The story of Venetian glass is one of art history’s most fascinating tales. More than a thousand years old, it has captured the hearts of artists, royalty, noblemen, politicians, and entrepreneurs the world over. With epic accounts of obsession and passion, secrecy and intrigue, even...
One of the few female architects and designers of the postwar Italian modern movement, Gae Aulenti is a force of strength, drive and creativity. She was one of two women in her graduating class from Milan Polytechnic in 1953, after which she launched her prolific...
For years, we at Jean-Marc Fray have had the pleasure of working with Sherwin Rivera Tibayan as he photographs each new piece we bring into our gallery. His beautiful photographs of our furniture and lighting are an essential element of our business. We are also...
In Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, the Ice Hotel has become a reoccurring ode to architecture. For 28 years, this man-made wonder has been erected each winter, made of 2,500 tons of ice pulled from the nearby Torne River. This seasonal salute to snow and art features a...
To continue last week's exploration of Prada's cultural restorations, their most recent and most ambitious project was the Rong Zhai villa in Shanghai. Completed just last year, the early-20th-century Western-style garden villa took six years to restore, and it is now open to the public...
The Italian luxury fashion house Prada, known for their avant-garde and forward-thinking designs, also reveres and protects the past-- specifically through preservation and rehabilitation of historic architecture. They have funded three major projects in this realm: Ca’ Corner della Regina in Venice, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in...
[caption id="attachment_43647" align="alignnone" width="950"] Directoire Style Dining Chairs, Jean-Marc Fray Antiques [/caption] During a time of great change in post-revolution France (1790-1805), the Directoire style came about after the execution of Louis XVI. With the monarchy gone, France was governed by the Directoire executif (executive directory),...
“When it comes to fair venues, FIAC wins hands down...
This summer Jean-Noël had a fantastic time experiencing a few of Italy's most enchanting cities and villages, traveling from Sicily to Tuscany. The architecture, art, food and sweeping views remind us of all the beauty Italy has to offer (not that we really needed reminding)....
“The vase is an easy piece to understand that represents cultural diversity and artisanal richness.” –Francesco Pirrello, founder of Meet My Project and co-curator of the ‘1000 Vases’ show In September 2018, as part of Paris Design Week, the form of the tabletop vase was deconstructed...