apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

why is mark jacobs always showing off his new bod? stop it already! nice pad though

Why the heck would you want a "Boots" ad on such a gorgeous wall? I don't care who the artist is. It's ugly and what makes it even worse is Mark Jacobs standing there half naked. Why? And who's idea was it that he be in every single picture?

Tell you what: if I'm ever invited over I'm not sitting in *that* chair.

And I agree with mva1201 - if I photocopied the inserts that come with my drugs to 40 times the usual size and stick them on the wall would they be considered art?

Is Marc Jacobs living in the old Jean Seberg apartment on
rue de bac?
Or is it Romain Gary's apartment on rue de bac?
I am almost positive I have been in that apartment many years ago when I was a kid. Obviously it was decorated completely differently.
Meanwhile they both committed suicide at different times .

Somebody please clear up the mystery with the Marc Jacobs apartment in Paris.
Thank you.

OMG, you all are so funny. You picked up everything I was seeing and thinking. Except you missed the "Hussy 'Art'". The drunken maid. And the dog-in-a-crate.

I don't have the slightest idea who this guy is, though. What does he do? What is his claim to fame? Why is he being featured here?

You know, I can't figure out 95% of what goes on at this site. I just don't get it. I sometimes feel like I am on the verge of getting it, but then I see what appears to be a guy taking his pants off on a stairwell under a drug insert and I'm lost again.

Ah, the subjectivity of art and the struggle to define it. I would kill to have any one of those pieces in my apartment, but I'll make do with my print of Stieglitz's photograph of Duchamp's "Fountain" and keep dreaming...

Please, his name is MARC. It's C, not K.
I really like it. It's truely Marc's home. Love it.

I had an enourmous crush on him when he was young and dorky with long hair...sigh.

I'll take the maid and the bench at the end of the bed, those are my favorite parts of the apartment.

I would be obsessed with that collection as well - I hope he has a heavily armed guard by the door!

cityofparis: read the W magazine article, says this:
"When he moved to Paris in 1996 for Louis Vuitton, he lived in a hotel and later a rental, but it was only when he saw a three-story garden apartment on the Champ de Mars—then owned by designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, who had a taste for Seventies-style psychedelia and large wall drawings of angels—that Jacobs felt an urge to put down roots. Touring the house, which was just hitting the market, Jacobs sat by the window of a guest bedroom, watched the kids playing on the lawns beneath the Eiffel Tower, and started crying. “It sounds really corny, but I felt this primitive connection,” he says. “It was the first time I felt like I was in my home.”

Here's another interview:
http://www.indexmagazine.com/interviews/marc_jacobs.shtml

"We asked Birkenstock to make satin Birks. We asked Converse to make duchesse satin sneakers. If I were wearing a tuxedo I'd want to wear it with satin Converse sneakers. I'd want my tuxedo to be shrunken and ill-fitting, so I'd look like one of the John Holmstrom cartoons from Punk magazine. It's the idea of imperfection, of being awkward."

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So this guy apparently has something to do with the clothing industry, and yet doesn't like wearing clothes? That's not a very good advertisement.

And his stuff is so expensive that nobody noticed that $62,000 was missing?
http://www.nypost.com/seven/05152008/news/regionalnews/crime_of_fashion_110909.htm

The guy worked there for a year and a half. That's about $3,444.00 missing per month. And nobody noticed?

Boring...
Nothing impressive, and that includes Jacob's nudity.

In the article it says he makes MILLIONS a year, but had to get an advance from his employer to purchase some of the art work. WHAT?????!!!!! Besides everything else, he obviously can not manage his 'allowance'.

wow, you guys are harsh.

just sayin'

True Blue, please tell me you're being ironic. Please.

Also, I love the Damien Hirst painting. Lovelovelove it.

The photos are from W, so it's gonna have a sexy fashion vibe (whatever the hell that is), hence the nearly nude Marc.

Love the house and he art collection is fab. Plus its his house, if he wants to chill naked he can!

i was disappointed when seeing this in the magazine--if there
was more non big name art in there i would be impressed.
i'm sorry, but Jacobs is done up like Andy Warhol on the current Interview.

Well, I LOVE the laughing maid. She's part of the installation, so is he...even the crated dog is in place for a reason. Do you think they accidentally left the crate out? I'll be interpreting these photos for days. The strong reactions-both neg and pos-are a sign of meaningful art.

[quote]... if I photocopied the inserts that come with my drugs to 40 times the usual size and stick them on the wall would they be considered art?
posted by catspajamas on 2008-06-17 22:15:01 [/quote]

Yes. And, if you were the first one to think of doing it, you'd be an artist.

