Latest news with #Frieze
Times
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Want to buy a Picasso? Just swipe right on the Tinder for art
As collectors and aficionados perused the offerings at Frieze New York last week, they formed a who's who of the art world. Notably absent, however, was one of America's most successful private auctioneers. 'I'm not in the nitty-gritty — I don't go to the shows, I don't know who is hot. I'm not in the conversation,' Loïc Gouzer says. 'There's a lot of chat and I'm just not into it.' Gouzer, the 44-year-old Swiss-born former head of contemporary art at Christie's and the man responsible for the sale of the most expensive artwork in history — Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi, which sold for $450 million in 2017 — was too busy preparing the lot of a late-era Picasso for a select group of
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
NYCxDesign 2025 — The Essential Edit of Events to Catch in New York Next Week, Selected from Hundreds of Happenings
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. One of the world's leading capitals of culture year-round, New York transforms into an even more exciting destination come NYCxDesign, its annual festival dedicated to platforming the talents, institutions, and brands that are driving innovation in all things design forward. Launching right after the equally anticipated, global art fairs Frieze (to May 11) and TEFAF New York (to May 13), the event, whose forthcoming edition runs from May 15-21, seeks to make this field both open to and inspiring for everyone through hundreds of events between exhibitions, collection releases, trade shows, talks, and walking tours. Attracting over 200,000 visitors from across the globe every year, NYCxDesign coincides with the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF). Hosted at the Javits Center and in turn reuniting over 450 design houses, including established and emerging brands, from more than 35 countries, the initiative wants to promote the best-in-class in original and sustainable design. This is to say that, whether exploring the Big Apple on foot, peeking inside its pioneering galleries to interact with the works of local trailblazers, or choosing to gather fresh inspiration from the latest iteration of ICFF, creativity will be everywhere next week. Haven't made a plan for NYCxDesign 2025 yet? Don't worry, we've done it for you. From the best New York design hotels to stay at in town to the top 11 events to catch during the festival, and a digital map to get around more easily, the Livingetc NYCxDesign 2025 Guide has got you covered (yes, we've reported on the creative community's favorite hangouts around New York City, too). Tiwa Select, 86 Walker St floor 5, New York, NY 10013, United States. The Future Perfect, by appointment only. For all queries, contact the team From her recent collaboration with Poltrona Frau, dubbed by Livingetc as one of the best London Design Festival projects earlier last year, to her fantastical, plastered-in-artworks Camden Town studio and showroom, House of Toogood, everything Faye Toogood touches appears imbued with an agency of its own. Instinctively, the designer's work reminds me of the small, often animal or fantasy creatures-inspired papier-mâché sculptures I used to make and play with as a child. Though, of course, I don't mean to make the two in any way comparable, there is something about her craft that can't be ascribed to the actual world, as Lucid Dream, her latest collection of hand-painted furniture and lighting creations, attests. On view across Tiwa Select gallery and The Future Perfect's New York location, the show clearly comes from the heart — or perhaps from somewhere even deeper. "I needed to momentarily stop all the plates spinning around me, and focus on the swirl within," she said of the moment that led to the series featured in the exhibition. "Going inside the studio, inside my body, inside my imagination. Taking a line for a walk to reclaim and reconfigure what is my language when all is quiet." Comprising textural paper lanterns, standing lamps, and sconces bearing surreal, handmade motifs, alongside colorful, doodles-covered table sets, coffee tables, floating sculptures, armchair and foot stool sets, and room dividers characterized by Toodgood's signature blown-up volumes, Lucid Dream is where fantasy comes to life to everyone's enjoyment. To June 21. Plan your visit Artemest Galleria, 518 W 19th St, New York, NY 10011, United States Ippolita Rostagno's Artemest, whose home-inspired L'Appartamento exhibition format — presenting a domestic environment crafted on the occasion of Milan Design Week by a different roster of world-acclaimed designers each time — has become a staple of our Salone del Mobile guides, has just completed the refurbishment of its West Chelsea outpost. Formerly designed by Samuele Brianza, the newly revamped space, which comes courtesy of American interior designer Nicole Fuller, will be unveiled next week to coincide with this year's NYCxDesign. And if we know Artemest as well as we think, great