ART MARKET Priceless stolen works uncovered around the world

News / Stolen Art

September - October 2022

SAM VASSALLO is a Maltese journalist, writer and artist based in Berlin.

SAM VASSALLO

DRUGS, DEATH AND STOLEN ART

The art world is a dynamic place, far removed from quiet spectators rubbing their chins at sparkling galleries. In August, two major artworks were rightfully retrieved by authorities across the world, while a feminist Polish pioneer has sadly passed away.

ABrazilian artwork worth a staggering $59.1 million was discovered under the bed in an Ipanema beach house, after a sweeping police investigation into a group of stolen works.

The major work is called Sol Poente (Setting Sun) by Tarsila do Amaral, one of Brazil’s most prominent and important modern artists. It is one of 16 paintings found on the 11th of August, which are estimated to be worth 709 million reias ($139 million), not counting stolen jewellery or cash found.

The mastermind behind this art heist, according to police, was the daughter of an 82-year-old woman, Genevieve Boghici, who was once married to Jean Boghici, a late Brazilian dealer who acquired a significant collection of art throughout his life.

Police detailed how the con woman allegedly used a clairvoyant to convince her mother that she was sick and must cough up a series of payments as a sort of “spiritual redemption” through an Afro-Brazilian priestess. Eventually Boghici became suspicious and tried to stop making payments, and was confined to her home where she was beaten and robbed. Sol Poente (Setting Sun), completed in 1929, is a beautiful and historically-weighted work. It is a solid example of how do Amaral fused elements of European modernism with styles inspired by Brazilian vernacular art. It featured in her major 2018 Museum of Modern Art retrospective. It comes to no surprise then, that when Sol Poente was uncovered from the bed frame of a Brazilian beach house, one person caught on video was heard saying “Fucking hell!” in Portuguese.

Just a week later, a painting believed to be done by the famous artist Picasso was discovered during a high-profile drug raid in Iraq. Like the Tarsila do Amaral painting, it is estimated to be worth millions.

According to the government-run Iraqi News Agency (INA), the allegedly stolen work was found after three people were arrested on suspicion of trade and transportation of narcotic drugs in the Diyala province in central-eastern Iraq. Details about the authenticity of the painting are yet to be released.

Pablo Picasso, known for his essential contribution to the Cubist movement, is one of the world’s most known artists, producing over 13,500 paintings, 100,000 prints and engravings as well as hundreds of sculptures and ceramic works during his nearly 80-year career. This is not the first of his works to be stolen. Last year, Picasso’s “Head of a Woman” was recovered by Greek police after nearly a decade since it was stolen during a museum heist. In 2019, his “Portrait of Dora Maar” was discovered by a Dutch art detective after 20 years since it was stolen off a yacht of a Saudi sheikh in the South of France. In May, a portrait of Picasso’s lover and mother of one of his children called “Femme nue couchée” sold at auction for $67.5 million.

While we applaud these retrieved masterpieces, August has also brought the sad news of the passing of Polish feminist artist, Natalia LL. Natalia Lach-Lachowicz, known as Natalia LL, was a conceptual artist and image maker who was active and influential in the avant-garde scene in Poland in the 1960s and 70s.

Natalia LL left a multi-faceted and rich body of work, including an erotic and satirical series that questions how women were passively portrayed in TV, print and advertising. Consumer Art (19721975), one of her most defining works, presents models delighting in phallus foods like bananas, sausages and icecream cones and serves to counter the male gaze in consumerism. Through her bold explorations of the “the second sex” , LL left a permanent mark on global feminism and is widely celebrated today. Rest in power, Natalia.

Pablo Picasso. Photo: Courtesy of wikicommons

Natalia LL, Post-consumer Art, 1975, colour photograph on paper, 50.5 x 60.5 cm, the collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow (MOCAK) Photo: Courtesy of wikicommons

News / Malta / Library

September - October 2022

MALTA

A LIBRARY AS A FORM OF EXPRESSION

Edwards Lowell’s latest edition, the Edwards Lowell Book Store, is building on a strength they have seen in their Portomaso Boutique, a twostorey, multi-functional shopping experience that includes an art gallery, champagne bar, high-end library and displays of the finest watches and jewellery on the market. With the launch of the shop on Zachary Street in Valletta, they are putting luxury books into the limelight.

