most sought-after residences. Each apartment is smartly designed with nine-foot ceilings, piece-laid white oak strip flooring, floor-to-ceiling windows, and solar shades. Residents are surprised by the elegant touches that are generally reserved for condos, such as valet parking, acres of landscaped roof decks, and a 70-foot salt water swimming pool. For more information log onto www.columbussq.com or call 1-866-644-8813.

Sherry Matays, Senior Vice President, Associate Broker, has distinguished herself as a top producer at The Corcoran Group since the late 1980s, named Corcoran’s #1 West Side Broker of

the Year for the last 11 years running and one of Corcoran’s Top 25 Brokers, year in and year out. Ranked as one of “Real Estate Top 400” nationwide by The Wall Street Journal, Sherry garners attention by consistently breaking records and is known for her stellar reputation in the industry. For more information, please visit www.corcoran.com/sam.

Showcasing the prestigious Hunter Douglas Gallery, a variety of hard and soft

window coverings, glass, mirrors and shower doors, Crosstown Custom Shade & Glass has delivered the highest level of customer service and product knowledge for over twenty-five years. For every step of design you can visit any of their two convenient locations: Upper West Side, 200 West 86th Street, between Amsterdam and Broadway. Greenwich Village Location, 115 West 10th Street between Greenwich Avenue and Sixth Avenue call now for store hours and directions: (212) 787-8040. Or on the web: www.crosstownshadeandglass.com.

Georgia’s Café and Bakery is a true European café in the Upper West Side. The friendly

staff and warm ambiance of Georgia’s will keep you coming back for more. The bakery provides an array of artistic French pastries, decadent cakes, and a full service barista. Full service dining (AM and PM), delivery orders, carryout orders, special cake orders, and private parties. Weekend brunch served 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Georgia’s Café and Bakery, 2418 Broadway at 89th Street, New York, NY. Tel: (212) 362-2000. www.georgiascafeandbakery.com

Welcome to Grimaldi & Associates where Insurance and Financial planning isn’t complicated. Since 1990 we have provided our clients with a no hassle approach to doing business. We pride ourselves in our

knowledge and taking time to understand your needs. You’re not a number, but a part of our family. Our fully licensed and knowledgeable staff is always there to assist and looks forward to serving you with the same care and personal attention you’ve come to expect. Protecting the Present, Future and Beyond. Barbara A. Grimaldi, 227 E 56th St / 212- 759 -3920.

H.H. Hill Realty Services Inc. Founded almost 20 years ago by life-long resident, Harry Hill, Hill Realty is located in the heart of

Rhinebeck Village. Hill’s family has lived in Rhinebeck for over 200 years, which gives him a unique perspective on the development and evolution of Dutchess and Columbia counties. Hill Realty has listed and sold some of the finest properties in the Hudson River Valley—farms, estates, river properties, town and country residences, and unimproved land. The office is open seven days

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a week -- staffed with experienced brokers and sales associates. For both buyers and sellers, Hill Realty offers state-of-the art brokerage. Hill’s philosophy is that the acquisition of real estate is as much about buying “life style” as it is about buying “bricks and mortar.” HillRhinebeck.com

Established in 1938, Jaguar of Great Neck was the first Jaguar dealership in the Country. Our experience has led to a reputation of value,

personal service and after-sale support that is unrivaled. For 70+ years we have been selling to and servicing the New York area with the pride and attention it deserves. Model for model, option for option, no one is more competitive than us. We will beat any advertised price in New York...Guaranteed! Fulfill your passion for perfection with one of our awesome 2010 Jaguar XF or XK models. One is waiting for you at Jaguar of Great Neck. www.GreatNeckJaguar.com or 888-263-4158

Le Fanion brings you dazzling colored crystal fruit chandeliers inspired by the tradition of the French kings. Each chandelier is unique in design and combination of colors and fruit. Get one of

these gems and it will transform your house. The store is open 7 days a week and is located at the charming corner of West 4th and Bank Streets in Greenwich Village. tel. (212) 463-8760 or go to www.lefanion.com for even more treasures from the South of France.

The Lower East Side invites you to discover some of the best art in New York City during Third Thursdays, a night to explore the diverse art offerings of the

area. Area galleries stay open late from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the following Thursdays in 2011: March 17, April 21, May 19, June 16, July 21, September 15 and October 20. Visit www.lowereastsideny.com for a list of participating galleries.

