Investing in beauty: The European Fine Art Fair, Holland

TEFAF is the place to learn about art and the global art market.

If TEFAF Maastricht is the mother of all commercial art fairs, she is a gracious hostess with a salon full of fresh flowers and the best-informed minds of the international art world.
Often described as an incredible once-a-year museum in which everything is for sale, TEFAF this year hosted 260 of the world's top art and antiques dealers showing everything from classical antiquities to crave-worthy jewellery by Lalique and Cartier to masterworks by names straight out of art history textbooks: Canaletto, Breughel, Rembrandt, Renoir, Rodin, Matisse, Koons, Warhol, Bacon, to name just a few.

TEFAF's Haute Joaillerie section dazzles.

Over 150 private jets landed in Maastricht, Netherlands, between March 17 and 27.  I arrived by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines via Amsterdam as part of a North American press group invited by Visit Holland to experience the world's most important art and antiques fair firsthand.  We checked into the whimsical Hotel Mabi in Maastricht's historic heart, then it was on to the fair.
With a stint in commercial gallery sales in my past, I had some idea what to expect on the business end of things.  And with prices for many items in the multimillions, big business was definitely, quietly, afoot.  What I didn't expect was the convivial, festive ambience that makes TEFAF such a pleasure: fresh flowers by the thousands, excellent dining options, individually-designed gallery spaces providing intimate viewing areas, experts to learn from, an informed and passionate crowd.

A fairy-filled work by J.A. Fitzgerald (1823-1906).

Why attend TEFAF Maastricht if you don't have a few million Euro to spend?  The enchantment and emotion of seeing so much fragile beauty and history in one place.  To be in the company of--and learn from--people who have dedicated their working lives to art and those who choose to invest their money in the robust economy of culture and and tangible objects that are so much more than an asset.

A rare 7,000 year-old Greek idol.

Whether investing in art or just in your own pleasure, TEFAF Maastricht offers a brief window in time in which to glimpse rare and precious pieces before they pass from one private collection to another.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary next year, TEFAF Maastricht 2012 promises to be even more extraordinary.

Song and sin in Santiago de Cuba

View from El Morro. 

It's easy to get into mischief in Santiago de Cuba.   Closer to Haiti and the Dominican Republic than it is to Havana, this city on Cuba's rugged south coast is famous for its July Carnival and the earthy Caribbean street party atmosphere that pervades year round.

La Casa de la Trova.

Son, salsa--just about every Cuban music genre originated in Santiago's narrow alleys. From Afro-Cuban drumming in Parque Cespedes to traditional trovador sessions at the Casa de la Trova, music is everywhere, harmonies rising like cigar smoke on just about every street corner.
Also on every street corner, Santiago's notorious jineteros hustling everything from black market tobacco and questionable cash exchange to steamy rum-soaked encounters with one or more of the world's savviest chicas.
You think you're well travelled.  You think you're immune to being played.  But unlike the sabre-wielding pirates who used to assail this coast, today's jinateros are typically Cuban: congenial, courteous, even sweet.  At some point you'll find you've been hustled, even if you don't realize it until a week later.
"Taxi?  No?  A dollar anyway, then?"  "Can I have your shirt? Some soap? Shampoo?"

Taxis congregate at the Cathedral.

If it all gets too much, the terrace of the Casa Granda Hotel provides a refuge, reasonably-priced drinks and a ringside seat to the street theatre playing out below.
Jinateros are not always to be avoided, though, and chatting up the right one (and many speak some English) can help streamline/maximize your experience.  If you've come to Cuba on an all-inclusive package, chances are your resort is an hour out of town.  Trying to get back to the resort late at night in an ancient Bel-Air on hairpin rural roads by no more than the light of the silvery moon is not recommended, especially after half a dozen mojitos.