Isn't it a shame that all of this talent is slowly committing suicide by his chain smoking habit at the same time that he is investing all of this time and effort into exercise and nutrition. Not being critical so much as expressing sorrow and pity.

jon, if I tell you I'm being ironic, will you love me forever?

Whadaya mean "No"?

Fine then, be that way.

I have never seen "W" magazine. I have seen "O" magazine at the grocery store.

I have never heard of Marc Jacobs. Until now.

I have never heard of any of the mentioned artists.

I don't watch TV. I don't listen to the radio. I don't have stereo. I don't go to movies. I don't read the news. I live in virtual isolation, I'm very strange/eccentric, and I'm probably Aspie.

My posts are basically the responses from a Spock/monk-like being that's come from another planet who does not lie and cannot go along with a group just to please the group. It doesn't always make sense to me.

Did you ever see a commercial awhile back (several years) that had a sports guy volunteering to give kids a tour of a museum? And after he had described the artwork, a little girl speaks up and points "That looks like spaghetti".

That's me. Not actually me, like I wasn't in the commercial. But I am the kind of person who speaks up and says "That looks like spaghetti".

I take things literally. But I have to sort through every single possible meaning of every word, and even then I am not sure what is meant. Because I don't pick up on social cues. I don't always know when people are serious or joking.

I'm a social imbecile. But that's not all that bad. Because maybe it makes people think. There's more than one perspective.

NO ONE here was born with the knowledge of who this guy is, or what those artworks on the walls are. They learned. They were told that these things are art and apparently this Marc guy believes it and bought them.

The only thing I'd pick up would be the "peach" thing, because it was a high school nickname. But I wouldn't pay much for it. No matter who created it. I think the local copy center could blow up any word I wanted.

[quote]... if I photocopied the inserts that come with my drugs to 40 times the usual size and stick them on the wall would they be considered art?
posted by catspajamas on 2008-06-17 22:15:01 [/quote]

[quote]... Yes. And, if you were the first one to think of doing it, you'd be an artist. posted by quiltmaster

... Damien Hirst was not the first to use advertisement as art - magnified or not. The Boots piece is just lazy and not at all original. That being said, I do like some of what Damien Hirst has to offer, just not this particular piece.

I am confused. How have none of you hear of Marc Jacobs? I thought people that were into art and design would surely know who one of the most popular fashion designers is.....

True Blue,
Marc Jacobs is a fashion designer and head of Louis Vuitton's creative decisions (or was last I looked). The paintings in his apartment are by the most sought-after contemporary artists, though clearly not to everyone's taste.

I'm actually impressed at how all the pieces go together, though. There really seems to be a collector's aesthetic going on. It's not just a parade of brand-name labels.

crzybckyf, I'm the only one here who doesn't know. Everyone else seems to know everything about everything. Ha!

I do not follow trends. I do not follow fashion. I do not follow.

Love his work, never bought anything though. Other priorities.
I would love to have a place in Paris.

John Currin's work made me care about modern art. I would LOVE to have some of his work. I do have an Ellen Forney (seattle comic/graphic artist) much more my budget.

I read a really great peice on Marc in GQ?, Esquire maybe and it sounds to be like he is burning his brightest at the moment but possibly about to burn out. Sounds like an addictive personality. That said, body like that and hells yeah i'd take my pants off for EVERY photo shoot no matter the subject.

Why would a recovering "junkie" put a large Boots ad for a pharmacuetical on his wall?
The idea of recovery is to stop thinking about drugs and replace it with something more healthy.
Not to look at the drug artwork everyday and say Gee, I miss getting high!
Marc, you are replacing one addiction for another by obsessively borrowing money to purchase art.
It is possible when you run out of money you can always sell the pieces, hopefully at profit to satisify your creditors.
Paris will not be forever.
The french are fickle and so is lvmh your boss.

One thing is for sure the french are good money managers and they will demand timely payments on your loans. If not you are in serious trouble with the french government. It is not New York where you can easily file for bancruptcy. French laws are serious when it comes to money.

Picasso museum came about because the family had no money to pay the estate taxes so the family attorneys settled with the government by giving paintings in lieu of cash for back taxes and voila a museum started.

If you die of an overdose, don't do it in france or switzerland.

