Gibson Bayh - The Art of a Rediscovered Fashion Designer

 

When we discovered the original sketches of historic San Francisco fashion designer, Gibson Bayh (1917-2007), we were struck by the artistry and glamour of these period images.

In recent years, the world’s most important museums have turned their attention to fashion. Blockbuster shows featuring the designs of Balenciaga, Jean Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen have drawn record-breaking crowds to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the de Young Museum in San Francisco. The garments and the original sketches are now recognized as highly collectible works of art and important examples of 20th Century creative innovation.

Gibson Bayh was a custom fashion designer for Gump's, San Francisco's historic destination for fashion and home goods since 1861.  He was known for his "timeless styling" of gowns, costumes, coats and pajamas. Bayh frequently used fabrics selected from Gump's famous collection of oriental art treasures. Many of the silks and brocades utilized in his designs dated back to the Boxer Rebellion (a late 19th Century proto-nationalist movement led by the Righteous Harmony Society in China). Bayh’s gowns retailed for up to $1,500 in the late 1940s and he was featured in a 1940 issue of Women’s Wear Daily.

Bayh designed fashion with a dramatic sense of Hollywood glamour, using Gump’s stunning oriental fabrics for clients such as Dinah Shore (singer and actress), Lily Pons (soprano and actress) and Anne Baxter (best known for her role in The Ten Commandments). Some of his original garments can be found in fashion museums around the world. 

All the drawings presented here are Bayh’s original signed sketches, and attached to many are the swatches for the fabrics he intended to use. Framed pieces range from $545 to $675 and can be purchased in our online shop.

An Affordable and Dynamic Way to Bring Color and Zest into Your Home

In the 1970s, Dellard Cassity executed these freehand sketches using simple mediums such as ink and felt pens. At times he even used masking tape to juxtapose separate pieces of paper and create an image. This was a quick way for Cassity to graphically demonstrate an idea he would develop in more depth later (see oils further down on the artist's page). Even though these records were not intended as finished works, we loved their aesthetics and decided to present them, framing a few and turning them into art objects in their own right.

 

Cassity worked in a style of color field painting called “Hard-Edge Abstraction”. It became popular in California in the late 1950s and was a classical turn away from the romanticism of Abstract Expressionism. This emerging trend in abstract art employed clean lines and contrasting hues. It recalls the geometric abstraction of Piet Mondrian, Josef Albers, Ad Reinhardt and others. 

Works like these Cassity studies are an affordable and dynamic way to add color and zest to a room. It’s pieces like these that are often used by stylists from companies such as Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn, West Elm, Target, Nordstrom and others, to create the feeling of a high-end, curated, artful environment. 

Uncovering New Collections in Paris

Ahhhh Paris...a haven for artists and heaven for art collectors. During our spring trip we uncovered four diverse collections spanning the 1880s through the 1950s. Each one provides a unique glimpse into the French art scene of this period.

Our annual trips to Europe help us to further expand the Salon's extensive library of original works. And this particular trip yielded some excellent additions and reminded us why Paris has been one of the world's great art capitals for so very long.

 

One of the collections we discovered was the modernist work of Danielle Dilleman from the late 1950s. Dilleman was born in Paris and studied there at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. She continued her studies under the acclaimed Parisian printmaker, Johnny Friedlander. Her first exhibition of prints was in 1957 at the Maison des Beaux-Arts. Read more about Danielle Dilleman and see our complete collection of her work.

 

Another collection was comprised of the academic work of two artists: a father and son. The work from the 1880s by Eugene Fourault was executed at the Ecole Nationale des Arts Decoratifs, and showcases the 19th Century custom of rigorously copying classical architecture, antiquities and reliefs. His son, Andre Fourault studied at the Ecole Nationale d'Arts et Metiers in the 1920s. His work handsomely reflects the many technological advancements of the new century. While not in the fine art vernacular, work like this can beautifully enhance the home or office of a collector that enjoys the studied and precise qualities of these hand-rendered drawings.

We also picked up a lovely group of abstract textile illustrations, from Lyon, circa 1886. Using ink and watercolor, the textile artist created patterns intended to repeat throughout the cloth. We hand-picked motifs that both stand alone as an abstract image and as a wonderful example of 19th century decorative arts. A series of these can make a strong statement.