So how to do Santiago on Saturday night?  Cover your resort wristband (if you're wearing one) with a bracelet or cheap watch, head for Parque Cespedes and hire a jinetero for 5 CUC to show you around several central casas particulares until you find one you like.  With the average casa particulare (the Cuban equivalent of a B&B) going for about 25 CUC, staying off the resort for a night or two works out less expensive than taking taxis back and forth.  If you're uncomfortable not having a reservation ahead of time, your resort can book a casa particulare for you.
Things have improved for Cubans since the desperate days of the "special period" when it was achingly obvious that people did not have enough to eat.  I'm happy to report that overweight Cubans are no longer a rarity, although the two-currency system has created serious inequalities.  You don't have to give a CUC or "dollar" to every rummy who asks (unless you want to get swarmed), but if someone does a genuine service, please tip.  Except for long cab rides, prices for most things (beer or coffee on the terrace of the Casa Granda about 1.50 CUC, a painting at Galeria Santiago between 20 and 30 CUC) are low so a little extra tipping won't break your budget.  Be sure to carry coins and small bills so you can spread the wealth around a little at a time, above all to the musicians.  Buy their homemade CDs, pay for a favorite song.  They, above all, create the Santiago experience.

Boxing Day in High Park

I've never understood people who follow up a day of getting stuff with a day of shopping for more stuff.  According to some people interviewed by CTV News, lines had begun forming in front of some Toronto stores by 11 p.m. Christmas night! Even if December 25 is not a big day on your calendar, there've got to be better ways to spend a Saturday night than lining up in front of a retail outlet.

Here, we woke to a brilliant Boxing Day and someone (we all want to take credit) had the inspired idea to go to High Park.

If you've never been, Toronto's High Park is the city's greatest green space, what I like to think of as our not-so-central Central Park.  From viewing the cherry blossoms in spring to skating on Grenadier Pond in winter, High Park is a hilly year-round destination for fresh air and beauty. And I love the fact that it's accessible by streetcar and subway.

Today we grabbed a back booth near the fireplace at Grenadier Cafe, then hiked down Deer Pen Road to visit the animals. Bison with their backs to the wind, Barbary and Mouflon sheep warming in the sun near a stone wall, emus trotting and making strange noises, a mama yak hurrying over to see who's eyeing her little one.

The park was full of joggers and dog- (and kid-) walkers; a bike vendor sold popcorn and candy floss. Back to the restaurant for something hot to drink, then home again on clear streets.  Happy Boxing Day, everyone!

Buffalo's electric cultural scene



The Electric Tower (1912).



New Sol LeWitt installation at Albright-Knox.

There's something Gotham-esque about Buffalo, New York, at night. The moon rises through cold crisp darkness over monuments to its past wealth and importance: the ghost-white Electric Tower, the floodlit ladies atop the Liberty Building, the magnificent Art Deco pile of its City Hall.

In dark streets below, the city's legendary nightlife carries on until a 4 a.m. last call. But if beer, chicken wings and surgical shopping strikes at Target are all you know of Buffalo, you're missing out on a truly electric cultural scene.

First, the city's architectural riches. Everything old is new again, thanks to dedicated "friends of" organizations that have brought landmarks like Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin Martin House Complex and Graycliff Estate back from near-ashes and done a lot towards earning Buffalo a designation last year as a Distinctive Destination by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The New York Times, too, voted it one of the world's top 44 places to go in 2009 and added that Buffalo is rapidly becoming a "center for creative types" thanks to affordable housing, inexpensive studio space and a super-supportive community.

There's so much going on artwise, it's hard to know where to begin so I'll begin where I usually do, at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Since my last visit just a few months ago, the Albright-Knox had almost entirely changed what was on display, pulling treasures by the likes of O'Keefe and Warhol from their Aladdin's cave of 20th century art. One new commission: Wall Drawing #1268: Scribbles: Staircase, conceived by Sol LeWitt before his death in 2007, was recently executed in painstaking graphite scribbles by a team of artists following LeWitt's instruction to make it look like steel (pictured above).

Burchfield Penney Art Center.

An exciting discovery was the new Burchfield Penney Art Center. Its proximity to the Albright-Knox (they're right across Elmwood Avenue from each other) make both a do-able double whammy on a day trip but you're definitely going to want more time. Beyond/In Western New York 2010: Alternating Currents (yes, an electrical theme) features 100 artists at over 20 venues like the legendary Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, founded in 1974 by a group of students that included now-icons Cindy Sherman and Robert Longo.

