Hasta La Ideas

While the vicious fighting continues unabated in Libya, The Art Newspaper recalled having reported on a story related to one of the key figures in the battle for the country, Saif Gaddafi, the son and right-hand man of Muammar Gaddafi, who had recently pledged to “fight until the last man, the last woman, the last bullet” and warned protesters that “rivers of blood will run through Libya.” Back in 2002, Gaddafi talked with the paper about his The Desert is Not Silent, a traveling exhibition of his paintings. As you’d likely guessed, the world’s art critics were not very receiving of the dictator’s son’s work. For reference, we point to the Guardian‘s Jonathan Jones, who said, “as a painter he is not even a gifted amateur; his sentimentality is only exceeded by his technical incapacity.” We were surprised to learn also that, prior to the recent fighting in the country, Saif also ran his own architecture firm, the National Engineering Service and Supplies Company, and two years ago had gotten into urban planning, even roping in Norman Foster to help out. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to find any of his architectural work online and his multi-billion dollar plan to build “the world’s largest sustainable development” seem largely like delusional hyperbole. So, in short, there’s nothing to show from either of those aspects of his career. What’s more, we can’t even send you over to his painting exhibition’s website, because it’s “down for maintenance” at the moment. However, you can get a small peek and a description of the traveling show on the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation‘s site, which of course, funded the entire thing (must not have hurt that Saif serves as its chairman).

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Giulio Iacchetti’s sketches for new Moleskine-branded products

Moleskine‘s on the move. The cult brand, which last year tested the digital waters with the launch of a Kindle cover/notebook hybrid and last month debuted a collection of notebooks featuring artwork uploaded to its myMoleskine fan site, is expanding beyond elastic-banded journals. Moleskine has tapped industrial designer Giulio Iacchetti to create “new tools for cultural pleasure and mobile living” that range from bags and pens to reading glasses and USB-rechargeable booklights. Consisting of collections dedicated to writing, traveling, and reading, the Moleskine accessories are designed to be compatible—through the use of special clips and holders—with each other as well as with the brand’s signature notebooks. Iacchetti reprises their smooth and rounded corners, black color, and elastic band in the new objects, which will make their first public appearance next month during the Salone del Mobile in Milan and are slated to hit stores worldwide shortly thereafter. In the meantime, take a look at Moleskine’s new collection of notebooks inspired by Le Petit Prince, although we suspect that Antoine de Saint-Exupéry‘s charming protagonist (who had little use for les chiffres) wouldn’t approve of the ruled version.

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Fresh off a triumphant couture collection inspired by René Gruau and only days before Paris Fashion Week begins, John Galliano has had his world turned upside down by allegations that he made anti-Semitic and racist remarks and assaulted a couple in a Paris cafe. After the Thursday night altercation, the designer was briefly arrested and then escorted home by police, who did not press charges. However, LVMH-owned Christian Dior wasted no time in suspending its longtime creative director. “The House of Dior declares with the greatest firmness its policy of zero tolerance with regard to any antisemitic or racist statement or attitude,” said Dior president and CEO Sidney Toledano in a statement.

The couple involved in the incident filed charges against Galliano, who proceeded to sue them for defamation. Meanwhile, the controversy didn’t deter Galliano devotee Nicole Kidman or Sharon Stone, a face of Dior Beauty (and someone whose own culturally insensitive remarks got her in trouble with the brand a few years back), from wearing Dior gowns on last night’s Oscar red carpet. Neither actress would comment on the situation. Whether Galliano’s fall ready-to-wear collections for Dior or his own label will hit the runway this week remains anyone’s guess, but the plot thickens. Today a second complaint was filed with the Paris police. According to WWD, a woman claims she was verbally attacked by the designer earlier this month at the same Marais cafe, which is near Galliano’s home.

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The saga of “Banksy Meets the Oscars” continues. You might recall that we reported that the Academy Awards producers were concerned that the faceless-yet-famous street artist, whose Exit Through the Gift Shop is a nominee for a Best Documentary award, would show up to redeem his prize wearing a disguise, perhaps his familiar monkey mask, something they weren’t to pleased about. As was reported immediately after, the Academy apparently eventually struck up a deal with the artist that, should his film win, his co-producer, Jamie D’Cruz, would accept the award on behalf of both of them. Now, following a few weeks of Banksy-esque art popping up on Los Angeles streets, possibly to help wage a campaign for the win, it’s come out that the Academy has flat out refused the artist’s entry into the ceremony. The same story prevails, that they do not want a mysterious man in a mask among the crowd, let alone storming the stage. Fortunately for the producers, Banksy seems comfortable in obliging their “stay away!” demands. Here’s what he told the Guardian:

When his nomination was announced, Banksy called it a “big surprise.”

“I don’t agree with the concept of award ceremonies, but I’m prepared to make an exception for the ones I’m nominated for,” he said, adding: “The last time there was a naked man covered in gold paint in my house, it was me.”

However, the paper also hints that “reports suggest he will be in the vicinity.” So Joan Rivers, please keep an eye out.

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This afternoon President Obama presented 13 exceptional individuals with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Among them was Jasper Johns, the first studio artist to receive the award since Alexander Calder in 1977. “It has been noted that Jasper Johns’ work, playing off familiar images, has transfixed people around the world,” said Obama at the ceremony, which took place in the East Room of the White House. “Like great artists before him, Jasper Johns pushed the boundaries of what art could be and challenged others to test their own assumptions. He didn’t do it for fame, he didn’t do it for success—although he earned both.” The President studded his biographical sketches of many of the honorees with their own words. In the case of Johns, he included the old chestnut “I’m just trying to find a way to make pictures” and got a laugh out of the artist’s pessimistic resolve. “As [Johns] said, ‘I assumed that everything would lead to complete failure, but I decided that it didn’t matter—that would be my life,’” Obama told the crowd. “We are richer as a society because it was. And Jasper, you’ve turned out fine.” Other recipients of the 2010 Medal of Freedom include former President George H.W. Bush, musician Yo-Yo Ma, author and poet Maya Angelou, and financier Warren Buffett.
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