Latest news with #BetteDavis
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
JoJo Siwa CONFIRMS romance with Chris Hughes while on-stage at her second London show after performing sweet on-stage tribute to him
JoJo Siwa finally appeared to confirm her romance with Chris Hughes as she took to the stage for her second show in London on Tuesday. The pair have sparked frenzied speculation over their relationship status after meeting in the Celebrity Big Brother house, and enjoyed a passionate reunion when JoJo flew to the UK on Sunday. And after taking to the stage at Colours Hoxton, JoJo finally appeared to admit her friendship with Chris had blossomed into romance, despite being coy about their status in previous interviews. The star once again performed her cover of Bette Davies' Eyes, and changed the end of the song's lyrics to sing 'Chris Hughes Eyes.' Admitted she'd changed the end of the song because it made her 'happy,' she added: 'I'll tell you this much, if it's not obvious, that ending lyric is very much true,' sparking a huge cheer from the fans in attendance. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Chris had attended JoJo's first show in London the previous night, but the star admitted he couldn't attend Tuesday's performance. So instead, the dancer revealed she'd brought along the orange beanie he'd given her while in the house, after she caught Christopher singing one of her hits while she was still asleep. She told the audience: 'This morning I woke up and all I heard was [sings Nobody Can Change me] he was singing, so I figured today I'd bring a little bit of him while I sing this next song.' The previous evening, Chris was filmed beaming at JoJo and blowing her a kiss as she performed her on-stage tribute to him. The Dance Moms star then revealed a rhinestone-covered Sunderland football shirt, the team Chris supports, after they were promoted to the Premier League on Saturday, telling the crowd: 'This is for somebody special who's here tonight.' The pair were then spotted leaving the venue together, with Chris going onto share a cosy snap of himself and JoJo cuddling in bed watching Dumb and Dumber. Despite frenzied speculation around her relationship with Chris, JoJo was noticeably coy when grilled about their bond in Monday's Lorraine. Lorraine's step-in host Andi Peters asked the star if they have had a chat, similar to how they do in Love Island, to make themselves 'exclusive'. JoJo laughed at the question and said: 'Chris and I have had a lot of chats. 'We've never gone into the kitchen and the head is turning, we've never had that version. He's the best man.' JoJo and Chris were reunited on Sunday when she jetted to the UK, with the former Love Island seen waiting to greet her with a bouquet of roses. 'I will say he is up there as one of my favourite people in the entire world, he makes me happier than I think I've ever been, he makes me feel so full as me, he's a really good one who has been the most incredible addition to my life,' JoJo gushed. Over the weekend JoJo revealed she was missing Chris - just days after the couple were spotted sharing a kiss during a romantic, adults-only getaway in Mexico. The American dancer shared a cosy black-and-white photo of the pair strolling along a street together, with Chris wrapping one arm around her shoulder. Posting the photo to her Instagram Stories, she captioned it: 'Just a lil longer' alongside a love heart emoji. Last week, the pair appeared to 'confirm' their romance after jetting to Florida with JoJo's family to celebrate her 22nd birthday, as they were spotted kissing in a swimming pool. It comes after on Saturday JoJo's love life took a surprising new direction as she reportedly believes Chris is 'the one' and sees a long-term future with him. A source exclusively told that JoJo believes Chris would make 'a tremendous father.' JoJo — who recently declared she no longer identifies as a lesbian — is 'telling people that Chris is the one in a dramatic twist in the way she has lived her life over the last few years,' the insider said. 'She feels more alive than she ever has been with anyone else. With Chris, she realized that this is exactly what she has wanted for so long.' The insider confirmed the romance, stating: 'The rumours are true, they are a thing and it is going very well.' More than just a fleeting romance, JoJo sees a long-term future with the reality star. 'Another thing she has wanted for so long is children. And she feels that Chris would be a tremendous father if they decided to go down that route.' The source added, 'Things are happening at a breakneck pace to the outside eye, but to them it is going at a pace that feels absolutely right.' Earlier this week the pair couldn't keep their hands off each other in new snaps uploaded by the singer - after 'confirming' that they are together with a kissing pool snap. On Wednesday, JoJo shared intimate snaps with Chris to her Instagram page as they spent time together on her special day. He treated her to a mountain of birthday presents, they enjoyed breakfast together on the morning of her big day and one snap even showed Chris with his hand high up on JoJo's leg. She penned in the caption: 'This years birthday week was more magical than anything! 'Full of surprises, family time, performing, chilling, laughing, loving, smiling, and good meaningful cries.