From live theatre, rock and jazz clubs, multi-disciplinary creativity all over the place and an increasingly sophisticated culinary scene that recently got a nod from Anthony Bourdain, Buffalo is accessible, stimulating and great fun. And while Pittsburgh has rightfully been getting a lot of buzz for being the "new New York" of the art world, Buffalo isn't far behind.

Buffalo landmarks at Poster Art in Elmwood Village.

Of the Factory Theatre, Off Bathurst Theatre Marathon and Halloween

Did I spend a typical Toronto Halloween? I think so. First brunch at vegetarian Sadie's Diner (really, really good), then seeing a matinee of Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes "Billy Twinkle: Requiem for a Golden Boy" at the Factory Theatre before racing home on the TTC to toss treats at the kiddies.
What can I say about Ronnie Burkett except wow? He roams the stage, delivering a frenetic, adults-only show.  Picture puppets holding puppets, with some puppets appearing in both large and small versions. It was eerie, magical, poignant and hilarious all at the same time, just like Halloween.
The Factory Theatre has been Home of the Canadian Playwright for forty years. The heritage buildings (a Queen Anne Gothic style house from 1869 and a church hall from 1910) it occupies now at the corner of Bathurst and Adelaide were used as a set for David Cronenberg's 1980 cult classic Videodrome which I had caught on TVO just the night before. You can't get much more "Toronto" than that!
Prices are great--under $40 a ticket--and Factory's 2010/11 season brochure can be downloaded on the theatre's website. There are a couple of other theatres in the area and they are banding together on November 13, 2010, for the Off Bathurst Theatre District Marathon. For $59 you can spend the day seeing plays at three theatres (Tarragon, Passe Muraille, Factory), pausing part way for a prix fixe meal at Epicure Cafe. Tickets are available from T.O. Tix.
Getting to see Ronnie Burkett's marionettes with their own little puppets on their little wooden hands, getting a peek at a creepy cult movie location, following that up with three plays and dinner for $59 bucks--it's a week like this I love living in Toronto!

Changing Sicily

A wedding near Marsala.

Greek temple at Segesta.

Having married into a Sicilian family and visiting the island often enough to consider it my second home, I still succumb to Stendhal syndrome within an hour or two of arrival, a willing victim of its beauty and exoticism.
At the crossroads of the Mediterranean but on the fringe of Europe (it's closer to Africa than Rome), Sicily's history is a mosaic of light and shadow, complex patterns of repeated invasion, dark violence and dazzling cultural brilliance.
Highlights this year: taking the funicular at sunset up to cloud-bound Erice, watching scarab beetles stitch their way across the dunes at Paradiso nature preserve, visiting Segesta in the rain, staring in awe at the Byzantine mosaics (c. 1140 AD) of the Cappella Palatina in Palermo, exploring the Etna Coast and the baroque town of Acireale.
High above the ocean on the eastern side of the island, Acireale makes a great base for exploring this area which features large in Greek mythology as the home of the cyclops Polyphemus who, blinded by Ulysses, hurled rocks after his departing ship. Huge "monster" with a single, red-gushing eye...gee, sounds like a volcano! Mt. Etna's lava has reached the sea many times and the Riviera dei Ciclopi's dramatic coastline of contorted rocks and black sand makes it a popular resort area. The Etna Coast CVB has a great website with many accommodation links. We stayed at the Santa Tecla Palace and savored its saltwater infinity pool and delicious buffets. A great pick in the centre of town is the Michelin-starred Hotel Maugeri; their restaurant specializes in traditional Sicilian dishes featuring local seafood. You don't have to be staying there to eat there, but if it's Carnival season (Feb/Mar) you'll want to. The Maugeri is right on the procession route.

Papier mache carnival float elements begin with clay sculpture.