things are on the way. Plan your visit. Javitz Center, 429 11th Ave, New York, NY 10001, United States Housed at ICFF's Booth #W851, part of the fair's WANTED presentation, Daniel Shapiro's Winkle Ceramic Design debut collection, Squared, is a testament to the enduring value of craftsmanship. The founder, whose great-grandfather ran the Winkle Terracotta Company in St. Louis in the late 1800s, looks back to look forward with his very own artisanal venture, where storied tradition meets the power of the latest technologies. Opting for cubic shapes over cylindrical ones, Shapiro challenges the norms of sculpture through tetris-like lamps and collectible installations that put a human spin on 3D modeling and printing. From a two-step, tech-assisted initial phase, his designs are then transferred to handmade plaster molds, which he then completes with textural marbling and limewash techniques. What comes out of it are pieces that defy time to embrace the magic of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. May 18-20. Plan your visit. Love House, 179 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002, USA Jared Heinrich and Aric Yeakey's celebrated design showroom, Love House, is inaugurating a brand new, 4,000-square-foot space with the launch of their first-ever group exhibition, The Family Show. Inviting each of the 60 participating artists and designers to interpret the theme freely, the co-founders have made room for a highly personal, evocative, and tender expression of creativity to unfold. With contributions varying from otherworldly, softly glowing lighting explorations to jewels-encrusted bas-reliefs, futuristic seating, and comforting objects rooted in notions of sharing, quotidianity, and ritualism, the exhibition debunks the understanding of the home and long-term connections as static, monotonous. Instead, through the craft of boundary-pushing talents like Forma Rosa Studio, Paolo Ferrari, Lana Launay, Jan Ernst, and Alberto Essesi, the everyday becomes extraordinary. To May 31. Get in touch with the gallery for more information. Javitz Center, 429 11th Ave, New York, NY 10001, United States What better way to glance at the future of design than through the eyes of its budding practitioners? During New York Design Week 2025, the ICFF brings back the Schools Showcase, a globe-trotting deep dive into the world's most renowned schools of design and the students who bring them to life. The format, which was established in 2022, gathers the most promising talents from each institute to introduce their work to the wider design industry, serving as a bridge between them, studios, brands, and other creative institutions. This year's participating schools include the California College of the Arts, Centro de Estudios Superiores de Diseno de Monterrey / CEDIMIED, Istituto Europeo di Design S.B.p.A., Istituto Marangoni, Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Savannah School of Art and Design (SCAD), and School of Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), among others. The event will coincide with the Best of Schools and Students Prize award ceremonies, presented with the support of Haworth. May 18-20. Plan your visit. UrbanGlass, 647 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11217, United States An oasis for aspiring and established glassware makers, since 1977 UrbanGlass has been providing a space for people to engage with and try their hand at glass-based art and design. For NYCxDesign 2025, the Agnes Varis Art Center hosts Light/Lite, an intergenerational showcase of artists turning to the medium to advance innovation in lighting design. Among the talents spotlighted are Eidos Glass' Lorin Silverman, whose choreographic, hand-blown glass sculptures are adored by the world's foremost architects, designers, and fellow creatives, 3D-printing trailblazers Evenline, revitalizing tradition through a tech-engineered approach to craftsmanship, and Jamie Harris, whose translucent, ethereal creations immortalize the movement of hot glass into abstract, deeply fascinating compositions. May 10-June 6. Plan your visit. IRL Gallery, 86 Walker St #2, New York, NY 10013, United States When researching shows to include in this roundup of the best NYCxDesign events, I was instantly hooked by the announcement of Emily Thurman's Hundō solo. Scheduled to open at IRL Gallery next week, her debut collection of furniture, lighting, and sculptural pieces blends archaic and contemporary canons into an evocative manifestation of artistry. The works, which will be interspersed with contributions from StudioDanielK, Camille Tan's Atelier Falaise, and Alexis Mazin, rare collectibles sourced by Past Lives' Carly Krieger, and a textile installation by Peter Christensen, are "a meditation on transformation". In molding bronze, cast glass, porcelain, solid oak and cherry, marble, and onyx through pouring, sculpting, and burning, Thurman allows the raw material to express itself in its most elemental state. Standing out for their creaturesque, largely rounded shapes, the series feels like a dialogue between the designer