Gustav Klimt Painting of Prince William Nii Nortey Dowuona Forces Reflection on Human Zoos

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Gustav Klimt Painting of Prince William Nii Nortey Dowuona Forces Reflection on Human Zoos

Gustav Klimt Painting of Prince William Nii Nortey Dowuona and ‘Human Zoos’

A potentially lost forever, early artwork by renowned Austrian artist Gustav Klimt, missing since the 1930s, is now being exhibited after its recent recovery. The painting portrays Prince William Nii Nortey Dowuona, a leader of the Ga people from what is now known as Ghana in West Africa. Created in 1897, the portrait shows the prince in profile set against an abstract floral backdrop. Measuring just over 2 feet in height, the compact artwork is being showcased by the Viennese gallery Wienerroither & Kohlbacher (W&K) at the TEFAF Maastricht art fair in the Netherlands, with an asking price of €15 million (approximately $16.3 million).

The Rise of Ethnographic Showcases or ‘Human Zoos’

According to W&K, the painting was created by the artist amid the 1897 Vienna Völkerschau. These Völkerschau exhibitions were ethnographic showcases — also called human zoos — from the colonial era. These widely-attended exhibitions across Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries were often businesses created for financial profit.

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Burberry Artists Strike a Perfect Pitch As Mothership Finds Momentum

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Burberry Artists Strike a Perfect Pitch As Mothership Finds Momentum

Burberry Artists Strike a Perfect Pitch As Mothership Finds Momentum

Burberry [IG] is celebrating Valentine’s Day 2025 with a series of paintings by Brooklyn-based artist Jack Kenna [IG]. The modern-perspective artist creates unconventional pairings of familiar objects in a bold, abstract style.

Kenna’s commissioned Burberry artwork features the Rocking Horse bag, an essential Burberry gift inspired by the house’s equestrian heritage and two very different perspectives on the Burberry scarf. From the Burberry website, add yet another painting of the Mini Snip Chain bag.

In Burberry’s Reinvention: Hope Springs Eternal

Burberry posted positive news in the third quarter ending Dec. 28, with a comparable store drop of 4%, compared with a business analysts forecast of 12%.

New Burberry CEO Joshua Schulman is credited with stemming the double-digit sales declines that defined the first half of 2024. As Schulman noted in a call with analysts, the American market, led by Burberry’s refurbished New York store resulted in a 4% increase Y2Y in America for the 3rd quarter.

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Louis Vuitton Spring 2025 Campaign with Blackpink and Ronan Saoirse by Meisel

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Louis Vuitton Spring 2025 Campaign with Blackpink and Ronan Saoirse by Meisel

Louis Vuitton Spring 2025 Campaign with Blackpink and Ronan Saoirse by Meisel

As much as AOC loves Louis Vuitton [IG], their ad campaigns can be ho-hum. The Spring 2025 campaign, shot by Steven Meisel [IG] with Louis Vuitton ambassadors Blackpink’s Lisa and actor Ronan Saoirse, is indeed worthy of fashion’s largest, omnipotent luxury brand.

Few luxury houses are associated with an illustrious name like The Fondation Louis Vuitton, the prominent art museum and cultural center located in Paris in the Bois de Boulogne.

Placing two gifted women artists like Lisa and Ronan, who are also Nicolas Ghesquière muses, in the presence of French conceptual artist Laurent Grasso’s artwork for a campaign shot by one of the world’s most celebrated fashion photographers Steven Meisel is a truly definitive statement for the Louis Vuitton Spring 2025 campaign.

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