Alysanne McGaffey - Rediscovered Treasures and Contemporary Works

If you have been following Lost Art Salon for a while, then you have most likely encountered the work of Bay Area artist, Alysanne McGaffey (b. 1931). Over the years we have presented her 1950s-1970s work from the Bay Area Figurative Movement. Recently, a lost cache of her art from this period was discovered, and we are very excited to debut these pieces. Works from this era have been framed in period frames using archival framing techniques.

To this day, Alysanne continues to live in the Bay Area (Pacifica, CA) and is still a vibrant artist intensely dedicated to her craft. For the first time we are presenting her contemporary work from the 1990s and 2000s. For the past couple decades, Alysanne has focused on the watercolor medium, often depicting scenes of the Northern California coastal landscape. The luminous pigments and fluid lines of watercolor paints are an ideal conduit for her flowing, richly-colored aesthetic. Many of these works have been framed floating on a linen background in handsome solid maple shadow box frames.


All of the framed and ready to hang pieces from this collection can viewed and purchased online.

Michael di Cosola and Dave Fox: Made in California

Northern California artist, Michael di Cosola in his studio in the the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco (1950s)

Southern California artist, Dave Fox, in his San Pedro studio on the Los Angeles County Coast (1950s)

Northern California artist Michael di Cosola (1929 - 2010)  and Southern California artist, Dave Fox (1920-2011) are the two subjects of our current show (opening June 28th). We call the show "Made in Calfornia" because both men moved to California at pivotal moments in their personal and creative developments (di Cosola from Chicago in the 1950s and Fox from Austria during WWII). It was in California that they made the work that would define them as artists. And it was there that they experienced a powerful new freedom.

The work of di Cosola embodied the San Francisco spirit with its whimsical surrealism and flowing lines. While Fox found his inspiration in the scenes and stories of Southern California. But both artists channeled the bright, intense colors of California into their gorgeous, sunny palettes.

The full story and work of Michael di Cosola can be viewed here.

The full story and work of Dave Fox can be viewed here.

The ready to hang and display pieces by both artists can be viewed and purchased online in our New Arrivals Boutique.

The San Francisco Decorator Showcase

 

At this year's San Francisco Decorator Showcase (running through May 28th) we are presenting a new collection of Soviet Russian Impressionist landscapes (1940s -1980s). The small scale, unique frames, and intimate atmosphere of the scenes lent themselves handsomely to various unique groupings. Above we hung a selection of pieces in a style known as a "Paris Hang". Complimenting the oils is a collection of Modernist sculptures by Dave Fox (1920-2011) . Both the paintings and sculptures can be viewed and purchased online in our New Arrivals Boutique.

The Modernist ceramic sculptures of Dave Fox were created during the final decade of his career (2000-2010) and represented a dramatic new direction for the Vienna-born artist. Here they are displayed on custom linen-wrapped plinths.

We continued the gallery design of the 3rd floor hallway with the groupings above; curating pieces based on their harmonious palettes and the forms of their frames.

  

Combing a variety of frames gives each arrangement a sculptural aesthetic that adds visual excitement to the hang. It's a very nice alternative to simply presenting everything in the same frame.

During the design process we gave a great deal of thought to how each grouping would look from every angle. Here a group of three Soviet Impressionist landscapes are seen through the bannister as you ascend.  

The San Francisco Decorator Showcase is widely considered to be the West Coast’s premier design showhouse event, renowned for featuring the work of the region’s top interior and landscape designers. All the funds raised through the Decorator Showcase go directly to support the San Francisco University High School (UHS) Financial Aid Program. For more information on visiting the house and viewing our installation visit www.decoratorshowcase.org

April's Guest Curator: Robert Polacek

We invited Robert Polacek, Partner at the Puccini Group, to be our first "Guest Curator". Robert was asked to select a salon-style grouping that reflects his personal taste and collecting aspirations. His group (seen above) is unified by harmonious, muted colors and modernist compositions, and we love it. Robert selected pieces by (from left): Wilhem Faulkner, Rob Delamater, Jennings Tofel,  Helen Sewell Rennie, and Gary Lee Shaffer.

With a diploma in architecture from Catholic University of America, Robert Polacek, Chief Creative Officer and Partner at Puccini Group, heads up the concept development and design side of the company. He has helped the firm create countless sophisticated, chef-tailored, noteworthy restaurants across the globe for clients such as Jumeirah, Kimpton, Fairmont and Four Seasons among others.

