Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2023 i Luxury Trending Magazine

Heide VanDoren Betz: Tell us about your background; where did you grow up? Ana Blackwell: I was born in Yugoslavia, but grew up in Serbia. (Yugoslavia became Serbia in 2003. It formerly consisted of seven different nations: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia). I was 10 years old when the Civil war started in Yugoslavia; it lasted for 6 years. At that age, it was hard to understand but I do remember families from Croatia escaping to my hometown in Serbia. As refugees, they had lost all they had but they did have family here. It was a sad time for the people of our country. Things got better in 1997 but not for too long, as we had another war in 1999. I was almost 18…

Katrina Cuenca represents a new breed of female abstract artists who are breaking the glass ceiling in a maledominated artistic scene by challenging career conventions, experimenting with new artistic methods, and emerging as a rare voice for women. Katrina’s journey in the world of visual arts was unconventional, to say the least. She did not hail from an art school nor had visual arts training; instead, Katrina was a finance graduate who embarked on life as an entrepreneur, a marketer, and an animation professional in the early part of her career. Yet having painted since the 1990s and surrounded by art all her life, she has always found visual arts to be her nirvana. While she began exhibiting her works in 2012, it was in 2016 when her participation in…

Grace Cathedral glowed with light sculptures, photos booths, an auction, musical entertainment and an interactive art installation, the “Infinity Boxes”. The Cathedral’s Carnivale, with cocktails and a sumptuous dinner was a party for connection, love and hope. Guests and Patrons generosity continues to support the community through Grace Cathedral’s innovative spiritual offerings, the Cathedral’s passion for inclusive arts and culture, and doing the work of social justice. At Grace Cathedral the future is bright! The After-party kept glowing after the Carnivale dinner! Guests shone bright at The Late Night Revelry celebrating the night away in San Francisco’s Gothic Cathedral for everyone with glittering cocktails and a dance party in a starlit chapel. The playlist was curated by the brilliant Chris Clouse Project. Bravo to all!…

US Premiere at the de Young Museum, San Francisco March 18 - October 15, 2023 Massive, exquisitely rendered, and weighted with significance, the work proves both of the moment and transcendent of it. James Tarmy, Bloomberg Kehinde Wiley (b. 1977, Los Angeles) is an American artist best known for his portraits that render people of color in the traditional settings of Old Master paintings. Wiley’s work brings art history face-to-face with contemporary culture, using the visual rhetoric of the heroic, the powerful, the majestic and the sublime to celebrate Black and brown people the artist has met throughout the world. Working in the mediums of painting, sculpture, and video, Wiley’s portraits challenge and reorient art-historical narratives, awakening complex issues that many would prefer remain muted. The works portray Black men…

Heide VanDoren Betz: What is your favorite piece of Jewelry of all time (historical)? Ivan Bekichev: The Bulgari emerald necklace Richard Burton gave to Elizabeth Taylor as a wedding present. I love the iconic style and the beautiful romantic story behind it. The necklace was bought back from the Taylor Estate by Bulgari at the December 2011 auction of her collection at Christie’s. (HB: I attended this auction in New York and witnessed the emerald necklace sell for $6,130,500 with the pendant brooch, another $6,578,500) HB: Why are people drawn to wearing jewels? It’s nothing new, think of all the jewels in ancient time. What is the attraction now? IB: Jewelry has played a significant role in human life for thousands of years. We learn from history that ancient civilizations…

Contemporary Support Council members, exhibition sponsors, Sponsor level members and above, and other special guests were invited to the opening reception for Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence at the de Young Museum on March 16th, 2023. The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (the “Museums”) are honored to host the US premiere of Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence, a new, monumental body of work created against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, and the worldwide rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. Expanding upon American artist Kehinde Wiley’s Down series from 2008, An Archaeology of Silence meditates on the deaths of young Black people slain all over the world. These 26 works stand as elegies and monuments, underscoring the fraught terms in which…

Ladies in pink took over the Podium at Porsche River Oaks to celebrate the launch of Luxury Trending magazine – Houston edition, which features the 2022 Model of the Year Awards honorees. Qiana James and Rosalina Tran Lydster welcomed guests and introduced them to the honorees that were recognized at the inaugural event held in December. Guests enjoyed passed hors d’oeuvres, caviar from The Caviar Co., and Champagne Madame Zéro – zero grams sugar of course! Founder Matthew Massey engaged guests with the background of the extra brut champagne that is derived from the iconic Premier Cru Village of Vertus in the Champagne Region, and is aged 4 times longer than traditional nonvintage champagne. An auction benefiting The Doll Foundation, a nonprofit which educates and provides resources to seniors and…

Hailing from a small village in Nueva Ecija, Philippines, Tess Schoefer always had big aspirations. From a young age, she dreamed of becoming an actress or a flight stewardess, two professions that seemed glamorous and exciting to her. However, Tess’ artistic inclinations were equally as strong, and during her spare time, she would spend hours painting and drawing. As a child growing up in a rural area, Tess’ dreams may have seemed far-fetched, but that didn’t stop her from pursuing them. She was determined to make something of herself and to see the world beyond the small community where she lived. “Cliché as it may sound,” Tess reflects, “I was a small-town girl with big dreams.” After graduating from high school, Tess left her small village in Nueva Ecija and…

Stepping into the world of Ron Henggeler is leaving our customary presence and any notion of the ordinary behind. A genius mind is at work, creating and processing. Ron Henggeler’s home, surely on the way to becoming a private museum, is brimming with objects and materials old and new–collectibles, paintings, sculpture, thousands of Classical music vinyl records, cameras, taxidermy, historical and contemporary photographs, art books (5000+), objects d’art and… Oh yes, a cat named Alice (in Wonderland). By most standards, it is bursting at the seams, yet Ron is working feverishly to create more art. Heide VanDoren Betz: Tell us a bit about your background, your upbringing. Ron Henggeler: I was born on July 12, 1953, in Columbus, Nebraska. I was part of the baby-boomer generation and was the oldest…

March 1, 2023 San Francisco, California On Wednesday, March 1st, Applegate Tran Interiors partners and founders Gioi Tran & Vernon Applegate hosted a grand opening party to celebrate their new and expanded POLIFORM showroom. The nearly 9,000-square-foot space showcases a fully realized marriage of products and services modeled to amplify both businesses. Surrounded by their fantastic team, clients, friends, and industry leaders, Gioi and Vernon celebrated the stunning new showroom showcasing their latest collections from furniture, lighting, closet, and kitchen systems. The showroom exudes the sexiness of a gallery showcasing pieces from Gioi and local Bay area artists paired with amazing lighting from Lasvit, James Dieter and Bomma. Poliform exemplifies a complete lifestyle experience that provides exceptional service with exquisite design and quality.…