John Richardson: At Home

Description

John Richardson's Bohemian Aristocrat interiors are, and have been throughout his life, filled with fine English and American antiques; interesting textiles; works of art by friends, legendary artists Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Lucian Freud, Andy Warhol, and Robert Mapplethorpe; vivid colour combinations; and objects that prompt stories from a well-lived life. From London and the stately buildings of Stowe School, in the idyllic Buckinghamshire countryside, to the south of France, New York City, and the Connecticut countryside, Richardson shares the story of his life through places, objects, and people - a form of autobiography, gloriously illustrated, entertainingly told. In stories about his residences in the south of France (at the Chateau de Castille with celebrated art historian and collector Douglas Cooper), London (a set of rooms at the famed Albany apartment house), and the United States (glamorous New York City apartments and a country retreat in Connecticut), Richardson reveals his life through a melange of interesting places, mementoes, works of art, furnishings that prompt stories, and an endlessly fascinating assortment of friends and acquaintances - Fernand Leger, Lady Diana Cooper, Fran Lebowitz, and Oscar and Annette de la Renta, to name a few. Essential reading for those interested in twentieth-century art and social history, grandly liveable interiors, and the good life.

Sir John Richardson, KBE, FBA is a British art historian and Picasso biographer. He ran the New York office of Christie's for nine years, starting in 1973; has consulted with galleries and a mutual fund specialising in works of art; and has contributed to The New Yorker and Vanity Fair.

"The award-winning man of letters-who died on Tuesday, March 12-also happened to be a dab hand when it comes to interiors, as John Richardson: At Home (out March 26 from Rizzoli) bears eloquent witness." -ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST.COM "John Richardson flitted through the top echelons of art, fashion, and finance for 70 years. Just weeks after his death, a new book celebrates the places he called home." -BLOOMBERG NEWS "Sir John Richardson, the renowned Picasso biographer, moved to his lower Fifth Avenue loft back in 1995, and in the interim years its idiosyncratic interiors have been widely documented and discussed in glossy magazines and newspapers. Thus, last Fall when Rizzoli called to commission me to photograph a newly evolving space in his home, I didn't hesitate-the opportunity to capture images of such an enthusiastically personal environment is catnip for interiors photographers such as myself. This would all need to happen fast, the Rizzoli book John Richardson: At Home was already in the late stages of production for its March 2019 publication date." -Joshua McHugh for SOTHEBY'S MAGAZINE "Art historian, Picasso biographer, and bon vivant John Richardson invites readers into his homes. From the south of France to the Connecticut countryside, Richardson tells the story of his life through the interiors he's lived in and the furniture, artwork, antiques, and objects he's collected." -NEW YORK MAGAZINE