Angela Missoni and Film Pioneer Jonas Mekas Sprout New Art Project

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Missoni’s NYC Madison Avenue boutique just got a major facelift. It now features a solo exhibition by Jonas Mekas, who many call the godfather of American avant-garde cinema.

The well-loved poet and filmmaker’s in-store films document New York in the 1940s through the 60’s, a time in which the artist collaborated with Andy Warhol, Allen Ginsberg, Yoko Ono, John Lennon, and Salvador Dali, to name a few. Montages of the city celebrate seasonal shifts, featuring wildlife and flowers many New Yorkers ignore amidst the hustle and bustle. “It’s all about the seasons of the year—to remind us that we should pay more attention,” he tells CR. “Flowers do everything to make us happy and this world more beautiful.”

The store is a happy place indeed. His colorful blooms can be seen in film stills, displayed in light boxes, and in paintings, which compliment the bright yellows, greens, and reds prevalent throughout Missoni’s collection. The exhibit—aptly titled Blue, Yellow, Red, Purple—even travels outside of the store, as visitors can see some of Mekas’ film footage from Madison Avenue.

Much of the inspiration for the show came from a dream about wildflowers Mekas had 20 years ago—the very same year that Angela Missoni became the creative director of her family’s namesake brand. The exhibit is a celebration of both Missoni’s time in the role and Mekas’ dream as well as the ways in which each artist has “blossomed” since. “We have many things in common,” Missoni says. “I had the chance to meet [Mekas] personally two years ago when he did an exhibition in Italy. I then went deeper into his work and thought it was perfect. Many things came together.”

The exhibition itself is the third “surface conversion” transformation that Missoni has championed. She explains, “For a long time I thought that this shop—with the dimensions and windows that it has—was the place to do something. Finally last year I started to use it to host artists and give them the opportunity to show their work.” The creative director plans to continue presenting work in the flagship, averaging two exhibitions per year.

Jonas Mekas is on exhibition at 1009 Madison Ave, New York, NY from now until January 31, 2017.

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