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Chris Hughes shares cosy bedroom snap with JoJo Siwa as they head home together after she shared a sweet on-stage tribute to him at her London show
He was left beaming when she paid a sweet on-stage tribute to him at her show. And after wowing fans at her first performance in London, JoJo Siwa headed home with Chris Hughes to enjoy a cosy night together. The pair have sparked frenzied speculation over their relationship status, and enjoyed a passionate reunion when JoJo flew to the UK on Sunday. After her show at Colours Hoxton, JoJo, 22, was spotted leaving the venue with Chris, 34, with an army of fans waiting outside as they jumped into a car together. The Love Island star then shared a Snapchat post that showed himself and JoJo cuddling in bed together watching Dumb and Dumber. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. During her show, JoJo paid tribute to Chris with her cover of Bette Davies' Eyes, once again changing the lyrics to sing 'Chris Hughes' eyes.' Several fans then spotted Chris' reaction from the back of the venue, with the presenter beaming before blowing JoJo a kiss. The Dance Moms star then revealed a rhinestone-covered Sunderland football shirt, the team Chris supports, after they were promoted to the Premier League on Saturday, telling the crowd: 'This is for somebody special who's here tonight.' Despite frenzied speculation around her relationship with Chris, JoJo was noticeably coy when grilled about their bond in Monday's Lorraine. Lorraine's step-in host Andi Peters asked the star if they have had a chat, similar to how they do in Love Island, to make themselves 'exclusive'. JoJo laughed at the question and said: 'Chris and I have had a lot of chats. 'We've never gone into the kitchen and the head is turning, we've never had that version. He's the best man.' JoJo and Chris were reunited on Sunday when she jetted to the UK, with the former Love Island seen waiting to greet her with a bouquet of roses. 'I will say he is up there as one of my favourite people in the entire world, he makes me happier than I think I've ever been, he makes me feel so full as me, he's a really good one who has been the most incredible addition to my life,' JoJo gushed. Over the weekend JoJo revealed she was missing Chris - just days after the couple were spotted sharing a kiss during a romantic, adults-only getaway in Mexico. The American dancer shared a cosy black-and-white photo of the pair strolling along a street together, with Chris wrapping one arm around her shoulder. Posting the photo to her Instagram Stories, she captioned it: 'Just a lil longer' alongside a love heart emoji. Last week, the pair appeared to 'confirm' their romance after jetting to Florida with JoJo's family to celebrate her 22nd birthday, as they were spotted kissing in a swimming pool. It comes after on Saturday JoJo's love life took a surprising new direction as she reportedly believes Chris is 'the one' and sees a long-term future with him. A source exclusively told that JoJo believes Chris would make 'a tremendous father.' JoJo — who recently declared she no longer identifies as a lesbian — is 'telling people that Chris is the one in a dramatic twist in the way she has lived her life over the last few years,' the insider said. 'She feels more alive than she ever has been with anyone else. With Chris, she realized that this is exactly what she has wanted for so long.' The insider confirmed the romance, stating: 'The rumours are true, they are a thing and it is going very well.' More than just a fleeting romance, JoJo sees a long-term future with the reality star. 'Another thing she has wanted for so long is children. And she feels that Chris would be a tremendous father if they decided to go down that route.' The source added, 'Things are happening at a breakneck pace to the outside eye, but to them it is going at a pace that feels absolutely right.' Earlier this week the pair couldn't keep their hands off each other in new snaps uploaded by the singer - after 'confirming' that they are together with a kissing pool snap. On Wednesday, JoJo shared intimate snaps with Chris to her Instagram page as they spent time together on her special day. He treated her to a mountain of birthday presents, they enjoyed breakfast together on the morning of her big day and one snap even showed Chris with his hand high up on JoJo's leg. She penned in the caption: 'This years birthday week was more magical than anything! 'Full of surprises, family time, performing, chilling, laughing, loving, smiling, and good meaningful cries. 'Absolutely beautiful, wouldn't change a single thing a week I'll remember for the rest of my life.'