herself and the mediums through which she creates. May 15-21. Plan your visit. Javitz Center, 429 11th Ave, New York, NY 10001, United States Booth #W1356 at ICFF, part of the fair's WANTED section, will serve as the stage for the latest collection by Wendy Schwartz and Kristi Bender's Cuff Studio. Titled WITHIN, the release, launching with a press preview on May 18 (8-10am), sees the Los Angeles duo look "inward more than ever before," the two explained. Retaining the vibrancy, shapely essence, and wit Cuff Studio is known for, the drop is their boldest yet, with standouts ranging from a wavy, velveting green chaise lounge and a cherry-plum, sculptural revisitation of their signature Block Daybed to a cinematic, cascade-inspired chandelier in glass and rope, and a whimsy coffee table. May 18-20. Plan your visit. Colbo, 51 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002, United States It was the stark contrast between softness and roughness, poetry and brutality, I felt while looking at interior designers Yuria Kailich and Joel Harding's joint studio practice, Item: Enso, that drew me toward it. Carved from unpolished metal sheets or textural cuts of pastel-shaded fabric, their creations transform seemingly simple, and sometimes unaesthetic, materials into dramatic furniture and lighting pieces as well as objects you can't help but wonder about their back story. For NYCxDesign 2025, they bring Soft Grounds, their inaugural installation, to the multi-purpose spaces of Colbo. At once fragile and sturdy, the designs on view — "brutalist interpretations of tender ideas" — remind me of nature's resilience; its ability to resist the signs of time, renovate, and transform. Accompanied by Itameshi-style specialties by Alimentari Flaneur and hand-poured drinks by Sake Bar Asoko, Soft Grounds is where the party begins. May 15-21, launch May 17, from 1pm-close. Plan your visit. 145 E 57th St, New York, NY 10022, United States To mark the return of New York Design Week, heritage Danish house Carl Hansen & Søn will be debuting a new collection within the spectacular spaces of its NYC flagship location. Founded by its namesake in Odense, Funen, in 1908, the brand, known for its essentially sophisticated, handcrafted furniture, remains family-owned and is now in its third generation. During NYCxDesign 2025, Carl Hansen & Søn's latest outspring will dialogue with masterpieces from iconic Danish designers Hans J. Wegner and Kaare Klint, including the latter's Spherical Bed, and fresh contributions by Børge Mogensen, EOOS, and Anker Bak. May 14, 9-11 am. Plan your visit. The Vinyl Room at Soho House Meatpacking, 29-35 9th Ave, New York, NY 10014, United States As part of NYCxDesign 2025 program, Nicholas Berglund, Chief Creative Officer at Life Time, a lifestyle brand built around the creation of thoughtfully designed community spaces conceived to bring health, fitness, and wellness to the forefront, will be giving a talk to address ever-apparent connection between design and physical as well as mental well-being. The concept, which operates across stunningly envisioned, resort-like athletic country clubs, coworking spaces, and residences all around the US, as well as offering guided workout and yoga classes via its namesake app, and IRL events, strives to show how design can help us live our "happiest, healthiest life" — as we recently explored in a piece about Madelynn Ringo's wellness design. May 20, 7pm. Secure your spot. When — Also known as New York Design Week, NYCxDesign 2025's official program runs May 15-21 across hundreds of locations across town, though individual projects might inaugurate in the days ahead of its official launch. The event, which recurs annually, is dense with collection launches, design exhibitions, panel discussions, keynotes, parties, and public art activations, including the unveiling of Union Square Partnership's Annual 14th Street Mural Installation. Where — NYCxDesign 2025 initiatives will take over the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, with curated events coming to Brooklyn Heights, Bushwick, Chelsea, Dumbo, Greenwich Village, Harlem, Hudson Yards, Long Island City, Lower East Side, Red Hook, SoHo, Upper Madison Avenue, and Williamsburg throughout the course of New York Design Week (and often beyond). Our guide to NYCxDesign 2025 will hopefully allow you to get the most out of this week-long celebration of craftsmanship, creativity, and innovation. But knowing where to find the most exciting presentations doesn't take away the need to research where to hang out afterwards. Hit our New York page to take your pick from dozens of restaurants, bars, and stays sure to make your Big Apple sojourn even more unforgettable. And keep an eye on our lifestyle section for more! Not in the Big Apple for NYCxDesign but still feel like you want to join in the frenzy? Check out our just-updated curation of the best design exhibitions in London, featuring intergenerational artistic dialogues, immersive installations, experimental furniture displays, and more.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Amid Political and Financial Turmoil, Frieze New York Kicks Off With With Robust Sales
