Douglas Newby Insights - Page 3
DMA Renovating Architect
On August 31 in 1813 during the Napoleonic wars, the city of San Sebastian was burned to the ground. 31 de Agosto is a San Sebastian celebration that includes military reenactments followed by the one street not burned down filled with candle-holding celebrants of the city being rebuilt. I love festivals and parades in any size village or city. When I was attending this August 31 celebration in San Sebastian (by scrolling you can see part of the activities), I walked by the San Telmo Museoa in the heart of Old Town and recalled that the renovation and addition of this Basque art history and cultural museum was designed by architecture firm Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos which emphasized its connection with society. This Madrid based architectural firm was also recently selected for the renovation and modern addition to the Dallas Museum of Art. Both the DMA and San Telmo Museoa are located in the most walkable vibrant part of both cities. The emphasis in both Dallas and San Sebastian is to better connect the museum with society.
It is also interesting that Eduardo Chillida is a Basque artist that did the sculpture in front of the Morton Meyerson Symphony Center. I posted on Instagram August 28, 2019, about the sculpture and the correspondence between Margaret McDermott and Eduardo Chillida. Dallas public architecture and art continue to have a pronounced Spanish influence. *DMA Renovating Architect
@santelmomuseoa #santelmomuseoa @dallasmuseumart #dallasmuseumart #SanSebastian #31deagosto #DallasNeighborhood #DallasArtsDistrict #SanSebastianOldTown @nietosobejano #nietosobejano #DMARenovation #DallasArchitect #DallasArchitecture #ArtMuseum #Architect
Summer Tribute
The only movie I saw this summer was – Mission Impossible – at my Dallas neighborhood theater. It happened that I went on the week that a couple of popular movies opened. Upon leaving the theater, I saw a photo box and I couldn’t resist throwing my hat into the ring and adding additional summer tribute to this 2023 cultural phenomenon. *Summer Tribute
#Barbie #Dallas #DallasNeighborhood #Film
Basque Country
Architecture, the sea, history, culture and good food makes for my favorite holidays. The Pyrenees as a backdrop adds to the wonderful aesthetic. Just 20 or 30 minutes between the glitz of Biarritz and the city prominence of San Sebastian, this area could be considered a working fishing village, with the friendliness of Dallas neighborhoods that I enjoy. While I don’t spend time on boats, I love watching from my balcony fishing boats coming in and out of the sea. It is fun to know the chef/owner of Le Kaiku, a one-star Michelin restaurant that I go to every evening, is procuring some of the daily catch for every dinner. By scrolling you will see a couple of photographs of the 600-year-old stone building the restaurant occupies. It has been serving food here from the beginning, but the dinners have improved from the early prison food served during the building’s original use, not far from the seawall. From a similar aged original Basque home, I can see from my balcony the sea just 100 feet away, and survey the condition of the water before the sun comes up for my long morning swim in the Bay of Biscay. While I occasionally see Jean Paul Gaultier walking on the seawall and friends from France, the only other familiar faces are those that every year sweetly provide for all my needs at the bike shop, market, restaurant, wine shop and other shops.
Here is a civilized place without pretension where I can enjoy swimming, biking, reading on the beach, good food and visiting historical places and cultural sites without it feeling like a forced march. I always find it interesting how many different approaches people take when they are traveling. Basque Country, for me, has a nice cadence and rhythm. *Basque Country
@le_kaiku #lekaiku #StJeanDeLuz #Ciboure #BasqueCountry #BayofBiscay #Neighborhood #FrenchTown
Factory Art
Warehouse and factory conversions and adapted use have been popular the last 40 years for residences, galleries, shops and other uses, but often they lost their architectural edge and sense of intent. The Brant Foundation has taken the original Con-Edison substation building at 421 East 6th Street, originally providing power for much of New York, and converted it to an art exhibition space. I love that the building maintains its industrial edge, including the street front facade adjacent to graffiti adorned buildings. It also has interior windows framing downtown neighborhood-scapes. Each floor beautifully displays art from a different aesthetic platform. One floor has soaring ceilings and original ironworks, another floor has massive beams that remind me of an oversized Frank Welch designed living room, another floor is clean, warm and polished with wood floors and ceilings and a delightful skylight. This exhibition – Thirty Are Better Than One – displays over 100 Andy Warhol artworks. On November 1st a show opens here – Basquiat X Warhol – that will display some of the 160 canvases Basquiat and Warhol collaborated on at Andy Warhol’s factory. While many factory and warehouse conversions are sanitized and reflect little of the building, this Con-Ed building conveys architectural energy and texture that is perfect to show Andy Warhol and Basquiat artwork.