Metropolitan Window Fashions has been serving the metro area for over 75 years—specializing in custom window

fashions, Hunter Douglas shades, bedding and reupholstery. Honored as the National Retailer of the Year, by Draperies and Window Coverings Magazine, Metropolitan is proud to be family owned since 1934. Stop by our two convenient locations 469 Amsterdam Ave. (bet. 81st and 82nd), 189 E. 79th Street (corner of 3rd Avenue) or our fabric warehouse in New Jersey. Visit windowfashions.com or call 212-501-8282 for a FREE in-home decorating consultation.

Nancy’s Wines For 20 years, Nancy’s has served the wine needs of the

Upper West Side and NYC. If you are seeking wines that are somewhat off the beaten path, come to Nancy’s. Free Delivery In Manhattan - Selection Of Artisan Wines From Around The World Regular Wine Tastings And Classes - Spirits, Sake And

Kosher Wines - Zagat Rated. 313 Columbus Avenue at 75th Street - Open 7 Days - 212-877-4040 www.aocfinewines.com

Nikki Field, Senior Vice President, Associate Broker, has been a dynamic presence with Sotheby’s International Realty since 1998, consistently ranking among the global agency’s top five producers

and accomplishing sales of over one billion dollars. America’s Top 400 Real Estate Professionals, an annual ranking sponsored by The Wall Street Journal, ranked Nikki in the top 100 agents in America and in the top 10 in New York City for Sales Volume. For more information, visit www.nikkifield.com.

Does your home or office

have a great view? Explore and enjoy it to the utmost with Oberwerk Long-Range Binoculars and Binocular Telescopes. Highest quality optics provide Stunning clarity and sharpness at surprisingly affordable prices. See us online at www.giantbinoculars.com For free catalog, call 866-623-7937 or email to [email protected] OBERWERK CORPORATION 866-623-7937. www.giantbinoculars.com.

PetHealthStore™ is a group of professionals dedicated to maximizing your pet’s health through best diet practice. With the evolution of more and better

pet health information, and more pet food brands, there is an opportunity for you to maximize your pet’s health by selecting their best diet that matches your budget. Please look at our health articles online, at www.pethealthstore.com, come in and get more information and literature, or call 212-595-4200. We do this BECAUSE YOUR PET”S HEALTH IS IMPORTANT.

For nearly a century, Prudential Douglas Elliman has been recognized as a leader in the residential real estate industry. With more than 3,500 agents and over 60 offices from Manhattan to Montauk, the company’s reach is unsurpassed. Prudential Douglas Elliman offers its customers a comprehensive array of services including residential sales and rental brokerage, retail and commercial sales & leasing, relocation, new development marketing, property management, mortgage brokerage and title insurance. So whether you’re in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Westchester or Long Island, including the Hamptons and North Fork, there is a Prudential Douglas Elliman office and agent ready to assist you in any of your real estate needs. Please contact 1.800.ELLIMAN or visit elliman.com

The Sheffield Steps from Central Park, Columbus Circle and Lincoln Center, The Sheffield’s Studio to 4 bedroom homes feature gracious

layouts, sophisticated materials, and panoramic views. A spectacular package of world-class lifestyle amenities awaits residents including

The Sky Club which features two social lounges, children’s play room, a private enclosed swimming pool with outdoor sundeck, roof deck with barbeque grills and state-of-the-art fitness center with Pilates/Yoga studio. Exclusive sales and marketing agent, The Marketing Directors,Inc www.thesheffield.com or 888-420-881

Sotheby’s The East Side Manhattan office is just steps away from Central Park in

one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the city. It is known for its prime Manhattan real estate, which includes some of the city’s most elegant historic and prewar homes. Our brokerage staff offers unsurpassed service to our clients. Our agents are thoroughly familiar with the neighborhoods in this area, and with all aspects of sales, including the demands of the luxury market. For more information, please visit www.sothebyshomes.com/nyc

Did you know Stribling sells the best of the West Side? From Riverside Drive and West End Avenue to Central Park West and the West side of Fifth Avenue, from the West 40’s to the West 140’s,

exceptional Stribling brokers bring exceptional results. Stribling professionals sell the gem studios to the dream penthouses and everything in between. On the West Side, as all over town, the right broker makes all the difference. Visit us at stribling.com

The Mobile Shop- Fix your broken phone or computer now. Along with selling top name designer phones and

accessories, this while you wait tech shop also repairs and unlocks most models of cellular phones. For cracked screens, broken charging ports, mic/speaker problems, trackball repair and even water damage visit these tech experts now. Featuring IPAD accessories and the new IPAD Keyboard Case. 228 Columbus Avenue (Between 70th and 71st Streets) New York, NY. Tel: (212) 799-6500. On the web at www.mobileshopny.com and www.wirelesssolutionsny.com

Town Shop Bras that actually fit! Featuring the “best of the best” in lingerie,

swimwear, hosiery and shapewear and sleepwear Featuring Bras by Chantelle, Wacoal, Anita, Hanro, and more. Swimwear by. Karla Colletto, Gottex, Carmen Marc Valvo, Tommy Bahama, Miraclesuit, and more. Hosiery by, Wolford, Spanx, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, and more. All your favorite brands under one roof with spectacular customer service. If you haven’t been to Town Shop you’re probably wearing the wrong size. At Town Shop “Fitting a bra is an art, not a science! 2273 Broadway (Bet 81st and 82nd) Tel: (212) 724-8160.

