“Chique” Art: Sentimental Silkscreen
Nearly 13 years ago when we bought our first house we barely had furniture, let alone art for the empty white walls. So we slowly made the house our home with items we uncovered from our past. Before me, Matt acted on one of his brilliant ideas; he has always had impeccable taste, even though sometimes, I like to take credit for it! We are fortunate that our taste for food, fashion and home decor are quite compatible.
Back in the early 90’s you could only buy posters of your favorite works of art, but not clothing or accessories. Wouldn’t it be cool to see some of your favorite pieces come alive on fabric? Could you reproduce famous works of art by silk screening the images? Wouldn’t a waistcoat made of Kandinsky’s “Painting With Green Center” make a huge fashion statement? He asked himself these questions and then took the leap of faith. He did his due diligence, researched the best techniques, partnered with The Art Institute of Chicago and hence “Art Haus” was born. Fred Segal, Barneys and other small boutiques placed orders for over hundreds of units in total. Production was about to begin and The Art Institute pulled out of the deal. Less than a year later, The Art Institute was selling in their gift shop tote bags, scarves, ties, t-shirts, umbrellas and accessories printed with some of the most recognizable paintings of all time. Back then he obviously didn’t have the right attorney. It was years and years before Matt could even bring himself to visit that museum.
Well, with that glorious failure came something good. First lesson learned, always have a good attorney or 2 or 3 or 11, sorry, but I am starting to lose track of how many lawyers we have at the moment. Can you ever have too many people on your side? Probably not, but with that said, we now have some pretty cool art on our walls. While the art does not have any monetary value it does have loads of sentimental value. When we moved, we came across bolts of test dressmaker silk and the original prototype vest. A friend of mine, so generously, had them professionally framed for us as a wedding gift. They now add color, personality and vigor to our living room.
A reminder to follow your instincts, never give up and only surround yourself with art you love. It doesn’t matter if it matches your decor; it only matters if it makes you smile or cry. “Chique” & sentimental!