The Advertiser
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Old glamour, new tricks: why this NYC hotel reopening is turning heads
Once a residential hotel that hosted the likes of JFK and Bette Davis, this elegant art deco icon on the Upper East Side re-opened after an extensive renovation in October 2024. It's the North American debut for Corinthia Hotels, a brand that specialises in boutique luxury properties, and breathes new life into a landmark building that will celebrate its 100th birthday next year. Nowhere does old-school glamour like the Upper East Side. This sophisticated neighbourhood is known for its upmarket boutiques, plush restaurants and grand townhouses. The Surrey provides a convenient bolthole in a largely residential enclave. From the bowler-hatted doormen to the art deco flourishes in the marble-tiled lobby, everything whispers understated luxury. Public spaces feature a curated art collection of tasteful works by New York-based creatives, while a muted pastel palette and comfortable lounges create a stylish residential feel. The property's top six floors are all private residences, so expect to see well-heeled locals and their pampered pets gliding through reception. Spread over eight floors, the hotel's 70 guest rooms and 30 suites continue the residential vibe with bespoke cabinetry, handcrafted Murano chandeliers and a soothing colour scheme of soft blues, greens and creams. Everything in my 38-square-metre grand deluxe room has a premium feel, from the silky Frette linens and the cloud-like bathrobe to the well-stocked minibar containing two types of premixed negroni. However, apart from a striking painting by NYC-based figurative artist Jansson Stegner, there's little to provoke or intrigue, which feels like a squandered opportunity in exuberant New York. Bathrooms are similarly agreeable - marble-swathed spaces with double sinks, rain showers and upscale toiletries by Antica Farmacista. Splash out on a suite for a freestanding tub and separate living area. The hotel has partnered with Casa Tua, a restaurant group and private members' club, to operate its lounge bar and restaurant, both seductive, dimly lit spaces with cosy fireplaces and bold portrait photography. Start in the lounge with the signature Casa Tua cocktail (a tasty negroni Aperol spritz fusion) then move into the restaurant for a crowd-pleasing roster of Mediterranean favourites, including pappardelle bolognese and scallop risotto. The venues are well-patronised by locals, providing a fascinating insight into the rarefied lives of those who can actually afford to live in this neighbourhood. During my winter visit, one restaurant patron eats her entire meal wearing a Russian fur hat. Shoppers will love the proximity to Madison Avenue's exclusive boutiques and luxury brands, including Christian Louboutin, Prada and Hermes, while art addicts are surrounded by cultural heavyweights, such as the Met, the Guggenheim and the Frick Collection. A complimentary town car can deliver you anywhere in a ten-block radius or the nearby 6 subway train will whisk you to Grand Central station in eight minutes. Central Park is just one block away. An energising massage at the onsite spa, which specialises in anti-aging treatments by Sisley Paris and has a steam room, sauna, salt relaxation room and high-tech gym with adjoining roof terrace. The writer was a guest of The Surrey. Once a residential hotel that hosted the likes of JFK and Bette Davis, this elegant art deco icon on the Upper East Side re-opened after an extensive renovation in October 2024. It's the North American debut for Corinthia Hotels, a brand that specialises in boutique luxury properties, and breathes new life into a landmark building that will celebrate its 100th birthday next year. Nowhere does old-school glamour like the Upper East Side. This sophisticated neighbourhood is known for its upmarket boutiques, plush restaurants and grand townhouses. The Surrey provides a convenient bolthole in a largely residential enclave. From the bowler-hatted doormen to the art deco flourishes in the marble-tiled lobby, everything whispers understated luxury. Public spaces feature a curated art collection of tasteful works by New York-based creatives, while a muted pastel palette and comfortable lounges create a stylish residential feel. The property's top six floors are all private residences, so expect