DESTE & Barneys New York Public Art Collaboration

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Beginning June 6, 2012 the Barneys New York Madison Avenue flagship store’s windows will be transformed into dymamic vitrines for a public art exhibition organized in collaboration with DESTE Foundation for Contemporary Art, based in Athens, Greece. Conceived by DESTE’s founder, the internationally admired collector and patron Dakis Joannou, and Barneys Creative Director Dennis Freedman, this exhibition will present five ambitious site- specific installation projects by prominent artists in different disciplines. Each of the artists has participated since 2007 in destefashioncollection-- a DESTE Foundation special initiative devoted to investigating, interpreting and celebrating the complex relationships between art, fashion, and the culture at large. On view through July 4th, the project at Barneys New York will be the first U.S. presentation of destefashioncollection. The five participating artists are M/M (Michael Amzalag and Mathias Augustyniak) Paris; photographer Juergen Teller; artist Helmut Lang; poet Patrizia Cavalli; and filmmaker Athina Rachel Tsangari.

Juergen Teller in New York

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Presented in three parts, an upcoming exhibition at Lehman Maupin Gallery in New York, highlights three recent series, demonstrating Teller’s dynamic and diverse oeuvre. Featuring the controversial photographs of Kristen McMenamy and seductive portraits of Vivienne Westwood, juxtaposed with intimate portraits of his family and close friends, this exhibition displays an amalgam of subjects and personalities. The exhibition starts with Teller’s controversial series of photographs featuring Kristen McMenamy, shot in the home of Carlos Mollino. Drawing inspiration from the eccentric architect, Teller recalls Mollino’s fascination with the erotic, capturing McMenamy in provocative poses. Although the series garnered controversy for its alleged “pornographic” nature, it demonstrates Teller’s skilled storytelling and fearless approach to his medium. On view from February 10 to March 17, 2012 at the Lehman Maupin Gallery, 201 Chrystie Street, New York.

Juergen Teller "Man With Banana"

Vivienne Westwood

It could be noted that the true face of Marc Jacobs is Juergen Teller. The german fashion photographer's images are so recognizable that the images in and of themselves are a personification of Teller himself. Teller, who was born in Germany in 1964, invented his own brand of 'snapshot' photography that has been imitated into oblivion.

Teller started his career in 1986 photographing celebrities for magazines. For Nirvana's album Smells Like Teen , Kurt Cobain called Teller and asked him to shoot the photos for the liner notes. What is so striking about Teller as a fashion photographer is that he has never once conceded by comprising his aesthetic to that of the fashion industry's. And his refusal to separate his personal work from his commercial work has made Teller's photography shockingly raw and painfully honest.

Last Friday saw the opening of a solo-exhibition at the Dallas Contemporary in Texas. Teller will present a selection of photographs specifically created for the exhibition. Juergen Teller: Man with Banana runs until August 2011. www.dallascontemporary.org