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WINE Q&A

How did you get started importing wines?I opened a wine shop in Berkeley, Califor-nia, in 1972 and slowly realized that I was most taken with the wine cultures of Italy and France. I went looking for good wines where no one else was looking, and there were plenty of them. I decided to apply for an import permit so I could drink and sell what I was finding. I was 30, trying to make it as a rock ’n’ roll and blues musician without much success. So wine wasn’t your first love. No. It was a hobby. So I opened a wine shop 12 hours a week as a hobby while I tried to replace yet another drug-infested musician. The end of the 1960s, you know. The business took off and took me with it. Would you say you’re a man of many talents? You can judge the talent for yourself. Maybe a man of many interests. I have returned to music, and my third CD, Kitty Fur (Dualtone Records), will be released March 29. I sing, I write, I interpret songs that mean a lot to me. Somebody told me that the aesthetic of my music is the same as for wines. When I record, I play live with my band to get that feeling of spontaneity and improvisation. The Nashville players I record with tell me that such sessions are rare these days. Now they go alone into a booth and aren’t even playing with other musicians as they record.

How is that like wine?Roots music, I guess. I like wines that show where they come from, the terroir, place of origin. My music is the same. I do different genres like country, rock ’n’ roll, rhythm and blues, and I try to respect the roots while creating a coherent whole. So you like your wines natural, just like your music? I don’t like the technological when it comes to wine. It screws them up, adding chemicals, color, acidity or tannin, sterile filters, etc. I try to convince my winemakers to stop filtering entirely, to stop stripping their lovely wines before they go into bottle. Think of a person full of silicon and Botox. I like natural. But I

didn’t go that route because I am a true be-liever. I could tell by tasting. The real thing was better than the pumped-up, phonied-up ver-sion. Roots wine, roots music. Well, let’s throw in roots women for good measure [laughs]. How old were you when you took your first sip of wine? I got into the habit of enjoying wine with meals the year I graduated from high school. That was in San Luis Obispo, California, and a couple of UC Berkeley grads moved in next door. They drank wine with meals, jug wines bought in Berkeley from a Polish immigrant

who bought bulk wine in the Napa and Sonoma valleys, blended them and bottled them himself. What’s your favorite?I drink a lot of white burgundy, but aside from my own domaine, Les Pallières in Gigondas, the wine that I reach for more often than any other is probably from Bandol in Provence. The reds and rosés go with the kind of food we cook at home.

Why do you think your book, Adventures on the Wine Route, has been so popular? Maybe because it is anecdotal, full of colorful winemakers, instead of a guide or tasting notes. You learn about wine down in the cel-lars, where I learned.

Are you the French wine expert? Am I the wine expert? I’m not sure about that, but I have been accused of being a pioneer, introducing a lot of French country wines and keeping them as natural as possible. Before I started, about the only French wines im-ported were the famous Bordeaux châteaux and Burgundy from negociants. I buy directly from the vigneron. Where is the best place to shop for wine on the Upper West Side? I have visited New York City quite a few times in the past five years, but I’m more of a tourist, not a guide. As for my selections and blends, try 67 Wine (179 Columbus Ave. at 68th St.,) Whole Foods (wine store at 808 Co-lumbus Ave.) and Pour Wines (321 Amster-dam Ave. at 75th St.). Sometimes you have to turn the bottle around to see that I am the importer. I hope it is worth the trouble.

Does wine have to be expensive to be quality? To be blunt, NOT AT ALL. Price is due to fad and wine critics and marketing, for the most part. To find a bargain, though, it is easy—just look where no one else is looking. Oaky gigantic Chardonnays, for example, are no bargain—but Muscadet can be if you find the right winemaker. Look for my blend, Côtes du Rhône, at around fifteen bucks for a good, low-priced red.

Getting back to the rootsWine aficionado and musician Kermit Lynch tells NYO Magazine why a drop of wine is good for his soul music by Rachel Morgan

Jaguar.indd 1 2/24/11 3:14:46 PM

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