to see well-heeled locals and their pampered pets gliding through reception. Spread over eight floors, the hotel's 70 guest rooms and 30 suites continue the residential vibe with bespoke cabinetry, handcrafted Murano chandeliers and a soothing colour scheme of soft blues, greens and creams. Everything in my 38-square-metre grand deluxe room has a premium feel, from the silky Frette linens and the cloud-like bathrobe to the well-stocked minibar containing two types of premixed negroni. However, apart from a striking painting by NYC-based figurative artist Jansson Stegner, there's little to provoke or intrigue, which feels like a squandered opportunity in exuberant New York. Bathrooms are similarly agreeable - marble-swathed spaces with double sinks, rain showers and upscale toiletries by Antica Farmacista. Splash out on a suite for a freestanding tub and separate living area. The hotel has partnered with Casa Tua, a restaurant group and private members' club, to operate its lounge bar and restaurant, both seductive, dimly lit spaces with cosy fireplaces and bold portrait photography. Start in the lounge with the signature Casa Tua cocktail (a tasty negroni Aperol spritz fusion) then move into the restaurant for a crowd-pleasing roster of Mediterranean favourites, including pappardelle bolognese and scallop risotto. The venues are well-patronised by locals, providing a fascinating insight into the rarefied lives of those who can actually afford to live in this neighbourhood. During my winter visit, one restaurant patron eats her entire meal wearing a Russian fur hat. Shoppers will love the proximity to Madison Avenue's exclusive boutiques and luxury brands, including Christian Louboutin, Prada and Hermes, while art addicts are surrounded by cultural heavyweights, such as the Met, the Guggenheim and the Frick Collection. A complimentary town car can deliver you anywhere in a ten-block radius or the nearby 6 subway train will whisk you to Grand Central station in eight minutes. Central Park is just one block away. An energising massage at the onsite spa, which specialises in anti-aging treatments by Sisley Paris and has a steam room, sauna, salt relaxation room and high-tech gym with adjoining roof terrace. The writer was a guest of The Surrey. Once a residential hotel that hosted the likes of JFK and Bette Davis, this elegant art deco icon on the Upper East Side re-opened after an extensive renovation in October 2024. It's the North American debut for Corinthia Hotels, a brand that specialises in boutique luxury properties, and breathes new life into a landmark building that will celebrate its 100th birthday next year. Nowhere does old-school glamour like the Upper East Side. This sophisticated neighbourhood is known for its upmarket boutiques, plush restaurants and grand townhouses. The Surrey provides a convenient bolthole in a largely residential enclave. From the bowler-hatted doormen to the art deco flourishes in the marble-tiled lobby, everything whispers understated luxury. Public spaces feature a curated art collection of tasteful works by New York-based creatives, while a muted pastel palette and comfortable lounges create a stylish residential feel. The property's top six floors are all private residences, so expect to see well-heeled locals and their pampered pets gliding through reception. Spread over eight floors, the hotel's 70 guest rooms and 30 suites continue the residential vibe with bespoke cabinetry, handcrafted Murano chandeliers and a soothing colour scheme of soft blues, greens and creams. Everything in my 38-square-metre grand deluxe room has a premium feel, from the silky Frette linens and the cloud-like bathrobe to the well-stocked minibar containing two types of premixed negroni. However, apart from a striking painting by NYC-based figurative artist Jansson Stegner, there's little to provoke or intrigue, which feels like a squandered opportunity in exuberant New York. Bathrooms are similarly agreeable - marble-swathed spaces with double sinks, rain showers and upscale toiletries by Antica Farmacista. Splash out on a suite for a freestanding tub and separate living area. The hotel has partnered with Casa Tua, a restaurant group and private members' club, to operate its lounge bar and restaurant, both seductive, dimly lit spaces with cosy fireplaces and bold portrait photography. Start in the lounge with the signature