I'm not convinced that Marc (with a 'c') deserves all the yada yada, so he's a designer, so he has a paris apartment, so ?. Who cares. I do like some of the art though.

fyi, im fairly positive that it IS NOT MARC JACOBS IN THE PHOTOS. ever heard of models? they use those sometimes. that guy does not look at all like marc jacobs.
marc jacobs is a really big name in fashion, and will undoubtedly be a big name for a long long time.

im really sick of all the people who poo-poo current modern art. and how have you never heard of any of these artists? are you f*cking kidding me? you have the internet. look some shit up. learn something. seriously.

I used to think this site was kind cool and cultured.. but it seems more and more like a place for young professionals to come and jerk off to consumerism.

i wish i would have typed in all caps.

I'm pretty sure that is Marc in the photos.
I say, whatever floats your boat.

I like it. I like seeing how people live with art, and I like people who are brave enough to purchase original art rather than the same formulaic stuff. If this were the average home tour, it wouldn't get so many negative comments. Well, I hope it wouldn't.

Paracetamol=acetomophen=tylenol
Do you get a headache looking at your own artwork?

You shouldn't, it is a good collection but a wee bit pretencious just like you!

You have the right names but the wrong pieces of art.

Remember, I said good not great.

I'm totally jealous that he has an original Currin in his house. I feel you DahliaCactus - not a fan of modern art, but I love Currin's stuff.

putting aside who marc was/is-- i do like the juxtaposition of very cheeky contemporary pieces in such a stately, almost romantic apartment.

I love the apartment and the art. what I find interesting is that the apartment and the art is exactly what I would expect from him given his designs and style (not necessarily the louis vuitton pieces he does, but his own label), and it is a design style that I really like. however, I don't particularly like the home goods that he designs and I can't imagine some of his china patterns in this apartment.

I love marc jacobs and wish i could afford some of his stuff (via ebay, of course, but even then it's usually out of my budget!) Like some of the above posters, I can't believe some of you don't know who he is - are you just bsing because you think you're better than being into fashion (but not "design")? as for the contemporary art debate, well, it's an old and tired debate some of these artists are brilliant and others are over rated (in my opinion) but even they are brilliant self-promoters. fine line. he can buy what he wants and i like the fact that he expressed his insecurity when he first started. it seemed quite honest and i think most people can relate to that feeling in relation to art. anyway, i'd much rather have that crappy damien hirst than all the crappy etsy cartoons in the world! (i know that they are produced by "independent" artists and there must be some good stuff on etsy, but most of what i see on these blogs is immature and boring and ugly! stop the ribba-framed etsy "art wall"! end of rant).

When I first saw these photographs In W magazine a while back I was blown away (and still am). I understand that this isn't everybody's cup of tea and that, of course, is absolutely to be expected. But in retrospective, looking back at everything Marc Jacobs has ever done, this place makes perfect sense. It completes and unifies the image he's created throughout the years. This is exactly what I'd imagine his place to look like. A juxtaposition of a dog crate with high modern art is quintessentially Marc Jacobs. And as aweekinparis has already said, it wasn't left there by accident. I absolutely adore everything about this space down to the "drunken" maid. It's infinitely inspiring and just plain cool - kind of like Marc himself.

sherry2: lol on the "etsy wall."

Probably is Marc Jacobs:
http://www.frillr.com/?q=node/5547
http://www.frillr.com/?q=taxonomy/term/154&page=1
http://www.frillr.com/?q=taxonomy/term/111

"Jacobs went to rehab, got clean, and then honed his previously cuddly body into a rippley-ab'ed, bronzed and buff approximation of gorgeous; a transformation he celebrated by getting a tattoo on his wrist that read 'perfect', by dying his hair electric blue, and by posing, virtually naked, for a succession of magazine covers. It was also the year in which he excelled, professionally."

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I'd have to know the names to look them up, wouldn't I? So if I had never heard the names, they would mean nothing to me, and there would be no names to look up.

Do these names mean anything to you?:
Stanley Milgram
Philip Zimbardo
Leon Festinger
Solomon Asch

And how do they relate to design? Or to this site?

nice digs Marc

John Currin, I looked it up. Not for me.

