for the skinny of ass...

...and fat of wallet. Furniture as sculpture, fit for a
pedestal, fer chrissakes. Stunning stuff, of course:
this guy does with marble what others do with plastic.
The inspiration is the cellular structure, all
organic, holey, and experimental. The centerpiece is
the "Voronoi Shelf", (a variegated honeycomb on
steriods) of white Carrara marble, carved from a solid
block. Only eight of them were made, so put that
kidney on ebay now.
Process is paramount: witness the Micarta grouping of
table, chair, desk, made of layers of linen and resin,
with various layers sanded down to resemble wood
grain. The trompe l'eoil elicits a sidelong grin, of
acknowledgment and yeah, awe. Need more wow? Stagger
across the street to see his iconic Lockheed Lounge, a
sexy, sinuous fainting couch of riveted aluminum. This
1986 piece launched his career, was the star of
Cooper-Hewitt's "Aluminum" show, and last year went
for almost a million bucks, a record for furniture by
a living designer. It looks seriously uncomfortable
but oh so gorgeous. (More for straddling than
reclining?) Don't have the 2.5 the gallery wants for
it? Vitra offers a miniature model, accurate down to
the 1800 rivets, for $690. It stands 5.8" x 4.3" x
10.8". Adorable.

Marc Newson, at Gagosian
555 W. 24 st.
212-741-1111
www.gagosian.com
through March 3

also at Sebastian + Barquet
544 W. 24 st.
212-488-2245
through March 15