Casa Tua cocktail (a tasty negroni Aperol spritz fusion) then move into the restaurant for a crowd-pleasing roster of Mediterranean favourites, including pappardelle bolognese and scallop risotto. The venues are well-patronised by locals, providing a fascinating insight into the rarefied lives of those who can actually afford to live in this neighbourhood. During my winter visit, one restaurant patron eats her entire meal wearing a Russian fur hat. Shoppers will love the proximity to Madison Avenue's exclusive boutiques and luxury brands, including Christian Louboutin, Prada and Hermes, while art addicts are surrounded by cultural heavyweights, such as the Met, the Guggenheim and the Frick Collection. A complimentary town car can deliver you anywhere in a ten-block radius or the nearby 6 subway train will whisk you to Grand Central station in eight minutes. Central Park is just one block away. An energising massage at the onsite spa, which specialises in anti-aging treatments by Sisley Paris and has a steam room, sauna, salt relaxation room and high-tech gym with adjoining roof terrace. The writer was a guest of The Surrey. Once a residential hotel that hosted the likes of JFK and Bette Davis, this elegant art deco icon on the Upper East Side re-opened after an extensive renovation in October 2024. It's the North American debut for Corinthia Hotels, a brand that specialises in boutique luxury properties, and breathes new life into a landmark building that will celebrate its 100th birthday next year. Nowhere does old-school glamour like the Upper East Side. This sophisticated neighbourhood is known for its upmarket boutiques, plush restaurants and grand townhouses. The Surrey provides a convenient bolthole in a largely residential enclave. From the bowler-hatted doormen to the art deco flourishes in the marble-tiled lobby, everything whispers understated luxury. Public spaces feature a curated art collection of tasteful works by New York-based creatives, while a muted pastel palette and comfortable lounges create a stylish residential feel. The property's top six floors are all private residences, so expect to see well-heeled locals and their pampered pets gliding through reception. Spread over eight floors, the hotel's 70 guest rooms and 30 suites continue the residential vibe with bespoke cabinetry, handcrafted Murano chandeliers and a soothing colour scheme of soft blues, greens and creams. Everything in my 38-square-metre grand deluxe room has a premium feel, from the silky Frette linens and the cloud-like bathrobe to the well-stocked minibar containing two types of premixed negroni. However, apart from a striking painting by NYC-based figurative artist Jansson Stegner, there's little to provoke or intrigue, which feels like a squandered opportunity in exuberant New York. Bathrooms are similarly agreeable - marble-swathed spaces with double sinks, rain showers and upscale toiletries by Antica Farmacista. Splash out on a suite for a freestanding tub and separate living area. The hotel has partnered with Casa Tua, a restaurant group and private members' club, to operate its lounge bar and restaurant, both seductive, dimly lit spaces with cosy fireplaces and bold portrait photography. Start in the lounge with the signature Casa Tua cocktail (a tasty negroni Aperol spritz fusion) then move into the restaurant for a crowd-pleasing roster of Mediterranean favourites, including pappardelle bolognese and scallop risotto. The venues are well-patronised by locals, providing a fascinating insight into the rarefied lives of those who can actually afford to live in this neighbourhood. During my winter visit, one restaurant patron eats her entire meal wearing a Russian fur hat. Shoppers will love the proximity to Madison Avenue's exclusive boutiques and luxury brands, including Christian Louboutin, Prada and Hermes, while art addicts are surrounded by cultural heavyweights, such as the Met, the Guggenheim and the Frick Collection. A complimentary town car can deliver you anywhere in a ten-block radius or the nearby 6 subway train will whisk you to Grand Central station in eight minutes. Central Park is just one block away. An energising massage at the onsite spa, which specialises in anti-aging treatments by Sisley Paris and has a steam room, sauna, salt relaxation room and high-tech gym with adjoining roof terrace. The writer was a guest of The Surrey.