Some of these may not be "work safe", depends on whether or not your boss and coworkers appreciate "art":
http://www.artnet.com/artwork/424776890/414/the-danes.html

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"In the 1990s, when political themed art works were favored, Currin brazenly used bold depictions of busty young women, mustachioed men and asexual divorcés, setting him apart from the rest. He used magazines like Cosmopolitan along with old issues of Playboy for inspiration for his paintings. When criticized for being sexist, Currin did not deny it, but did remark that he felt that "at that time [he] didn't feel like a man and [he] didn't feel like a woman." [4] In 1992 a subsequent exhibition focused, less sympathetically, on well-to-do middle-aged women.[5] Nonetheless, by the late 1990s Currin's ability to paint subjects of kitsch with technical facility met with critical and financial success, and by 2003 his paintings were selling "for prices in the high six figures".[6] More recently, he has undertaken a series of figure paintings dealing with unabashedly pornographic themes.[7]"

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Currin

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"Crass jokes rendered in oil on canvas, they are ostentatiously "bad paintings" done in the defiantly ironic mode of high-concept kitsch. Though the reviews were tepid, Currin got a big thumbs-up from Juggs magazine, which applauded him for "paying attention to the worthy theme of big tits.""

Source:
http://www.slate.com/id/2093020/slideshow/2093150/

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"While some of Currin’s new paintings are of flowers and exquisite china, most are depictions of hardcore eroticism taken from European pornography."

Source:
http://www.artnet.com/galleries/Exhibitions.asp?gid=139801&cid=133906

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"Okay, so he salvaged himself by painting porn. Good move. I'm not pissed off anymore, it's just images of women being exquisitely rendered as sexual objects. What a relief. Same agit prop, different costume."

Source:
http://newsgrist.typepad.com/underbelly/2007/01/reblogged_via_t.html

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Great. Like any more of that was needed.

C'mon, his current obsession is NOT his art collection. IS his body!

It's impossible to have a meaningful conversation about something as polarizing as contemporary art on a blog like this without a fight breaking out, but I guess it's the same thing that happens when discussing religion or politics...pick a side, and have at it!

Regardless, everyone's comments have been very entertaining. I'd LOVE to see more posts like this on ATC! :)

Ha! typediva, it IS entertaining.

The pornography painting is no surprise, as sites like this one have added "porn" to everything. Furniture porn. Chair porn. Wallpaper porn. So does that make actual pornography "porn porn"? :::giggles:::

It's predictable if you browse the guy's earlier paintings, the gross caricatures, the sneering at all aspects of what some consider to be "the good life", such as the frighteningly bony knees among the suburbanite housewives drinking martinis and smoking cigars.
http://www.slate.com/id/2093020/slideshow/2093150/fs/0//entry/2093127/

He's another shock jock, whose artistic intent seems to be an effort to offend everyone, at some point. Ha! But also serves to point out in exaggerated form that we as a culture are screwed up. Hahaha...seriously. Like what you don't see in the Jacobs apartment is a close-up of The Bra Shop:
http://www.slate.com/id/2093020/slideshow/2093150/fs/0//entry/2093134/

Check out the faces of the women.

I'm not sure exactly what it is about this one that creeps me out, but it creeps me out:
http://www.slate.com/id/2093020/slideshow/2093150/fs/0//entry/2093129/

"Nude on a table"
http://www.slate.com/id/2093020/slideshow/2093150/fs/0//entry/2093131/
inspired by, or swiped from, another painting...
http://www.art-prints-on-demand.com/a/carracci-annibale/the-dead-christ-8.html

I'm a born gad-fly, but without the insight of a Socrates. If I see a naked man, I'm not going to pretend it's a finely clothed Emperor.

And as pretty as tulips are, it's just a flower:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip_mania

So when I look at the prices for the art, or some of the endless furnishings that have a first and last name, I can't help but think of things like this:

"The purchase price that the farmer apparently deemed reasonable for a single tulip-bulb of the Viceroy variety included “two [loads] of wheat and four of rye, four fat oxen, eight pigs, a dozen sheep, two oxheads of wine, four tons of butter, a thousand pounds of cheese, a bed, some clothing and a silver beaker.”1 Such a high price, estimated at approximately 2,500 guilders, for a single tulip was not unusual."

Source:
http://bell.lib.umn.edu/Products/tulips.html

Obviously, they hadn't discovered "cholesterol" at that time. Who did discover cholesterol?

Anyway...while fools and their money are soon parted, buying tulips and porn, I'll be over here picking pretty weeds and getting my porn for free. ;-)

I'm pretty sure that's Marc Jacobs in the pics. I'd kill to have that collection--very sweet! The Paris apt. is nice too.

Lisa Hunter,there is something of a common thread in his collection, you're right. My pissy post was naive--like he has time to seek out lesser known artists!--and knee jerk, dumbly expecting our cultural lions to be everything.

Very chic... except for the dog kennel.

http://thebluepearlgirl.wordpress.com