Robert recently planned a San Francisco art and inspiration day for the Puccini team. Part of the day's itinerary included a visit to the Salon to educate his staff around the idea of using Lost Art Salon as a resource for their future design projects.

A New Collection of Soviet Impressionism

Many of the pieces we added to our New Arrivals Boutique in April are part of a recent acquisition of 20th Century Soviet Impressionist paintings. This realistic style was the prevailing aesthetic from roughly 1930 to 1980. During this time, the theme of landscape was considered "unnecessary and frivolous" by the Communist Party, and was discouraged because it did not actively promote the objectives of the Party. In addition, much of the cultural life in the Communist Soviet Union was denied Western exposure. As a result, landscape-oriented work was less frequently produced and, until recently, little of it has been shown outside of Eastern Europe. We took a great deal of care and pride in the framing process for these intimate oils; often using historic frames and creating custom linen mats to showcase these rare gems. You can see each piece and their details here.

 

Our Latest Discovery: The Enchanted Art of David Landis (1918-1983)

Our most recent obsession is the work of Chicago artist David Merkel Landis (1918-1983). The rich colors, lively brushstrokes and exotic subjects give his oils an enchanted aura. The paintings exhibit a strong American Impressionist aesthetic and are often large-scale. Many of the spectacular period frames are original to the pieces and were hand-built. Landis graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1941, served in Europe during World War II from 1942-1945, and returned to the Art Institute of Chicago as a faculty member in 1947.  He continued to teach there with the title Associate Professor of Drawing and Painting until 1969.  His work was included in numerous exhibitions in the Midwest and East from 1939-1973, including ten one-man shows at private galleries in Detroit, Chicago, and Edgartown, Massachusetts. Later in life, he and his wife, the potter Esther Landis, moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where they maintained the "Landis Studio" until his death in 1983. The Landis' pieces below represent only a selection of the works we have available. Paintings by David Landis, and other new arrivals, can now be viewed and purchased in our New Arrivals Boutique.

#18987- David Landis, Mid 20th Century, Oil on Canvas, 46.5" x 36.5" Framed, $3,750

#19012- David Landis, Mid 20th Century, Oil on Wood Panel, Entitled "Sunbathers, Martha's Vineyard", 41.5" x 29" Framed, $3,500

#19068- David Landis, 1950, Oil on Canvas, Entitled "Dream of Rome", 22" x 31" Framed, $2,450

#19280- David Landis, Mid 20th Century, Oil on Canvas, Entitled "Portuguese Bullfight, Lisbon", 56" x 43.5" Framed, $4,500

#19285- David Landis, Mid 20th Century, Oil on Masonite, Entitled "Beach, Watch Hill, Connecticut", 82" x 32" Framed, $4,750

Paintings by David Landis, and other new arrivals, can now be viewed and purchased in our 

New Arrivals Boutique.

 

A Collaboration with McGuire Showroom and Designer Laura Kirar

For Winter Market at the San Francisco Design Center, McGuire Showroom invited us to curate an art collection to display alongside the furniture designs of New York designers, Bill Sofield and Laura Kirar. Over sixty pieces from the Lost Art Collection are highlighted in the windows of the showroom and in the living and dining room designs by Kirar.

The Bill Sofield Office for McGuire

Here we created a monochromatic "mosaic" display of graphic pieces that complement the Mid Century inspired Baton Writing Table by Bill Sofield.

For her dining and living room designs Laura Kirar selected a collection of modern artwork that echoed the bold colors of the serape elements that she integrated into her custom upholstered pieces.

 

Contemporary Artwork in the Jackson Square Dining Room

Contemporary artwork by Lost Art Salon owners and artists, Gaetan Caron and Rob Delamater are featured here with the new Jackson Square Collection by McGuire.

Little Pieces in the “Little Crumb”

This week we installed a small collection for the third and newest Miette Pastry Shop in Larkspur.  A Parisian influenced pastry boutique that Meg Ray, owner and baker extraordinaire, founded in 2001.  "Miette" is French for "little crumb".

Charming illustrations and drawings that fit the chic Parisian designed space and local Marin culture were selected by Meg (the best selling author of "Miette: recipes from San Francisco's most charming pastry shop").  One work by 1940s/50s fashion illustrator, Marjorie Ullberg, depicts passengers disembarking from a ferry, and a still life painting of a rose ties back into the overall feeling of the dainty patisserie.

Miette in the Larkspur Country Mart

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