Los Angeles Times
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
In Don Bachardy's vivid portraits at the Huntington, show business isn't what you think
At some point in the mid-1960s, artist Don Bachardy began to make a regular practice of having the sitter for a portrait-drawing sign and date the sheet of paper, just as the artist did, at the end of a rigorous, multihour session. The dual signature routine continued for more than six decades as his career unfolded, until finally Bachardy largely retired his pencil, pen and brush in 2022. The practice is revealing. On the one hand, it memorializes an origin of Bachardy's intense commitment to portraiture as an artistic genre. The Los Angeles native, born in the midst of the Great Depression, was a devoted movie fan. Signing pictures of oneself is what an actor does. On the other hand, the sitter's handwriting is also proof that the portrait was drawn from life, not copied from a photograph. After World War II, the camera had become portraiture's primary tool. Finally, the dual signatures identify a distinctive point of view that makes Bachardy's portraits so compelling: His drawings are performances. Both artist and sitter participated in putting on a pictorial show. A Bachardy portrait enacts an extended visual encounter between two people, its intimacy inescapable. The 'actors' autograph their picture. At the entry to 'Don Bachardy: A Life in Portraits,' the beautiful survey of just over 100 works on paper newly opened at the Huntington in San Marino, a vitrine holds an example of his mother's Hollywood celebrity scrapbooks. Two rather inert pencil sketches (Montgomery Clift and Bette Davis), made when Bachardy was exiting high school, were copied from photographs in movie magazines, while a couple of excited black-and-white snapshots with movie stars (Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall) were taken by his brother, Ted, during the boys' public excursions to nab autographs at the Oscars and at Hollywood premieres. Then, the show quickly shelves the cinematic celebrity angle. That curatorial decision was critical. The exhibition has other, more important things on its mind — specifically, cementing Bachardy's reputation as a serious artist, rather than a graphically talented movie fan. In that it succeeds. Bachardy, who will be 91 in May, has drawn countless boldfaced names over the decades, friends and acquaintances generated through his loving 34-year partnership with celebrated writer Christopher Isherwood ('The Berlin Stories,' 'A Single Man,' 'Christopher and His Kind,' etc.), who died in 1986 at 81. Popular Bachardy books like 'Hollywood' and 'Stars in My Eyes' are compendiums of many of those movie star drawings, and lots of them are very good. But the glare from all that vivid starlight has gotten in the way of seeing his work for what it is — an evolving artistic project that illuminates acute elements of contemporary portraiture. Now, he's more than ready for his close-up. In the chronologically installed exhibition, for every Charles Laughton or Bette Davis, there are 20 drawings of sitters either unknown to a viewer — friends, romantic partners — or else focused on other artistic provinces outside Hollywood's magnetic field. There are riveting portraits of painters (Billy Al Bengston, Elaine de Kooning, David Hockney, Patrick Hogan), writers (James Baldwin, William S. Burroughs, W.H. Auden), musicians and dancers (Lotte Lenya, Igor Stravinsky, Trisha Brown, Alicia Markova), and art-world figures (critic Harold Rosenberg, dealer Nicholas Wilder, bookseller Dagny Corcoran). The result, smartly conceived by guest curator and the artist's longtime friend Gregory Evans, decisively shifts the frame to Bachardy as living a life among diverse artists. While the camera has long since replaced drawing and painting as portraiture's primary medium, Bachardy's unmistakable obsessiveness — more than 15,000 of his drawings, a prodigious daily output since 1959, have been gifted to the Huntington — pays off in work that could only be accomplished by a human hand. We tend to think of drawings as preparation for paintings or sculptures, which they had been for centuries. But drawing is the most direct record of evolving artistic thought — a charged current running from brain to hand to sheet. Because of that, drawing flourished as a wholly independent medium in the 1970s, thanks to the concurrent rise of idea-intensive Conceptual art. By then, Bachardy's keenly focused portraits were already occupying specific drawing territory in what would become a wide, rich artistic field. He had studied at the Chouinard Art Institute (now CalArts) and London's Slade School of Fine Art in the 1960s, but oil painting was never an interest. Black-and-white drawings dominate the show's first half, in which closely observed, acutely detailed faces emerge out of the blank void of colorless sheets of paper. Settings rarely turn up, nor do identifying attributes — a musician's