Christoph Ruckhäberle - Dance

For any German readers, the trippy work of Christoph Ruckhäberle is on display at Leipzig's Galerie Kliendienst until 12 July.

Summer Solstice!

Julian Opie for Glyndebourne

Kit Grover commissioned artist Julian Opie to design the Glyndebourne programme for their 2014 season. We have produced a picnic rug based on Julian Opie's design to be sold exclusively at Glyndebourne. The unbleached wool has been spun and woven, printed and hand-finished in England.

A Glyndebourne visitor captured the mischievous sheep jumping the Ha Ha.

Hassan Hajjaj

Many Londoners may already be aware of Hassan Hajjaj's work by dint of his photograph of a young woman in a Louis Vuitton niqab, located opposite a particularly lively minicab firm on Old Street.

For those that aren't, his colourful portraits of Morocco's girl bikers are well worth a look, see more at Taymour Grahne.

Kesh Angels, 2010. Hassan Hajjaj

Untitled, 1971. Dan Flavin

Untitled (For Elizabeth and Richard Koshalek), 1971. Installation at the Walker Art Center

ACE Awards

The Everybody Dies products we developed from Caitlin Griffin's design exclusively for the National Theatre have won Best Product Range at the Association for Cultural Enterprises Awards 2014! Available online at the NT Shop.

See the design in greater detail here.

Jean Paul Gaultier at the Barbican

Open today! We made a small range to accompany the exhibition, available at the Barbican shop. The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk is open until 25 August.

 

Down With Useless Information by Paula Scher

A perfect antidote to the endless infographics (Everybody Dies excluded of course) from Pentagram's Paula Scher.




































































Currently on show at Miami's Wolfsonian Museum as part of their Complaints! An Inalienable Right exhibition.

Uniqlo Sprz NY

Large brands and museums rarely use their currency - be it cash-based or cultural - with such extraordinary intelligence, style and bravado as Uniqlo Sprz NY (Surprise New York). The collaboration between MoMA, Uniqlo and dozens of artists and their estates is shown on the new mezzanine level of their 5th Avenue flagship.

The artists' project seamlessly flows into celebrations of print textiles and pop culture image franchises with such confidence it shook the cynical dust off our boots. The design of the mezzanine is, if not an oasis of calm, panoramic and extremely beautiful, altering the rhythm of the entire store in a very welcome manner.

Bacon, Burroughs and old lace

Peter Minihan, 1989.

Recently we came across this footage of a discussion between Francis Bacon and writer William Burroughs - recommended if you're a fan of either eccentric. Highlights include Bacon comparing Jackson Pollock's painting to old lace.

Mid-18th Century lace, in the V&A collection

Norman Rockwell

Though Norman Rockwell relied heavily on photographs to create his artworks he was loath to take them himself, instead employing a photographer and taking on the role of cinematographer. See more of the photographs behind the artist's famous works here.

Marriage Counselor, 1963

Spot the difference

Spot the difference...

Sequinned Disco bag, Manish Arora SS 2014
Market acetate bag, Jil Sander SS 2011
Artist Lauren DiCioccio's Tromphe L'Oeil embroidered organza shopping bags
Tesco Bag

This isn't the first time we've been intrigued by high fashion shopping bags. Read more here.

Michael Craig-Martin at Chatsworth

Silk scarf. High Heel (pink), 2013.

The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire have commissioned Michael Craig-Martin for a major installation at their home Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. In the grounds the artist has installed twelve sculptures, giant versions of common objects in his distinctive style, including high heels, garden gates, light bulbs and umbrellas. Inside the house, he has selected highlights from the Devonshire's magnificent collection of art. The family have a long tradition of displaying contemporary artists and this exhibition runs from 16 March until 29 June.

We worked with Michael Craig-Martin to adapt the high heels and gate sculptures to create designs for bone china mugs. The high heels were also used on two pure silk scarves. All items are available from the shop at Chatsworth.

Michael Craig-Martin, High Heel (pink), 2013. Copyright Michael Craig-Martin. Photo: Matthew Pullen

Monday Portrait: Jay Z and Andy Warhol

Top image Andy Warhol Museum
Bottom image courtesy Jay Z's instagram

Jay Z at the Andy Warhol museum recreating the artist's pose.

Dalí Antics

We began working for Tate in 2000 with a wide brief to respond to the collection of the new Tate Modern. After delivering the first products, we were asked us to work on their exhibition merchandise. The first was Zero to infinity: Arte Povera 1962-1972, the second was  Surrealism: Desire Unbound, also in 2001, from when our story begins.

Still from 'Un Chien andalou', 1924. Salvador Dalí and Luis Buñuel

Though made in reference to Dalí, the idea to spell out the name Tate in ants was to imagine that their blurry brand had been spelled out in sugar, and that the ants swarmed to feed on the origin of Tate's wealth. A later Dalí exhibition travelled to MoMA in 2008 and they asked for their name to be spelled in the same way. Though MoMA has nothing to do with the sugar trade, and did not have a blurry logo, it still looked brilliant made out of ants. It remains on sale at MoMA after six years:

MoMA Ants Tote bag for the 'Dalí: Painting and Film' exhibition, 2008. Available to buy here.

TWINS: The Cholmondeley Ladies, Loretta Lux and Commes des Garçons

Twins twins twins!