After days of simultaneously damp and drizzly weather, Frieze New York opened its doors to a warm, bright, and energetic morning on Wednesday. Compared to last year's spring art week, this year's is especially jam-packed, with Frieze and TEFAF's US edition separated by just 24 hours instead of a week. And so, the sales floor was animated throughout the VIP day. On top of the bevy of fairs, there are a multitude of gallery shows, museum exhibitions, and art fairs opening or already on view this week. In a market where collectors are choosing to take things more slowly when it comes to spending their time—and their money—than in previous years, that is seemingly a good thing. More from Robb Report A 1930s San Francisco Home Lists for $19.5 Million With a Garden Apartment Bill Gates Will Give Away $200 Billion and Shutter His Foundation by 2045 Koenigsegg's Hypercar Just Set Two More Bonkers Speed Records But there's more in the air than talk about the market. The aisles buzzed with conversations of the financial and political state of the world. 'This week will set the tone for how the global market will behave in the coming months,' London-based adviser Arianne Piper told ARTnews. 'The unfortunate truth is that the political situation has disrupted that. It's not so much the current economic situation but the fear of the economic consequences of that situation.' That said, Piper added that the people who made it out to the Frieze on Wednesday are buying. 'It's not about the money. It's about the bandwidth.' Notably, Gagosian had a solo presentation of three sculptures by Jeff Koons, the artist's first collaboration since departing the mega-gallery's roster in 2021. This trio 'Hulk' works—Hulk (Organ), Hulk (Tubas), and Hulk (Dragon and Turtle)—came from Koons's personal collection and were installed in front of a custom vinyl backdrop, derived from his 2007 painting Triple Hulk Elvis III. 'The fair is off to a great start and the response to our booth has been phenomenal,' Gagosian senior director Millicent Wilner said in a statement, which noted that Hulk (Tubas) had already sold. When ARTnews asked about the price of each of the three mixed-media works, the gallery declined to comment, but well-places sources tell ARTnews that Hulk (Tubas) sold for $3 million. Thaddaeus Ropac, which currently has spaces in three European cities and Seoul, reported a strong start at Frieze New York, with a slower but more deliberate pace of sales despite strong attendance. 'People are taking their time and being really considered,' he said, adding that the gallery remains 'cautiously optimistic' about overall results. Early sales include Liza Lou's Zeugma (2024) for $225,000; Joan Snyder's mixed-media Float (2015) for $210,000; David Salle's Bow Tie (2024) for $130,000 to a US-based collector; a Martha Jungwirth painting for €85,000; and a Robert Longo drawing for $65,000. Two small works by Megan Rooney sold for £18,000 each, with a larger painting, priced at £75,000, currently on hold. Georg Baselitz's Motto: sexuelle Niete sagt Heidegger sagt Celan is also on reserve for €1 million. Pace Gallery kept things sharp at Frieze New York with a two-artist presentation pairing Adam Pendleton and Lynda Benglis. Pendleton himself curated the booth, which features four 'Black Dada' paintings from 2024 and two 'Movement' paintings from 2025. For her part, Benglis has six bronze sculptures, completed between 2021 and 2024, that play off Pendleton's canvases, showcasing their different approaches to abstraction. All six of Pendleton's paintings found buyers within the first couple of hours of the fair for between $165,000 and $425,000, while multiple works by Benglis sold for between $275,000 and $300,000. New York dealer Andrew Kreps described the first day of the fair as going 'really well' with great energy for Jes Fan's 2023 sculpture Cross Section (Right Leg Muscle II) selling for $26,000; Harold Stevenson's 1967 painting Untitled (Hand sign language) going for $70,000; and Hadi Falapishi's Professional Painter in a Dream (2025) for $25,000. The gallery also sold four editions of Roe Ethridge's UV-cured pigment print, Ranunculus in Copper Pot at Hermes, 24 rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré Rooftop (2023), for $16,000 each, and Ernie Barnes's 1995 Study II for The Dream Unfolds was also on hold. Interest came 'across the board,' Kreps said, primarily from collectors in New York and Miami. When ARTnews asked if he was concerned about sales at Frieze during what many consider a cooling interest in contemporary art, Kreps replied that it helped that his prices were in the low-to-mid range. 'Today, I felt there would be a lot of enthusiasm, and I think people are wanting to get out there and think about art,' he told ARTnews For its booth, Casey Kaplan Gallery had a solo presentation of glass and stainless steel sculptures by Hannah Levy, with several works, priced between $45,000 and $80,000, selling to US-based collectors during the first day. 