LUX October 2017

LUX - September 2017 21 Austin LeeWorks Showcased in London Austin Lee Works Showcased in London The Frieze luxury book publisher Assouline will collaborate with art-world power couple, Simon & Michaela de Pury to present a curated show of never before seen works by Austin Lee. The exhibition, run between the 2nd and the 14th October, was hosted at Maison Assouline in partnership with Carl Kostyál Gallery. Maison Assouline is a one-of-a-kind ‘culture concept’ store, located in the heart of Piccadilly, which has firmly established itself within the London scene. It has become a sanctuary of culture and style for Londoner’s, making it the perfect place to host this year’s most exciting Frieze London show. The store will host a curated selection of art installations, sculptures and paintings chosen by the de Purys and will be displayed throughout the Grade II listed building by Edwin Lutyens. Simon de Pury comments on the collaboration and the excitement he and his team feel to be part of something so immense. “We are thrilled to be exhibiting new work by Austin Lee. He is an exciting young artist whose work is already being collected by some major collectors around the world. We are very happy to collaborate on this with our friend Carl Kostyal and are most grateful to Prosper Assouline for lending us his spectacular building on Piccadilly. It is one of my favourite houses built by the great architect Edwin Lutyens.” The exhibition entitled ‘Alight’, showcases a new art installation, sculpture and paintings by American contemporary artist Austin Lee. Lee is an internationally recognised artist based in New York and is famed for his playful, airbrushed acrylics that illustrate the experience of living life through screens in the traditional medium of painting. Lee creates drafts of his idiosyncratic pictures on an iPad, then transferring them to paintings and drawings using airbrush and conventional painting techniques. Prosper Assouline comments, “We are delighted to be partnering with de Pury de Pury and Carl Kostyál to bring Maison Assouline, our culture concept store, alive for Frieze London this year” Artist Austin Lee lives and works in New York. He received an MFA in Painting from Yale School of Art and a BFA from Tyler School of Art. He has since staged several solo exhibitions in the US and Europe. He was included in M WOODS, Beijing’s Full of Peril and Weirdness: Painting as a Universalism, 2015 as well as projects at the Tate Modern, London. His work is currently showcased at Juxtapoz x Superflat curated by Takashi Murakami at Vancouver Art Gallery. His work has been championed and curated by artists like Takashi Murakami, Peter Saul and Marylin Minter and written about in Art in America, ARTnews, New York Magazine, Leap, Time Out New York and London, The NY Observer, Hyperallergic, Black Book, Kaleidoscope Magazine, The Spectator, and Rhizome. de Pury de Pury provides independent curatorial and art advisory services for private individuals, museums, corporate and institutional collections. With expertise ranging from emerging contemporary artists to established blue-chip artists. Their aim is to facilitate the relationship between artists, collectors, institutions and art venues, thereby enabling them to offer an impressive portfolio of services for their clients worldwide. With regards to the venue, as an exhibition space with twin locations in Stockholm and London, Carl Kostyál, in the UK located on the famous Savile Row of London, this stunning space is ideal for such an innovative exhibition. Owner Carl is also an avid art collector, and his interest in different media and discovering young talent is reflected in his exhibition programme. In addition to his interest in scandinavian artists, such as Klara Lidén and Matias Faldbakken, he has shown & collected artists such as Klara Lidén and Matias Faldbakken, he has Shown & collected artists such as Jon Rafman, Joe Bradley, Gedi Sibony, Alex Israel, Alex da Corte, Helen Marten, Timur SI Quin, Petra Cortright, Yngve Holen and many others including Austin Lee Founded by Martine & Prosper Assouline, Publisher Maison Assouline publishes limited edition, lavishly produced, hand-bound books with inspiring content from leading luxury brands and ‘taste-makers’ from the worlds of fashion, architecture, gastronomy, photography, travel, viticulture, art and design - Including partnerships Maison Assouline collaborates with Simon and Michaela de Pury and Carl Kostyál for world first Frieze London showcase. with Gucci, Cartier, Dior, Valentino and Louis Vuitton. Maison Assouline’s Memoire series includes over 150 titles on such legendary names as Azzedine Aläia, Chanel, Charles James, Dolce & Gabbana, and Marc Jacobs. The “lifestyle” series celebrates the world’s legendary destinations, from Capri to Saint-Tropez to Palm Beach. And the Ultimate Collection, which started with “The Impossible Collection of Contemporary Art,” now comprises more than 20 iconic titles, soon to include “Calatrava” and “The Impossible Collection of Motorcycles.” Maison Assouline’s books have been translated into more than ten languages and are distributed in the most exclusive retail destinations worldwide. However, the desire to showcase the concept of ‘books as gifts’ has led to the creation of a full retail program across Maison Assouline’s stores worldwide. The London store on Piccadilly has been transformed into Maison Assouline’s jewel in the crown, a living jewellery box offering visitors a fascinating insight into Martine & Prosper’s aesthetic and style; and paradise for bibliophiles with its elegant coffee shop/bar. Self-professed coffee lovers, the couple designed and curated the store’s entire coffee service right down to the tea spoons and serving trays Over the last five years the Assoulines have been the driving force in expanding the publishing house into a cultural lifestyle destination in its own right, with offerings ranging from candles and stationery to the ultimate library design service. The spirit and savoir-faire of Maison Assouline’s books have contributed to the creation of a both chic and eclectic luxury brand that is unmistakable. The Assoulines create products which stand alone as objets d’art; they have a beauty and a point of view that make them desirable to own and essential to incorporate into the most discerning collections. The lifestyle products on display at Maison Assouline serve to enhance the visitor experience and capture the kind of literary life Prosper and his wife Martine adore, including Assouline aromatic candles designed to evoke the scent of a library; glamorous handcrafted bookcases, desks and library lighting; special- edition Goyard travel trunks, rugs and case goods; all layered with vintage books, objects and antiques scouted during Prosper’s travels around the world. Ultimately, in the age of paperbacks and e-books, Maison Assouline is an unstoppable force in elevating the humble book to an objet d’art that is a feast for the senses. “We are thrilled to be exhibiting new work by Austin Lee. He is an exciting young artist whose work is already being collected...”