Sasha and Ruby, 2008, Loretta Lux
The Cholmondeley Ladies, c.1600, artist unknown
Commes des Garçons A/W campaign 1988, Inoue Tsuguya and Jim Britt

Frida Valentines

Self-Portrait as a Tehuana (Diego in My Thoughts), 1943

There was no shortage of interesting men in Frida Kahlo's life - she was at school with muralist Jose Clemente Orozco, married to Diego Rivera and for a time shared her home with Leon Trotsky. The tempestuous relationship between Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera has endlessly fascinated art lovers and historians, Frida said of Rivera "There have been two great accidents in my life. One was the trolley, and the other was Diego. Diego was by far the worst." Rivera divorced Kahlo in 1939 after fourteen years of marriage, they remarried the next year despite Rivera's affair with Frida's sister.

From the upper deck

 

These images form part of a photography project from Przemek Wajerowicz, shot over seven years from the upper deck of London buses. Though not a new perspective for most Londoners, Wajerowicz's photographs capture the capital brilliantly, warts and all.

Nijinsky 'God of Dance'

For anyone interested in dance a wonderful app has been made showcasing the comprehensive photographic collection of Nijinsky enthusiast Roger Pryor Dodge. As well as large zoom-able images from his performances and private life there are essays from Nijinsky experts and a brilliant short film on the Ballet Russes. Available here.

Tower Bridge Exhibition

We had the great pleasure of designing a range of products for Tower Bridge, one of London's most popular tourist destinations. We searched through the archives to find images including the original invitation to the first opening of the Bridge as well as creating a unique graphic based on the bridges of the Thames. The fonts reflect the character of the each bridge.

Products available now from the Tower Bridge Exhibition shop.

Jeff Wall and Lorde

Jeff Wall, Boxing 2011

Still from Royals by Lorde. Directed by Joel Kefali, 2013

Perhaps this similarity is a coincidence but we think that's unlikely. It's satisfying to see the connections between and influences of contemporary art on pop culture, here in the most visual sense.

Monday Portrait: Lynette Yiadom-Boakye

Image c/o Jack Shainman Gallery

One of 2013 Turner Prize nominee Lynette Yiadom-Boakye's wonderful imaginary portraits. See more of her work here.

Barbican Centre: Alan Fletcher Archive

Our first collection for the Barbican Centre, a collaboration with the Alan Fletcher Archive, is available now. Ideal presents for fans of the inimitable designer.

Christmas cards!

It's December! If you need some inspiration for your Christmas cards, take note of theatre photographer Angus McBean who sent out elaborate self-portraits each year.

Angus McBean as Neptune, Christmas 1939.

Part of the National Portrait Gallery collection.

Belated monday portrait: Cerith Wyn Evans

Image c/o White Cube

Artist Cerith Wyn Evans' take on the self portrait 'Inverse Reverse Perverse', 1996.

Read more about the installation at White Cube's Duke Street gallery here, the work is now in the Tate Britain collection.

Shakespeare & Memory

Friend and collaborator on our Greater Shakespeare project, Hester Lees-Jeffries continues to enlighten us and give us new ways of understanding Shakespeare in her latest book 'Shakespeare & Memory', published by the Oxford University Press.

Highly recommended by all at Kit Grover. See what the Times has to say here. 

Three Studies of Lucian Freud, 1969

As Francis Bacon's triptych of Lucien Freud 'Three Studies of Lucian Freud, 1969' became the most expensive painting ever bought at auction (£89m), we got to thinking where Freud's fabulous stolen portrait of Bacon might be.

Thirteen years after the theft, Freud circulated the poster below around Berlin and even asked the thief if he would lend the painting for the duration of Freud's 2011 Tate retrospective, but sadly nobody came forward. We wonder what happened to all the posters, whether they were steamed off walls by art-lovers...

'Happy' Halloween

Above: St Albertus photographed in his catacomb by Paul Koudounaris c/o @saatchi_gallery
Below: A tea time treat from our designer Sera

Damien Hirst rug for the Qatar Museums Authority

There are many exciting things about working with Damien Hirst, one of which is the opportunity to step out of our comfort zone. Dyed and hand tufted in India, this rug is two metres in diameter and has been made specially for his largest ever show 'Relics', now open at the Qatar Museums Authority in Doha. 

The rug is based upon Hirst's 1996 artwork 'Beautiful, childish, expressive, tasteless, not art, over simplistic, throw away, kids' stuff, lacking in integrity, rotating, nothing but visual candy, celebrating, sensational, inarguably beautiful painting (for over the sofa)'. 

National Theatre: Paula Scher

Kit Grover invited Paula Scher, principal partner at Pentagram New York to design a poster for the National Theatre's 50th Anniversary celebration.

Scher's poster, part of a series of five (see the others here), has also been made into a great bag... Available here and at the NT pop up Shopping & E*ting on the Southbank.

National Theatre: Adam Dant 'Attitudes'

Artist Adam Dant, October 2013

Agitation or arousal, contentment or calamity, panic or pleasure? 'Attitudes' is artist Adam Dant's satirical take on audience participation, created specially for the National Theatre's 50th Anniversary. The range, displayed in one of the three bus shelters includes wallpaper, a hand-rolled silk scarf, a wooden tray, bone China mugs made in England and a canvas bag. The collection is available at the NT's Shopping & E*ting pop up as well as online.

Dant has also made fabulous limited edition and signed print showing the inner workings of the theatre.

National Theatre: Shopping & E*ting launch

The Kit Grover team had a great time last night at the Shopping & E*ting launch, making full use of the green screen photo booth.

Head down for shopping, cocktails and seriously delicious food including chorizo and black pudding Scotch eggs, g&t truffles and goose pies.