Tag: New York

Tuesday Huesday: Kolonihavehus

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Tom Fruin's Kolonihavehus in CopenhagenKolonihavehus, 2010 | steel, found Plexiglas, paint | 12′ x 12′ x 14′

We can’t get enough of neon brights for our Tuesday Huesday blog posts at the moment – it must be a subconscious antidote to the grey, wet weather we’ve been having!

When I came across Kolonihavehus (Danish for allotment) by Tom Fruin it just blew me away – there just aren’t enough superlatives to describe it! I’d have loved a visit to Copenhagen to see the installation in the flesh (or should that be “in the glass”?)

Go to his website to see more of his sculptural artwork – his Brooklyn watertower is breathtaking! It’s there until June 2013 so maybe I’ll just have to take a trip to New York instead!

New York, New York

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illustration from Miroslav Sasek's vintage children's book, This is... New York showing Brooklyn Bridge with cars passing beneath it

Our recent post I is for Ireland featured the This is… series of books by Miroslav Sasek.

illustration from Miroslav Sasek's vintage children's book, This is... New York showing a view of water tanks in the New York skyline

In it, we promised some more photos from a recent acquisition – This is New York.

illustration from Miroslav Sasek's vintage children's book, "This is... New York" showing people in the aisle of a grocery store

The book was published in 1960 and, as per usual, the illustrations are fabulous!

illustration from Miroslav Sasek's vintage children's book, "This is... New York" showing various types of vending machines

New York is one of those cities that works particularly well…

illustration from Miroslav Sasek's vintage children's book, "This is... New York" showing a New York traffic cop illustration from Miroslav Sasek's vintage children's book, "This is... New York" showing an American footballer

…with it’s distinctive buildings, day to day goings on and familiar characters.

illustration from Miroslav Sasek's vintage children's book, "This is... New York" showing a view of a city street lined with cars

The artist captures the 1950s/60s era – the sights and the vibrancy of the city.

illustration from Miroslav Sasek's vintage children's book, "This is... New York" showing firemen in a New York fire engine

We had a 10-day holiday there a few years ago. It had changed a bit since Sasek wrote these books but lots of the unmistakable landmarks and energy of the city were still there.

illustration from Miroslav Sasek's vintage children's book, "This is... New York" showing a street vendor selling hot dogs and soft drinks

Flicking through these pages reminds us of the great time we had – hopefully we’ll get back there again one day…

illustration from Miroslav Sasek's vintage children's book, "This is... New York" showing an aerial view of Manhattan's skyscrapers and the Hudson River in a pixelated style

…and it would be a real dream to cruise up the Hudson river to arrive in real style!