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Jim Rose: Ming Simplicity In Steel
For 33 years, Jim Rose has cultivated the mind of a maker. He’s absorbed the practices of Ming and Shaker furniture makers, not just through study, but through the physical creation of objects that carry their influence. Instead of traditional carved wood, he uses hot-rolled and reclaimed steel — coaxing the material into clean-lined forms. […]
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Michael Thompson: Studio Visit
The work of Chicago-based artist Michael Thompson defies even the most ardent attempts at classification. He’s the kind of creative whose technique, spirit, provocation and form is always cut with a little mischief. A graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, he has been prolific, expressing himself through an array of media, […]
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Toyoharu Kii: Master of Modern Mosaics
A leader in the global craft resurgence, Japan-based artist Toyoharu Kii works with hand-cut Italian marble and smalti, Venetian glass handmade by the same Italian family for over 400 years. Constructed using traditional techniques, his art is nonetheless modern. Kii’s work is monochromatic, abstract, and highly textured — highlighting the intricate process in the often-overlooked art of mosaic […]
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Gilty Pleasures: PAGODA RED x the bms.
Chicago artist Brian Stanziale has mastered the art of working with metal tacks, from making studded t-shirts for friends to creating brass-adorned coffee table books. “I’ve always been a fan of adding metal to things,” he says. “I think I was the only child in grade school that actually wanted braces.” Stylist, designer, and artist, […]
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Patrick Fitzgerald: The Handmade Mechanic
Through September 9, 2019 PAGODA RED, 1740 W Webster Ave, Chicago A exhibition of Patrick Fitzgerald’s Box Cars, Jackets and Helmets. Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1962, Patrick Fitzgerald grew up in an industrial Midwestern landscape. “It was loud, daunting and dirty,” he says, “yet it possessed a powerful beauty that is still so […]
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The Enchanted World of Yoko Tanaka
Whether she’s working with paints or pencils, artist Yoko Tanaka rarely strays from her chosen palette of soft, smoky tones that lend her pieces a hushed, otherworldly quality, and a rich undercurrent of emotion. The somber figures depicted in her works are frequently placed in spare, but fanciful settings, lending them a fabulist, folkloric air. […]
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African Metal Work at UCLA’s Fowler Museum
Inspired by Striking Iron: The Art Of African Blacksmiths, an exciting new exhibition from The Fowler Museum at UCLA, we’re delving into the stories behind a few favorite works of African metal, from our own collection. The Fowler is part of UCLA’s School of the Arts and Architecture, and is renowned for its in-depth exploration of […]
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Breaking News: We Moved & Expanded
A New Gallery and Studio For the very first time, the complete PAGODA RED collection will be open to the public. The move is complete—with the collections from our Fulton Market and Winnetka galleries finding new homes in our freshly renovated “rough luxe” space in Bucktown. PAGODA RED • 1740 W Webster Ave, Chicago Monday – Saturday • 10am […]
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Deng Ying: The Contemporary Folk Artist
Beijing based artist Deng Ying embellishes small, everyday objects, such as porcelain plates, apothecary jars and paper hand-fans with playful, folk art scenes. The vignettes often feature the artist herself in caricature participating in typical daily activities. Though Deng Ying’s illustrations are inarguably contemporary in style, her frequent use of blue and white directly references […]
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Book Report: Elegance in Japanese Art
Here at PAGODA RED, we love to follow the connective thread that ties modern and ancient art together. Tracing a work of art back through time, to the very emergence of a particular style or medium, and communicating that rich lineage to our clients, is an integral piece of what we do. It was with great pleasure that […]