Despite the increase in digital technologies that are changing the way we digest information, the global book market is expected to expand by 1.9% to $164.22bn by 2030 according to a report by Grand View Research Inc. Nothing compares to the feeling of a good book in your hands, and we want to showcase our favourite volumes in a space that’s comfortable, personal, and unique. While public and university libraries are often vast and full of splendour, home libraries are more intimate (but not any less gorgeous). The room can be formal and elegant or colourful and cosy, and stylish focal points like a fireplace, desk, or snug sitting area keep things just as interesting as the volumes on the shelves.

For most of us, books are a source of pleasure, telling great stories through words or images, but a well-curated library is more than just solving a storage problem, it is an expression of luxury, art, and culture.

The Edwards Lowell Book Store is the latest addition to their growing iniatives. Not only are they selling high-end coffee table books, but they are also assisting with the curation of libraries for hotels, residences, private offices and more. With 97 years at the forefront of the luxury watch and fine jewellery business in Malta, representing brands like Rolex, Patek-Philippe and Cartier, Edwards Lowell have experience in quality, style, and attention to detail. This gives them a unique outlook when curating both personal and corporate libraries for their clients, addressing individual needs.

The idea behind curating a personalised library is to create the most beautiful and sophisticated space that will enable people to unplug and enjoy the moment and this is why every project is one-of-a-kind. The unique design seeks to include a variety of genres while adding decorations to the library space, such as rare statues and sculptures — objects that help take guests on a visual journey and add conceptual depth to the library.

Also available from the Elcol website, the Edwards Lowell Book Store offers a vast selection of perfectly bound, attractively presented books on art, fashion, photography, travel and lifestyle, books of the highest quality with distinctive graphic identity and editorial savoir-faire, including those from high quality publishers, Assouline and Taschen. These books are not simply words and pictures, but experiences which unfold as you turn the pages.

The Assouline publishing house is the gold standard for luxury fashion and lifestyle books, chronicling the history of everything from the house of Chanel to Coca-Cola to

the Carlyle Hotel, with Alex Assouline introducing a service to design private libraries to the company.

The Assouline Collection lies side by side with another worldfamous publisher – Taschen, a publisher that has become synonymous with accessible, eclectic publishing. From affordable Basic Art series to highly collectible limited editions, Taschen specialises in illustrated publications on a range of themes including art, architecture, design, film, photography, pop culture, and lifestyle.

A private library is more than just a way to organise your books; it’s an expression of character and a symbol of style. Adding what can be nothing less than art pieces by both Assouline and Taschen – hand-bound books using traditional techniques, with colour plates hand-tipped on art-quality paper, will lift your spaces from simple bookshelves to a library that expresses who you really are. The books at Edwards Lowell Book Store are ones you can judge by their cover!

50, Zachary Steet, Valletta; T: 2568 3070; E: info@elcol.com; W: www.elcol.com

News / Interview / New Boutique in Sliema

September - October 2022

MALTA

THE DECADENT LUXURY OF FINE LIFE AND CHOCOLATE New boutique opens in Sliema

T

he phrase “attention to detail” may have gained the status of a buzzword, but at Sunday in Scotland, it is a true centering raison d’être. From the custom clad interior design to the charming cakes brought to life by Creative Director Amer Wahoud, everything alludes to careful craftsmanship.

Wahoud, the founder and creator of Sunday in Scotland, has forged a rivetingly fresh way to experience the decadent luxury of fine life and chocolate. The entrepreneur, artist and chocolatier’s eco-conscious, zero-waste and handcrafted boutique stands to be a benchmark of lifestyle brands worldwide.

“This isn’t simply a café or shop - it’s a chocolate boutique, a whole experience within itself. Everything is natural, bespoke and genuine. There’s layers behind all the fine details,” Wahoud explained, when asked about what makes Sunday in Scotland stand out.

“I take inspiration from my love of art and craftsmanship, the dedication to the work, the passionate in process as well as the final item.”

The proof is in the luxury pudding. Entering the boutique on a slanting hill of Valletta is to feel an immediate sense of serenity. It is to enter a place forged for nostalgic beauty and allurement of the senses. Everything from the ethereal blue of the signage outside, to the material choice of the chairs’ cushions, to the bold combinations of the artisanal flavors and textures of the cakes, reflects this.

After establishing the flagship boutique store in the heart of the capital, Wahoud has a lot planned for Sunday in Scotland, bringing the concept to multiple other popular locations on the island.

Experience Sunday in Scotland: visit the boutique on 173 St Lucy Street, Valletta, Malta International Airport, and The Strand in Sliema, and check out their website at sundayinscotland.com