instrument, a scholar's book, a geographer's globe. Hands are typically next in line for precision, while bodies are often merely suggested with loose, generalized marks of the pen or brush, leaving room for a viewer's perception to fill in vacancies. A person seems to be coming into view, materializing from emptiness before your eyes. Bachardy draws the eyes first — for practical reasons, he once explained. If the eyes don't come out right, the portrait fails, so why waste the time and effort on everything else before drawing them? One subtle but vital through line in the show is the 34-year relationship between Bachardy and Isherwood — with Allen Ginsberg and Peter Orlovsky, arguably the most public queer couple in America before homosexuality was decriminalized nationwide in 2003. Bachardy's self-portraits and drawings of Isherwood pepper the galleries, a confluence that reveals something that should be obvious: Two portrait artists, one pictorial and the other literary, resided for decades in the same household. Since Bachardy was Isherwood's junior by 30 years, he no doubt learned a lot; and no doubt the tutelage also went the other way. A pivot comes midway, opening final rooms of colorful acrylic portraits, with four heart-rending drawings of Isherwood's last weeks of life. The figure is roughly life-size, rendered in spare, firm strokes of black acrylic applied with Japanese brushes to sizable sheets of paper. Hooded eyes, a linear slash for a mouth, a square jaw, a tousle of hair — the startling frugality of lines that bring the dying sitter to full life embodies the knowing depth of the couple's relationship. Isherwood, who had been Bachardy's first live sitter in 1953, knew he was dying of prostate cancer. But he gave himself over to the substantial demands of sitting for what became hundreds of final portraits. And the process is arduous. I sat for a Bachardy portrait in 1983 — one of two he made that day is in the Huntington exhibition — and the experience was unnerving. Not only is being scrutinized by another person for a few hours discomforting, but there are also worries about remaining stock-still and maintaining agreed-upon silence, necessary to his method, plus apprehension about what's unfolding unseen on the other side of the easel. The experience remains vivid. At some point I realized that, as a sitter, I was engaged in 'performing' for the artist — prepared hair and wardrobe, lighting angle, precise placement of hands and body for the duration, all left to my choice. Meanwhile, his drawing was performing for anticipated audiences — even if the spectators would only consist of the two of us. The vulnerability was mutual, extending to both artist and sitter. There's a habit of claiming that a portrait means to 'capture an essence' or 'reveal interiority' concealed within the subject, but I'm skeptical of such assertions. Portraiture is instead all about recording a surface — as fully, robustly and truthfully as possible — which, if successful, will allow for the unencumbered experience of the sheet of marked paper set before a viewer's eyes. What was going on inside Isherwood as his mortality approached, I cannot say — nor do any of the show's other 102 drawings offer inner revelations of their varied subjects. But the intensity of Bachardy's rendering of a man he loved so deeply and who was slipping away is all over those sheets — they're brilliant performances of a relationship — and they are profoundly moving. The show was ably organized by Evans, who whittled the initial selection from Bachardy's prodigious archive, with Dennis Carr, Huntington chief curator of American art, and Karla Nielsen, the library's senior curator of literary collections. The illustrated catalog, which includes six informative essays, is also excellent.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bette Davis' historic Connecticut home for sale
Welcome to 'The Scoop' — the ultimate back-to-the-office water cooler cheat sheet, your go-to source for all things everyone really wants to know! Get the latest on everything from the political swamp maneuvering in D.C. and Hollywood drama to jaw-dropping small-town shenanigans from Paula Froelich. (NewsNation) — It's all about Bette Davis. The legendary actress's Westport, Connecticut, home has come up for sale in a once-in-a-lifetime listing. According to the listing on the gorgeous five-bed, 4.5-bath home, designed by Keene-Calhoun in 1929, can be yours for 2.275 million. Located on the West Branch Saugatuck River, 'This iconic residence has been meticulously updated to preserve its antique allure while integrating modern amenities and sophisticated design.' The house has a gourmet chef's kitchen, a library with a fireplace 'crafted from river stones', and a three-season, screened porch. The primary bedroom also has a fireplace and expansive river views. Davis lived in the home from 1967 to 1976, where she wrote her memoirs. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