'It's been good energy,' senior director Emily Epelbaum-Bush told ARTnews, noting new collectors and curators dropping by the booth. 'We've seen people we haven't seen in some time. We're really excited about the beginning of the fair.' Goodman Gallery, which has locations in Johannesburg and Cape Town, as well as New York and London, had a group display highlighting artists who have had important international spotlights over the past year. A large-scale painting by Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum, fresh from her solo exhibition last year at the Barbican in London, sold for $90,000 to 'a seminal New York collection,' the gallery said. Additionally, a work by Carrie Mae Weems, from her 2021 series 'Painting the Town,' sold for $100,000 to a Dutch collector. Both works were sold with the promise that they would be donated to institutions in the future, according to the gallery. Their presentation also includes works by William Kentridge, Shirin Neshat, and Ravelle Pillay, alongside new pieces by Yinka Shonibare and Kapwani Kiwanga. 'Obviously, you know, it's an intriguing time to be in the United States—if not the world,' said Anthony Dawson, director of the gallery's Cape Town location. 'It's wonderful to see that people are still so committed to the production of contemporary art.' Karma also reported a successful first day at Frieze New York, led by the $350,000 sale of Owl for Emil (1958), a modestly sized painting by Gertrude Abercrombie, who is currently the subject of a major retrospective at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh. Other noteworthy sales include Richard Mayhew's Mountain Mindscape (1969) for $350,000, Manoucher Yektai's Blue Table (1960) for $275,000, and Reggie Burrows Hodges's Referees: To The House (2021) for $175,000. Tina Kim, who brought to the fair a range of works from the women artists in their program, sold works by Lee ShinJa, Ghada Amer, Pacita Abad, and Suki Seokyeong Kang for between $80,000 and $200,000. It's not surprising that there was a great deal of interest in the future of Frieze, which as of last week has a new owner (if only tangentially). Earlier this month, Endeavor Group Holdings sold Frieze, along with its magazine and global portfolio of fairs, to its Ari Emmanuel, Endeavor's former CEO, and a consortium of investors for a reported $200 million. That sale was the spark of speculation among more than a handful of VIP day attendees, though few were willing to speculate or give Frieze's new owners advice. 'There's an opportunity here, to really increase the revenue stream and come up with a new, innovative business model,' author and art market observer Magnus Resch told ARTnews. 'The simple business model of real estate arbitrage isn't working anymore. You can't just open new locations.' For Resch, the future of art fairs would involve variable pricing models for the galleries that participate and an expanded offering: watches and collectibles, something Resch admits might alienate existing patrons. He added, 'Frieze has a chance to become the leading player in the art world. They just have to stop living in the past.' Best of Robb Report The 10 Priciest Neighborhoods in America (And How They Got to Be That Way) In Pictures: Most Expensive Properties Click here to read the full article.
New York Times
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
5 (More) Art Fairs to Welcome Spring
Each year, just as the cherry blossoms begin to blanket the ground, art fairs descend upon Manhattan like pollen. You don't have to be a serious collector to participate in the surge of smaller fairs across the city, but you will need a pair of arch-support sneakers to make your way through fairs and artistry in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Esther, a boutique fair founded by the gallery Temnikova & Kasela, debuted last year — and joined the growing contingent of alternative art fairs. It drew eager crowds of fairgoers to the grand Beaux-Arts Estonian House, once a popular gathering space for Estonian refugees after World War II. This year Esther returns, with a pithy collection from European, Japanese and Baltic State galleries alongside a healthy display of works by New York artists. Entry is free. May 6-10 at New York Estonian House, 243 East 34th Street, Murray Hill, Manhattan; The New Art Dealers Alliance, which spotlights young galleries and emerging artists and curators, and is one of the larger exhibitors, is back with its annual fair, this time with an expanded selection: 120 galleries, art spaces and nonprofit organizations spanning 19 countries and 50 cities, including 54 first-time exhibitors and its Curated Spotlight, a special presentation of nine galleries and artists from Texas and Mexico. Another plus? If you're going to Frieze at the Shed, NADA is just a few blocks away. Single-day tickets run $55; multiday passes are $75. Senior and student tickets are available on site for $35. May 7-11 at the Starrett-Lehigh Building, 601 West 26th Street, Manhattan; Clio, which bills itself as the anti-fair for independent artists, returns for its 11th year. The