Warhol's "Selfie" Fetches 38.4 Million

Silver Liz as Cleopatra 1963 waits patiently in the cold inert basement vaults of the Art Gallery of Ontario amongst other resting treasures of the art world. She only appears before the public at very rare moments when the AGO pays tribute to her creator.
I was lucky enough to be invited into her "sarcophagus" during an exclusive tour of the vaults after hours. (Last December). The gallery received the work as a gift from Mrs. Else Landauer, in memory of her husband, Walter Landauer in 1979. The Art Gallery of Ontario last presented the famous piece in 2006, during an exhibit entitled Andy Warhol / Supernova: Stars, Deaths and Disasters, 1962-1964. It was guest-curated exclusively for the AGO by film director David Cronenberg, a Toronto native. When la Liz was pulled out from the storage slats before me, I was in awe. Not only did the linen canvas brightly shimmer with the silver ink, but the iconic image of Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra, solidified it's blinding star power. It seemed to illuminate the room once uncovered. I was told that it was worth well over 8 million dollars.
I was equally intrigued to learn that a self-portrait executed by Warhol in the same year (1963) fetched 38.4 million this morning, at Christie's in New York. The hues of the blue and the irony of Warhol experimenting with his own new-found fame testify to his plight as a serious artist. I just loved the following observation by Jonathan Jones, art writer and blogger at The Guardian. It truly made me see deeper intention that underlies Warhol's obsession with superficiality, fame, commercialization and "shock and awe."
This one review single-handedly convinced me of the piece's 38.4 million dollar worth.

"The artist who made this is not just interested in gossip and glamour – he is interested in art and richly aware of the history of portraiture. Warhol in 1963 is newly famous, and it looks like he is trying his fame on for size."
(Jonathan Jones' review, The Guardian 5/16/11).

See Below how Warhol's self-portrait came to be and ultimately how it arrived at Christie's...

Sunny Disposition at VAWK

THE most anticipated show of LG Fashion Week here in Toronto took place Monday at the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) under the most gorgeous natural light in Walker court- an indoor, glass roofed courtyard dominated by a chunky winding staircase conceived by the one and only Toronto born architect Frank Gehry. Sunny was dangerously late coming to the venue, missing the a key interview. He came over to us cheekily grinning and sheepishly admitted that he had been sewing last minute! Those of us who tune in to Project Runway have seen how crazy last minute alterations can really be before the judging!
VAWK Spring 2010 consisted of French Polynesian influences and statements made about conventional beauty. I ate with the models along with the other assistants (models + food = no oxymoron at Sunny's show). Although the food provided were sandwiches the size of my fingers, no stick thin, starving girls were in sight. Sunny included two models that did not match conventional beauty standards. One woman was older, perhaps in her early 40s. She was tall and beautiful yes, but definitely no hip swinging young thing. She had noticeable poise and elegant cropped hair. Another model sported half a sleeve of tattoos and was considerably curvier than her peers. Again, very tall but had gorgeous curves and a bum that really filled out the fuchsia floor-length gown. She even rocked the scandalously high slit. My favourite quote given by the smiley designer was re-Tweeted by his business partner Ben Barry and fellow champion of model diversity:
"I want the body to translate the garment. On a skinny girl, it says nothing." - Sunny Fong, VAWK. Clearly Fong recognizes where the big bucks are- real women.
Highlights included a pair of shorts, suggestively cut out at the back with draping that managed to softly sweep against the outer thigh (First photo below). The leather jackets and blazers were perforated by hand, with a hammer- fantastic craftsmanship but won't come cheap in the stores. The palate of the dresses was surprising- tan, fuchsia and red- definitely evoking a Polynesian sunset but I thought the dresses could have been a bit more effective without the thick, darker brown belts. The tattoo-like appliqués were reminiscent of hibiscus flowers growing like vines up and down the bodies of the models.
Some other insider notes to share: Gift bag contents included wasabi peas, yogurt-covered raisins, a Winners notebook, VAWK canvas bag and AGO brochures.
The DJ's playlist consisted of heavily house-ified top 40 hits by Gaga, Black Eyed Peas and Britney. When the show started, tribal drum beats got the house beats treatment as well with booming bass to compliment the confident bounce in the step of the models.
The after party was in the village. Sipping a VAWK-tini, I took the opportunity to lock eyes with the man of the hour and was able to introduce myself via air-kisses and complimented the white strapless number in particular, shouting over the music "that one is going to sell like crazy!"
Photo Credits: Fashion Magazine.com, ElleCanada.com, Toronto Life