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.