This space also made me think of photographer Chet Morrison and his wife Patty’s Cotton Gin building they used as a residence, studio and gallery in Deep Ellum. In the mid-1980s, the Dallas Mayor presented them The Dallas Restoration House of the Year Award. The selection committee chose it because of the impact on Deep Ellum and because it reflected the original architecture and was gracefully adapted for a space in which to live, work and display art.
*Factory Art
#NewYork @thebrantfoundation #brantfoundation #EastVillage #ArtExhibit #ArtExhibition #Basquiat #Warhol #DeepEllum #Neighborhood #Architecture #Historic #factoryconversion
#warehouseconversion #renovation
Face of New York
I always think of Nelly Moudime, the Maitre d’ of The Polo Bar as the face of New York. A former model, the daughter of an African diplomat, Nelly is a stunning woman who fills a room with energy and grace. She effortlessly greets the most famous, richest, successful, and glamorous people in the world with the same ease she greets new guests at The Polo Bar. The Polo Bar is somewhere I go every time I am in New York. It reminds me of Highland Park Village and Cafe Pacific. I first met Ralph Lauren and his brother, Jerry, when my sales associate, Doug Bihlmaier, introduced me at the Highland Park Ralph Lauren store not long after it opened in the 1970s. I recall, with Doug’s encouragement, I wore a tie from one of Ralph’s first tie collections that I bought to bring to SMU my freshman year. Ralph loved it. Doug went on to work closely with Ralph Lauren in New York. I have met Ralph Lauren since, at The Polo Bar once when he was with his Telluride neighbor Ken Burns. I mention Cafe Pacific because Jack Knox and Ralph Lauren are contemporaries, and I met both of them close to the same time. Jack Knox and Ralph Lauren both exude style, a personal elegance, and are the most meticulous restaurant owners I know when it comes to creating an aesthetic atmosphere of excellence. They both take great joy in presenting an experience that is inspiring and flawless. Jack Knox was raised in Highland Park and SMU, and Ralph Lauren created a Highland Park and SMU environment for everyone else in the world. Thank you – and thank you Nelly for creating a Polo-New York tone for all your guests. *Face of New York
@nellcan @thepolobar @ralphlauren @poloralphlauren @dougbihlmaier93 #thepolobar #nellymoudime #NewYork #RalphLauren #dougbihlmaier #CafePacific
Dallas Art Fair
National and international art galleries endorsed Dallas by participating in the Dallas Art Fair. Often artists lead the way in discovering and reclaiming neighborhoods making them fashionable. Much the same can be said of art galleries. Barry Whistler Gallery gave Deep Ellum a boost three decades ago and then gave the Dallas Design District an additional thrust. Now international galleries are doing the same thing for Dallas by participating in the 15th Dallas Art Fair. We know Dallas has the country’s most diverse economy attracting a steady flow of Fortune 500 companies. We know substantial people are moving to Dallas, resulting in more homebuyers than home sellers in Highland Park and Dallas. Dallas, increasingly attractive for relocations, is rightly associated with an open friendly city, lower taxes, safety, educational opportunities. Now international galleries are endorsing the aesthetics of Dallas.
Art transcends even the draw of jobs, safety, education and favorable economics. People of all incomes enjoy art. Now Dallas enjoy the art world coming to us. This year Art Fair spaces were consistently beautifully curated, the art strong, the galleries friendly, and the viewers excited. The Dallas Art Fair also showed the strength of Dallas art galleries. Dallas art galleries at the Fair more than held their own. Dallas art galleries in the Dallas Design District also had art openings to coincide with the Art Fair and the week of art conversations in Dallas. Private art collections were also made available to view. Art work presented by east and west coast galleries and those from around the world made me even more appreciative of the fabulous Dallas art galleries, art collectors and collections that we have in Dallas. Since grade school, I have loved fairs – including writing a long school report on fairs, going to book fairs, the Chicago International Trade Fair, art fairs in other cities, and of course the Texas State Fair. The Dallas Art Fair has blossomed into an internationally important fair – one that is enjoyable, educational, and one that endorses Dallas. *DallasArtFair
#DallasArtFair #DowntownDallas #DallasArt #DallasDesignDistrict #Dallas
Real Deal
Real Deal insights were provided earlier this year by Publisher and Founder Amir Korangy of The Real Deal, the largest real estate magazine in the country. It is interesting how people outside Dallas interpret the city. Amir Korangy hosted a dinner at The Mansion Restaurant that included former Mayor Mike Rawlings; CEO of Crow Holdings, Michael Levy; Dallas Regional Chamber Senior VP of Research and Innovation, Duane Dankesreiter; The Real Deal’s National Managing Editor Jerry Sullivan, Texas Editor Rachel Stone, and Dallas reporter Erick Pirayesh, along with a few other real estate leaders. I find interesting to compare the perspectives of those from inside and outside of Dallas. When over a year ago Amir visited Dallas to learn about the city, he asked people what made Dallas so successful. The first person suggested it was because the people in Dallas were nice. Amir said he thought this didn’t seem enough to be the foundation of a city’s success. He said after he spoke to 30 people over the week and they all said essentially the same thing, that maybe this was the key component to the success of Dallas. One certainly could not point to mountains or an ocean as the draw to Dallas. Nice is a pleasant but rather anemic word for something more profound in Dallas. When my clients are moving to Dallas or considering moving to Dallas, the first way I describe Dallas is that it is the most open city in the country. In Dallas people are considered for what they contribute and add to the city. Recently this idea was reinforced at a Dallas dinner for 80 people being celebrated for their contributions to the city. It was mentioned that Dallas is a place far more collaborative than divisive. The fun, generous, warm mood of this assemblage of successful people from the full political spectrum conveyed this. At the earlier dinner, Amir Korangy said that Dallas is both a magnet for Fortune 500 companies and is an encouraging environment for people in every demographic to start a business. The sentiments and mood of these two dinners reinforced in my mind—niceness in Dallas is the real deal. *Real Deal
#Dallas #City #TheRealDeal @mrkorangy #rosewoodmansiononturtlecreek
Preservation Poetry
This Robert Frost style poem was inspired by my blog article on DouglasNewby.com- Preservation Dallas 50th Anniversary Home Tour Celebrates Neighborhoods and Architecture.
