Lucie Rie

Dame Lucie Rie (1902-95) was one of Britain’s most eminent potters. She enjoyed aesthetic acclaim, financial success, and great public honours in Britain, from a retrospective exhibition at the Arts Council in 1967 to the award of her Damehood in 1991. Her work achieved an international profile, culminating in an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (1994-95). This show (at an institution known for its commitment to fine art) was a joint exhibition which presented Rie’s ceramics alongside those of her onetime colleague and great friend, the potter Hans Coper (1920-79).The reputation gained by these two potters was forged out of the splintered lives and displacement of Jewish peoples in the Second World War. Rie and Coper both came to Britain as émigrés fleeing the growing influence of the Nazis in Europe. They each endured exile, lifelong separation from close relatives, and financial uncertainty into middle age. via davidmccauleyid

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Tucson gardens, William Larson

Born in 1942, William Larson attended the State University of New York, Buffalo. He received a B.S. in art in 1961. He completed his master's thesis at the Institute of Design in 1968. He has worked as a freelance photographer in Philadelphia beginning in 1968 and he has taught at the Tyler school of Art. An endless experimenter, some of Larson's work focuses on the subject of photography itself. Larson's most meaningful contribution to photography is his conceptual work that explores the role of technology in art. His artworks include utilizing fax transmissions of photographic images. He has long explored the ideas of motion, time and continuity in his creations. He has exhibited widely. His innovative work is to be found in many major museum collections and his awards include a 1982 Guggenheim fellowship and numerous N.E.A. grants. He lives in Pennsylvania and has served as director of graduate studies at the Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore. via charlesisaacs

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Francesca Venezia residence, Decio Tozzi.

The complex brief for this residence, the main house of the venezia Farm in Valinhos, Sao Paulo, required three distinct sections: dwelling for the parents, dwelling for the married daughters and dwelling for the sons that had specific needs that should be complied with. The site in which the house was located is part of a small valley within the region characterized by a sea of hills adjoining the Serra dos Cristais mountain range. The site lies on the mountain side where, historically, the old coffe plantation had its flat terraces, displayed as staggered platforms, on which the coffe beans where spread to dry. The cyclopean retaining walls built by slaves in the eighteenth century to prevent the terraces from wearing away were preserved and used for setting up the boundaries of the levels of the building.

In this regard the new use of the site superimposes on the man-made additions over the history of the evolution of the place thus contributing to the consolidation of the traces of the past. I therefore designed one single roof which goes along with the upper contour curve of the site and houses all the different sections required by the program. The design proposes one single central living space for the use of the whole family.

A generous veranda designed as a continous space is the element responsible for the transition between interior and exterior spaces and, at the same time, commands the entire view towards the landscape of the valley. via openhousebcn

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Palazzo Orlandi

Built in the sixteenth century, the glorious Palazzo Orlandi in Prato (near Florence) has undergone a painstakingly thoughtful restoration. During the extensive rehabilitation by Sabrina Bignami, the main focus was to restore the house to its original bones (all additions made in the early 1900's were removed). Bignami also discovered that all the frescos on the first floor had been covered in white paint. Today, the 'noble floor' houses private quarters and a small, exclusive guesthouse... via thecaledonianminingexpeditioncompany

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Venetia Scott

having started her career at british vogue, venetia scott regularly shot for publications including the face, italian vogue and i-d, creating iconic imagery through her collaborations with photographers juergen teller, david sims, mario sorrenti and corrine day.
well known for her distinctive style and original casting choices, she continued to cement her status as an image maker working with magazines such as w, another, self service and nova, where she was appointed fashion director. 
she continues to work at marc by marc jacobs, where she has been creative director since 1997.
Since 2005 venetia has worked as a photographer, with editorial for magazines such as another magazine, dazed & confused, self service, purple, i-d and british vogue.

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