Café Society, Mondains, mécènes et artistes 1920-1960
Thierry Coudert
Names, and what names! Mona Bismarck, Cecil Beaton, Stavros Niarchos, the Windsors, Marie-Laure de Noailles, Baron Alexis de Redé… Places, and what places! Juan les Pins, Montecatini, the castle of Groussay, the Chiberta golf course, or simply the deck of a yacht… The author brings back to life a golden age, one in which the aristocrats and crooks knew how to make money but also how to spend it in eccentric and creative ways, giving preference to the financing of avant-garde ballets rather than that of a football team. Portraits and key moments (such as the Beistegui ball at the Labia palace in Venice, in 1951), draw the portrait of a unique era, in love with fashion (Chanel, Schiaparelli, Balenciaga) and with the decorative arts (Bérard, Jean-Michel Frank, Emilio Terry), one that saw the influence of old Continent beaten back by the American continent, out to conquer but full of admiration…
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Review published in the newsletter #209 - from 24 March 2011 to 30 March 2011