In neighborhoods, where history breathes,
Preservation Dallas, its mission weaves.
Fifty years have come and gone,
A golden era, a tale now spun.
With architect’s passion and vision clear,
Neighborhoods standing, as we stand here.
A house, a home, a living tale,
In every brick and timbered bale.
Kessler Park and Swiss Avenue,
Touched by hands, old and new. Cheek and Fooshee, Dilbeck, too,
A tapestry of architects, their essence imbued.
Winds of change, they blow and gust,
Yet in these homes, our trust is thrust.
Oak Cliff and Munger Place, a story to share,
Intricate patterns, a legacy’s heir.
As I wandered through these homes,
I felt the whispers, the ancient tomes.
Of lives well lived and dreams fulfilled,
In every corner, history distilled.
To celebrate these architects, we gather near,
Their talents, their visions, we revere.
For in their craft, they’ve woven time,
Preserved for us, a gift sublime.
We stand upon the shoulders of the great,
Their work, an anchor, against time’s weight.
And as we walk the neighborhoods of yore,
A part of us, forevermore.
So let us celebrate this jubilant day,
In honor of those who’ve paved the way.
For through their work, we too shall see,
A past preserved, an eternal legacy. *Preservation Poetry
#PreservationDallas #DallasNeighborhoods #DallasArchitects #SwissAvenue #OakCliff #dallashometoura
MayaMargarita
Here is how iconic drinks are maybe named at iconic restaurants. Javier’s Gourmet Mexicano is the oldest iconic restaurant in Dallas. It is much loved, known for its professional service, unwavering Mexico City inspired food, and much fun. Led by Javier’s example, wearing an Italian suit, with Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and other stylish cars lined up in the front, Javier’s is known for tradition and style. It is against this backdrop that an iconic drink may be created. When Javier inquired what drinks he could request the server to bring to the table, he was told a top shelf Margarita rimmed with sugar. Javier’s eyes got wide and a curious expression appeared as he said he has never had that request. When told he could think of it as a Maya Margarita, Javier repeated, “Maya Margarita” and said, “It has a good ring to it.” Grace Kelly, a stylish woman, propelled a Hermes handbag to be called the Kelly bag. Here a stylish woman might propel a sugar-rimmed top shelf Margarita to be called a Maya Margarita. *MayaMargarita
#JaviersDallas #Javier #Dallas #IconicRestaurant #MayaMargarita #SugarRimmedMargarita #Margarita #DallasRestaurant #MexicanRestaurant #eventdirector #nationalmargaritaday @JaviersGourmetMexicano
Katz Ascends
From graduate student looking work on the first level of the Guggenheim Museum, Alex Katz’ work ascends to the highest level and to the triumphant and concluding piece of the exhibition, which was loaned by Dallas’ own art collector, Marguerite Hoffman. Katz’ wife was a reoccurring subject matter throughout his 60-year career, including the oversized faces Katz is best known for. The final piece in his show has his wife’s back to the viewer, and yet we still can tell exactly who it is. A retrospective this linear is also nice as we see the evolution of an artist’s work and in this case the distinct evolution of styles and attitudes of each decade. As you slide through the images, you will be able to see the final picture of the back of the woman repeated six times on the canvas. This piece is destined to become part of the Dallas Museum of Art’s permanent collection. *Katz Ascends
#guggenheim #ArtExhibition @guggenheim #AlexKatz #DallasArtCollector #UpperEastSide #Design