artists

The culture of fashion: Dior SS21 menswear ‘portrait of an artist’



Dior SS21 men Amoako Boafo

Some more menswear SS21 highlights. On the maximalist craft tip, Dior hit the top notes again with a fab collab with Ghanaian artist Amoako Boafo. (See the collection video here.)

Dior’s creative director Kim Jones first met him last year during Art Basel Miami. Boafo was the artist in residence of the new Rubell Museum, opposite Dior’s fall show venue. As Jones’ artist collaborations are now a mainstay of his collections (tying in nicely with Mr Dior’s gallerist past), it made perfect sense for the two to collaborate. Jones already has a connection to Africa having grown up in the continent, while Boafo has a connection to fashion, with his fantastically wardrobed portrait sitters always dressed in attention-grabbing prints and colour combinations. (more…)



At home with interiors photographer François Halard



Francois Halard Arles home

Like thousands of others, I enjoyed the daily lockdown Polaroids of interiors photographer, François Halard. Sharing vignettes from his 18th century Arles home on Instagram, they’ve allowed an element of arty escapism from my own four walls during our enforced confinement. (more…)



The culture of fashion: Georgia O’Keeffe’s wardrobe for sale



Georgia O'Keeffe - Todd Webb

I have tons of Georgia O’Keeeffe pictures on my Pinterest board as research for a project. Her personal style was just fantastic – those shirts! The hats! The kimonos! The hair!

Sotheby’s
has a sale of a number of her personal artefacts coming up, including dresses, jewellery, coats and a fabulous velvet hood. What’s remarkable to me is that apparently some of these pieces were hand-sewn by Georgia O’Keeffe herself. (more…)



On my radar: Amoako Boafo



Amoako Boafo Cobalt Blue Earring 2019 - Courtesy of Mariane Ibrahim

A name to look out for in the 2020s: Amoako Boafo. This Vienna-based Ghanaian painter came to my attention during Art Basel Miami, when his work kept pinging up on Instagram.

His portraits have a really magnetic, visceral power, using fingers to paint directly onto the canvas. While the effect is in your face and graphic, I like the attention to fashion detail, it’s got a bit of Alex Katz and Elizabeth Peyton flavour in that respect. In 2020, Boafo will have a solo show at Mariane Ibrahim in Chicago and I’m sure his influence will be far reaching. (more…)