The Montserrat College of ArtSmall Works Sale was this weekend. A friend and I drove up to Beverly to check it out yesterday, and I loved what I saw. I went home with a few pieces, which is no surprise given my inability to resist small artworks.
The money helps fund this small local college, where many of the students receive financial assistance. I was also happy to support Paul Kotakis, who used to run the SMFA Art Sale, and is now Director of Development at Montserrat College of Art. The works were really appealing, and given everything was under $500, it was fun to shop too.
Here’s a sampling of small works from the Montserrat Art Sale 2017. The sale is over, but if you see something you’re interested in, I’m happy to inquire about availability for you.
The SMFA at Tufts Art Sale is this Thu., Nov. 16 to Sun., Nov. 19; to School of the Museum of Fine Arts, 230 Fenway in Boston, on the side street right next to the MFA and its parking lot.
The SMFA Art Sale is my favorite art event of the year. There are nearly 4,000 works from established, emerging, and student artists, from top names including Jim Dine and James Turrell to student and faculty pieces. Prices vary too, with much of it reasonably affordable. There are the occasional pieces for tens of thousands of dollars, many in the thousand or several thousand range, and tons under $1,000 and some even under $100. (Once I found a piece for $8!)
Much of the artwork in our home is from the SMFA Art Sale. (I currently spot seven in my living room.) We have photographs, paintings, and mixed media works we have purchased at the Sale throughout the years, and I still think about a couple of video art pieces I wish we had snapped up.
I hope you check it out, it is well worth it. New artworks are constantly displayed as pieces are sold, and there are tons of shrinkwrapped pieces in bins that are fun to browse. I stopped by the SFMA yesterday morning to get a jump start, and I’ll head back there tomorrow for Medici Night. (To become a Medici supporter click here.)
If you’d like help choosing art for your home or office, let me know. I’ll be scouting the sale for clients and interior designers as well as myself. Here are 20 works that caught my eye so far.
Looking back at these little sprigs of lavender from the early spring, snipped from our Cape Cod garden. • • •
If you don’t have your own flower garden (or want to leave it intact), there’s always the local florist. If you’re down under, check out Flowers Across Sydney.
I profiled this Victorian home in the Waban village of Newton decorated by designer/blogger Robin M. Anderson in the September issue of Boston Common magazine. The article was one page, but I have plenty of room here to take you on a wider tour, with additional photos and links to some of the pieces Robin used (some of which are StyleCarrot partners). Photography by Sabrina Cole Quinn.
The 4,500-plus square-foot house belongs to Robin’s friends, who enlisted her help with furnishings in the foyer, formal dining room, and great room once Nancie Chamberlain and Laurel Laliberte of Chamberlain & Laliberte Design Associates had wrapped up renovations.
The family mainly uses the mud room, but visitors enter through this foyer. Robin chose a hand-turned wood pedestal table from Restoration Hardware to anchor the center of the space.
A Ben and Aja Blanc Half Moon Mirror with handspun silk, mohair, and wool fringe hangs over the refurbished fireplace. Candlesticks are from The Line.
Opposite, black and white photograph, “Mist Mounain 2” by Kate Schermerhorn hangs over West Elm burl console on a metal base with polished nickel finish. The atmospheric photo pictures a Costa Rican mountain top, which Robin jokes she chose in order to leave her mark, since she and her husband own a home in Costa Rica.
The formal dining room opens on the left of the entry. Robin designed around the Phillip Jeffries Rivets wallpaper which has actual silver rivets on the elephant manila hemp, and Heracleum II chandelier by Bertjan Pot for Moooi, both of which the homeowner had already chosen with Chamberlain & Laliberte. Robin aimed to keep the room light since it is a small space, infuse some glamour, and make sure it felt young and comfortable enough for kids could be included in meals there. “I wanted a throwback feel of old school dinner parties,” she says.
The antique mirror is a nod to original elements of a historic home. Robin used personal tidbits on the mantle including a family crest, a drawing of Canada that show where the homeowners are from, and an illustration of the original house that Robin commissioned from an Etsy artist based on an 1800s drawing from the town records department.
The hand-knotted Serena & Lily Niles rug has a pattern that hides fallen food, which is useful with little kids. The custom roman shades are made from Eskayel fabric and the 1930s French Trolley bar cart is from RH Modern. Hanging on the back wall is “Namibian Landscape Dusk” limited edition photo by Australian artist Kara Rosenlund.
The family spends most of the time in the great room. The house originally ended at the header, but they added an addition onto the back, making it a much more family-friendly space. The RH Cloud sofa is upholstered in an indoor/outdoor Perennials textured linen weave. The “Mediterranean”seascape is by , LA based photographer Max Wanger and the cloud-like limited edition print “Dreams” by Miami-based Jonathan Brooks from Minted hangs above it. They painted the window trim black in this room to match the kitchen cabinetry.
Chamberlain & Laliberte designed the kitchen, but Robin found the leather and walnut Bacco by Omar De Biaggio counter stools from DWR, which is what prompted the homeowner, whose original inclination was to go more contemporary, to ask for help with the rest of the house. Robin knew that organic materials would warm up the room. The homeowner chose the Modern Agnes pendants with gold interiors by AERIN for Visual Comfort.
When the table that the homeowner originally ordered didn’t quite work, Robin found this one, the Crate & Barrel Monarch walnut dining table. “It’s very durable which is important since they eat all their meals here,” she says. The black Tucker chairs from Serena & Lily, an iteration of a classic Windsor, play off the black cabinetry and window frames. Robin framed Eskayel wallpaper to add playful pattern on either side of the window above the sideboard.
The addition has a cathedral ceiling with a skylight, complete the Beaux Arts style 72-inch Cannele chandelier in burnished brass from Restoration Hardware, which echoes the high round window. The Seville chair in camel leather from Room & Board is inspired by the iconic Barcelona chair designed by Mies van der Rohe. Although the homeowner isn’t a fan of color, Robin loves it, especially navy, so she snuck in some moody navy Eskayel pillows.
The homeowner loves everything Robin did. She says, “I wanted everything underdone, which I think is tough to do and still feel pulled together. Robin does it very well.”