From traditional puppet theatre to exuberant Carnevale celebrations that draw 800,000 visitors every year, I'll be writing about Acireale's attractions on Examiner.com over the winter. Visiting the carnival float workshops - meeting the artists and seeing how they create the massive floats from not much more than wire, clay and papier mache - was one of my top travel experiences ever.
Despite touring pleasures and joy on the family front (a wedding, a new baby), I was in tears several times by changes evident on the island since my last visit. More bare hillsides, their vineyards torn out (the government is paying people not to produce), increased signage (some for road safety, much of it for advertising) interfering with classic vistas in some spots, protective fences around monuments (a good thing and necessary, as are admission fees for their upkeep, but it wasn't that long ago we could wander in as freely as Goethe did). Big box stores and shopping complexes like the new Poseidon center outside Palermo, more than one McDonalds...some see uglification, most see much-needed jobs. Prosperity has been long in coming and, to tell the truth, many of the new amenities (like the availability of EEC-mandated public washrooms) make life a lot easier for travellers as well as locals.
For all the development, Sicily is still one of the easiest places on the planet to incur Stendhal Syndrome. Change is accelerating, though, so I say again as I always do: the time to see Sicily is now.

View of the saltwater infinity pool at the Santa Tecla Palace hotel, Acireale, Sicily, Italy.

Got a question? Email me and I'll try to help.

Beautiful downtown Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Plate Glass Building.

The Warhol.

When Visit Pittsburgh invited me to come and see the city's private and public art collections as part of a media group recently, I jumped at the chance. My expectations were skyhigh but even then they were exceeded many times over.

Yes, the Warhol. Seven storeys of work by one of the 20th century's most influential artists, including something you're not going to see anywhere else: an entire floor devoted to his films and television shows. Yes, the gorgeous Victorian Frick estate. The Carnegie, where we attended the opening of the 100th annual exhibition of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and had a roundtable with none other than Philip Pearlstein and got to hear firsthand of his early experiences (which included being a roommate of fellow Pittsburgher Andy Warhol for awhile) in the New York art scene.

Even more impressive than these institutions, however, was the city itself: clean and green, its interesting mix of old and new architecture (I snapped the cathedral-like Pittsburgh Plate Glass building from the 22nd floor of the Fairmont Pittsburgh) enlivened by sculpture installed just about everywhere. The city has made a definite commitment to the arts and it shows...beautifully.

A special perk to being part of the media group was that we were welcomed into several private homes to see their personal art collections; thanks so much to Damian Soffer, the Fishers, Hillmans and Hornells. Pittsburghers on the whole struck me as friendly and community-minded, perhaps not surprising since they live in Mr. Rogers' neighborhood!

Our five-day art tour ended in the Laurel Highlands where we visited the Westmoreland Museum of American Art and two masterworks by architect Frank Lloyd Wright: Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob. I really have to rate Fallingwater as a highlight of my travelling career. Simply stunning.

As was Pittsburgh. I can't wait to go back.

Palmy afternoon in Buffalo, New York

Gee, a GPS makes road trips a lot more fun. You can fit in more of what you want to see when you're not  constantly getting lost.    This time, down in Buffalo for the day, we finally made it to the legendary Anchor Bar where buffalo wings were invented. I still prefer Coles overall for location, atmosphere, variety and prices but have to say the Anchor Bar's wings are excellent and quite possibly the best.  They're certainly the biggest I've ever seen.  And if you like bikes, the rafters are hung with everything from kiddies' trikes to an old Ducati to a new Moto Guzzi.

An arts festival had attracted hundreds of people and closed off a chunk of the city but with the GPS lady's urgent recalculations, we made our way around it and down to Buffalo's South Park.

South Park is part of Buffalo's Olmsted-designed park system, Frederick Law Olmsted being the guy who planned New York's Central Park (among others). Is there anything better than a snooze under a old tree in a quiet Olmsted park in June? I left Pat in the shade and went to explore the Botanical Gardens.

The centrepiece of the gardens is the Victorian conservatory (1900), a massive tri-domed glass, wood and steel design by Lord & Burnham.  L&B were top designers of glass houses in their day and this design was based on the famous Crystal Palace in Kew Gardens, England.

Today, the Buffalo conservatory is one of only two remaining Lord and Burnham conservatories incorporated into an Olmsted-designed park. At 67' tall, the main dome is magnificent, full of palms and tropical fruit trees. A globe introduces the gardens' new theme of "The Buffalo Meridian", a line circumnavigating the globe, connecting the city to other people, places and plants.
Buffalo is full of wonders if you can find your way to them!