Earlier this week the NYPD shut down a block of Little Italy because a massive swarm of bees decided to relocate from their overcrowded hive into a city mailbox, effectively swallowing it up in a matter of minutes in a visually stunning spectacle of nature. A local beekeeper was called to isolate the queen and scoop 15,000 of bees safely away. No one got hurt, but the story generated enough fascinated buzz for us to wonder… Are bees inspiring? Why, yes! Here are our ten favorite artworks made with real bees, beeswax and honey.

Read More »

View the slideshow now>>

[Editor's note: We're reposting this feature from last year due to popular demand and the fact that we're wondering if most of you got to see it the first time around. Enjoy!]

On a recent holiday shopping trip uptown, in order to escape the hordes cascading down 5th Avenue, I ducked into one of New York’s contemporary art museums. While sauntering through the maze of galleries I came upon a certain photograph that gave me pause. I studied the slap-dash camera angle and the basic lighting, and thought to myself: “Really? This is what it takes? I can do that!”

And then it hit me like a bolt of lightning: Not only can I do that, I will do that, and then I will pawn off the results on all of my unsuspecting relatives. Why give a Richard Avedon poster, when I can make an original Adda Birnir knock-off? Thus I enlisted the help of my trusty co-conspirator Tom Starkweather and together we picked five masters of photography (Cindy Sherman, Steve McCurry, Philip Lorca Dicorcia, Richard Avedon, and Ryan McGinley) whose work we felt was just begging to be re-created.

Detailed instructions and the results, after the jump.

Read More »

Tina Turner by Henry Diltz

Later this month the Brooklyn Museum will launch a huge exhibit called Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History, 1955 to the Present to coincide with the release of historian and author Gail Buckland’s new book of the same name. The show will feature over 250 photographs from the likes of Richard Avedon, Annie Leibowitz, Maripol, and Roberta Bayley, along with a few lesser known artists who are responsible for iconic images; their diverse subjects range from Frank Zappa to Sonic Youth.

Mark your calendars for the opening celebration on October 29th, which will feature a live performance by Blondie, and then make haste — Courtney Love, Mick Jagger, Marilyn Manson, and Amy Winehouse await you after the jump. Read More »

Jean Shrimpton, Evening Dress by Cardin, Paris Studio, January 1970," gelatin silver print.

San Francisco Chronicle art critic Kenneth Baker on the new Richard Avedon show that opened at SFMOMA over the weekend:

Why do I think of MTV when I see the work of Richard Avedon? Because in his early fashion photographs, Avedon invented pictorial-style-as-branding. It envisions all demeanor as performance and uses movement that meets the camera more than halfway. These qualities reached an unanticipated apex in music videos but made their appearance first in Avedon’s innovative magazine pictures of the late 1940s.

Those feeling inspired by the exhibition should DIY their own Marilyn photograph like Flavorpill’s Adda Birnir did back in December.

Over the weekend Flavorpill took a trip to the Met to check out the much-hyped The Model as Muse exhibit currently on view, which is being sponsored by Marc Jacobs in partnership with Conde Nast. The show is a tribute not just to iconic fashion photography, which has made the glossy magazines of today the titans they have become, but also the models who inspired these images. From the timeless elegance of Richard Avedon’s editorial work with Dorian Leigh, to the almost mythical “Trinity” of Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, and Naomi Campbell, the influence of the supermodel as a source of inspiration is doubtless. What IS open to speculation is the manner in which the Costume Institute chose to curate the show. Our full review, after the jump.

Read More »

Books: Sam Jordison of the Guardian points out that these days, the smartest way to entertain yourself is picking up one of those books you bought ages ago but never found the time to read.

Dance/Opera: The Washington Post reveals that Twyla Tharp might be 67 years old but she still does 75 push-ups a day and isn’t afraid to kick your butt.

Design: When invited to participated in the White House’s first invitation-by-congressional districts Christmas tree decorating, don’t make an ornament that calls for President Bush’s impeachment. Or do, but don’t expect that Laura’s going to be very happy with you.

Film: Rachel Getting Married tops New York Magazine critic David Edelstein‘s list of the year’s best films. We just don’t get it.

Music: Fifty years of popular songs condensed into single sentences — most involving the words “do it.” Thank you McSweeney’s.

Television: ABC is bringing DC Comics’s Fables — Bill Willingham’s story about a group of fairytale characters who have been ousted from their homes and create a secret New York community — to TV. We’ve seen some bearded hipsters running around Williamsburg who’d be just perfect for the part of the Big Bad Wolf.

Theatre: Saturday Night Live alum Rachel Dratch and Norm from Cheers are joining forces in L.A. for a staging of Minksy’s, a “a big, racy, new musical comedy set in a time when entertainment was about legs and laughs.” Oy.

Visual Arts: The Independent asks, should fashion photography count as art? Poor Richard Avedon just rolled over in his grave.

Web: This week’s possibly NSFW SNL Digital Short featuring the first single from the Lonely Island boys’s upcoming album INCREDIBAD is already making the viral rounds. Andy Samberg is always hit or miss: so which one is this?

Hirst discovers that art is expensive: It’s no secret that Damien Hirst is worth a lot of money. Well, worth the most of any living artist, actually, at $364 million. But then his Beautiful Artemis Thor Neptune Odin Delusional Sapphic Inspirational Hypnosis Painting (what?), estimated at $3 million, refused to sell at Sotheby’s last week. Now Hirst is making a brave call: he’s declaring the art market too expensive and considering lowering his prices. That’s noble, but here’s a suggestion: maybe if people could remember the name of the painting they’re buying they’d be more willing to bid. [Independent]

Koh’s new art good enough to eat: Terence Koh’s new exhibit opened last week in New York (in Sarkozy’s brother’s gallery aka Richard Avedon’s former studio). The canvases look like little squares of wall, but they’re made from corn syrup and sugar. We hear things got a little messy at the opening, with people accidentally knocking into the paintings ending up covered in the sweet powdery substance — wonder what that’s a metaphor for… [Cool Hunting]

Read More »