fair focuses on artists without gallery representation, which means browsers can expect an eclectic mix of work, including painting, photography and mixed media installations, from around the world. Visitors can find work priced from $250 to $25,000. In addition, this year the fair will present 'Behave As If God Exists,' a performance art piece exploring the wavering definition of humanity, as it evolves in a future of artificial intelligence. Entry is free; a V.I.P. pass for two people, including the opening reception, is $35. May 8-11, 528–532 West 28th Street, Chelsea, Manhattan; This year the European Fine Art Foundation, or TEFAF, will present its 11th exhibition at the Park Avenue Armory, with 91 dealers filling the vast halls with contemporary and modern fine art, sculpture, jewelry and antique furniture, and a host of talks and events. Single-entry tickets are $60 ($25 for students); multiple-day entry tickets are $80. May 9-13, Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue, Upper East Side, Manhattan; Presented by the online art gallery Saatchi Art, the Other Art Fair boasts not only a diverse collection of 125 exhibitors, but affordability. The fair's commitment to making art accessible through transparent pricing means you can find works from $100 to $10,000. (And there's a guide for first time buyers.). Try on a new role as a collector, indulge in a whiskey tasting, or have your picture taken by Anna Marie Tendler, the featured author of 'Men Have Called Her Crazy,' who will offer styled, tableaux portraits. Opening night tickets start at $45; general admission is $20. May 8-11 at ZeroSpace Brooklyn, 337–345 Butler Street, Brooklyn;
Tom's Guide
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
I just saw LG's see-through OLED TV in the wild — and it actually wowed me
I've seen LG's $60,000 transparent OLED TV a couple of times before: at tech shows, in hushed demo rooms, or plunked down in mostly-sterile setups with nothing behind it but... a wall. Which, let's be real, that kind of defeats the whole point, and definitely didn't help in convincing me that transparent TVs have a place in our homes. A see-through screen is supposed to be magical after all, right? I hadn't seen it used in a way that actually sold the fantasy. That's all changed thanks to a collaboration between LG and artist Steven Harrington. Partnering on an installation for the Frieze gallery that just hit New York City, LG's OLED and lifestyle TVs bring Harrington's work to life in a way I haven't quite seen before. Harrington's work, which you've probably spotted even if you don't know his name (he's the one with the googly-eyed dog and psychedelic palm trees), animates across LG's OLED lineup in a colorful burst of motion. But instead of framed canvases contrasting with the otherwise-greyscale space, LG's TVs filled in the color, moving, glowing, and transforming the space with the kind of vivid tones the best OLED TVs are known for pulling off. The real scene-stealer was the LG Signature OLED T, a 77-inch transparent TV, finally doing the one thing it was designed for: blending in. The harmony between Harrington's quirky LA-pop sensibility and LG's display tech seemed effortless. Standing in a brightly-lit room surrounded by art, this TV felt more to me like a sculpture than a screen. It played a looping animation of Harrington's dog-like mascot, blooming flowers, and candy-colored moments that drifted in and out of view. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. And the kicker? You could see through the panel to the art behind it, and in some cases, to other TVs in the room (different orientations of the LG StanBy ME 2, to be specific.) It was like the animation was floating in space. It's the first time I've seriously considered that a transparent TV might actually be worth owning for a reason other than flexing on your friends. It's obviously not for everyone, and it's well out of the average budget, but if your space leans a little whimsical this could be a functional art piece. For comparison, most 'art TVs' like Samsung's popular Frame TV (side note: including the Frame TV Pro that I'm quite impressed with) live on walls, trying to blend in by pretending to be framed paintings. This, on the other hand, could sit in front of a window. Or, right in the middle of your living room. There's also a bit of tech practicality that makes it more usable than it seems. The OLED T has a rolling contrast film that rises up when you want to watch something, turning it into a regular OLED panel. It also pairs with LG's Zero Connect box, so you can stash all your ports and inputs elsewhere, keeping the display clean and cable-free. And while I wouldn't call myself an art aficionado (casual admirer is generous), I walked out of the Frieze gallery genuinely impressed. The harmony between Harrington's quirky LA-pop sensibility and LG's display tech seemed effortless. It wasn't a TV trying to be art, instead it was art accentuated by a TV. That's what made the Signature OLED T click for me at last, and now, it's easy to admit I actually want one.
