Peek-a-Boo: Discovering Oscar Niemeyer while Shopping for Art in Tel Aviv

TACTIC - High end designer clothing store in Kikar Hamemdina

Growing up, I spent many a summer in Tel Aviv visiting my father and family as I traveled with my sister back and forth from California.

Spending time in the city involved many days on the beach and at the pool of course, but also visiting one of the city's oldest and largest "Retail Roundabout" - Kikar Hamemdina. where I would stand in line to buy my school shoes with all the other children at this amazing children's shoe store at the time. Now gone, it is a childhood memory I hold dear as it was such a special treat.

A map of the Kikar Hamemdina.

Today,  the Kikar still remains the city’s largest plaza and is renowned as Israel’s most exclusive shopping area with events such as the first ever Fashion’s Night Out in 2012, it is a landmark for style and sophistication. 

Oscar Niemeyer in his earlier years - Photo by Eliyahu Kaminer

As I put together this post, I discover that the original circular design with a large park at its center, the uniform buildings are the work of eminent Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer! 

No wonder I have always liked being there. 

In 1964, Niemeyer was invited to Israel by Yekutiel Federman, CEO of the Dan hotel chain, to discuss potential projects but then a military coup broke out in Brazil and the short visit became six months. While in Israel, he learned that the new Brazilian regime had stripped him of his political rights and he became an outlaw overnight, wanted by the army and the police.

From his apartment in Tel Aviv Niemeyer reached out to his limited contacts in Israel, and began to partner with some prominent local architects such as Architect Abba Elhanani, who became his partner on several projects, including the proposal for the Nordia complex and the Kikar Hamedina.

A model of Kikar Hamedina, as envisioned by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. Photo by Yosef Meir

High end boutiques sit on the first floor of the residential buildings, which are lined along one circular street - He Be'Iyar Street (Israeli Independence Day Street), making it one of the most expensive and sought after areas in the city while still today remaining the ultimate destination for those seeking to enjoy an indulgent shopping experience in Tel-Aviv.

One of my favorites, and one of the first shops with European clothing is TACTIC.

While there, I came across an artist that the owner had found.

Her name, is Suly B. Wolff and this dark and moody nature inspired painting I found truly beautiful.

Learning a little more about her and her story, made me realize that we seem to be drawn to those with stories and lives like ours, don't you think?

Suly was born in Brazil with an natural talent to sketch from very young, and immigrated to Israel at 18. She became a primary school teacher at first and then went back to school to study Interior Design! With a strong design experience, in 2001 she began to dedicate herself entirely to painting drawing on her childhood experience in a tropical country with the strong juxtaposition of the urban environment she calls home for the past 30 years.

Suly and her art have traveled and seen in exhibits around the globe, including New York, India, Belgium, Israel and as part of the Florence Biennale among others since 2001.

From Suly's 2010 series, Night Paintings, this selection truly speaks to me with their dark backgrounds and almost luminescent foliage. 

Large in size and layered with detail and texture, the images don't do them justice as there is truly a multitude of tones that make up the "night sky" surrounding these trees that simply are too difficult to capture on film. 

More recent work, include these painting from the The Fifth Season and Eucalyptus series.

Hope you enjoyed this tour through the Kikar, and these paintings!

If you are interested in a little more background on Niemeyer, and his love of "woman" watch this video here:

I leave you today wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving, and with a heartfelt THANK YOU + much gratitude for your loyalty and readership over the past few years as I have shared my stories and meanderings here on Dec-a-Porter.

I hope to be able to continue to bring you original and exciting new content over the next few years, whether from my new home in California, or as I go back to New York, or from wherever my design life leads me. I hope to see you all along the way.

~ Jennifer 

*all art: via Suly B Wolff website

The Art of Bathing and BlogTour Sponsor: V&A Baths

Lady Lilith Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Photo Delaware Art Museum

Soaking in a hot tub is always that one moment of solitude and reflection that I enjoy ..

(when I have the time, that is).

Not exactly spending hours, like in those moments heightened in shows such as Downton Abbey, where the Crawley sisters spend many hours lingering before their vanity mirrors, at bedtime, brushing through their lovely locks.

No, not that, but who says that "a little pampering can definitely go a long way?"

So as someone that really only imagines moments through visuals,  and perhaps with my studies of Art at Christie's in London somehow at the front of my mind with my recent trip back, the many scenes of women bathing that have been captured by master painters throughout history somehow seem a perfect way to continue from yesterday's post on The History of Public Bathing, with some of our wonderful BlogTour London supporters.

So when did we begin to bathe in private?
In ancient Rome, the social gatherings of the public bath houses were comparatively a epicenter for gathering and social life engagements, and of course, just as today, there were many levels of luxuries and classes which didn't necessarily intermingle. The privileged few, had their needs tended to throughout the day and would help wash and care for them ... 

1/The Baths of Caracalla - Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1899 2/ Woman Leaving the Bath-1901 Picasso
3/A Woman Bathing her Feet & 4/The Bath - both Jean-Leon Gerome

For some, through the use of the evolution of "plumbing" and aqueducts, the wealthier few began to enjoy the luxury of even more intimate moments in private.

From the works of Jean-Léon Gérôme, one of the most famous French painters of his day in the turn of the 19 century to the next generation, such as Pablo Picasso, many great artists have tackled the theme of this intimate and sensual moment.

1/Le Bain Turc  Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres c.862  2/ The Bath - Alfred Stevens, c.1867
3/The Roman Baths - Fyodor Bronnikov c.1858  4/ After the Bath - Frederic Bazille 1807

Iconic images, such as that of "Le Bain Turc" by Ingres are almost ingrained in our subconscious of woman lounging, bathing and almost sensual ritual of personal embellishment.

So another visit while at the Design Centre at Chelsea Harbour with BlogTour London, as we moved from Samuel Heath covered on my post here, to the Victoria and Albert Baths showroom, swiftly brought me to thinking about how much care also goes into the creation of these pieces and how the trends for moving forward in all of these different brands has indeed been about the embellishment and smaller details.

VICTORIA + ALBERT BATHS SELECTED FOR BESPOKE DESIGNER MOSAICS

The Mosaic Bath Company selected Victoria + Albert Baths to incorporate their bespoke decorative mosaics which were hand finished and the result of hours of precision craftsmanship by experts skilled to apply each tile by hand was really stunning! Just as we approached the showroom, it was the first thing that caught my attention.

The Victoria & Albert Baths showroom at Chelsea Harbour Design Centre / Detail of Bath with mosaics

One main special quality of Victoria + Albert baths, are inherent to the defining qualities offered by the unique use of QUARRYCAST®, a stone-rich alternative to cast iron and acrylic. Uniquely comforting, the baths are warm to the touch, 100% naturally white and hand finished.

Great stylized bathroom accessories, and the special new Piano Gloss finish against the crisp QuarryCast white, were just great final touches to our showroom visit.

Piano Black gloss finish Barcelona and Black finish Barcelona 64 Basin

but if you are curious how many can fit in these great tubs at 1 time, why not check out the post on Bloggers Behaving Badly from a few days ago.

Thanks again to our many supporters for the amazing event coordinated by Modenus and the sponsors below.