Showing posts with label Lady Gaga. Show all posts

Saturday, May 11, 2024

Tony Bennett's Verdura Night and Day Dress Set

Classy guy, that Tony Bennett. His friends Jeanne and Herb presented the Bennetts with an extraordinary dress set in 2015. The cufflinks and matching studs were designed by Fulco di Verdura inspired by Cole Porter's song "Night and Day" from the show "Gay Divorce" (1932) and the movie version "The Gay Divorcee" (1934). The song was a popular hit and endured as one of the standards performed by many, including Frank Sinatra and Bennett. The cufflinks were first presented to Porter in 1941.

Fulco di Verdura
Julien's Auctions listing ended April 18, 2024

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/tony-bennett-verdura-night-day-dress-set-156-c-3a641a7859?objectID=187809572&algIndex=undefined&queryID=164faaad18297e946cb1f549b6a6c442

On the day of the auction, presale bidding was far below the estimate:

Sold!

Fred Astaire

"Night and Day"

From "Gay Divorce" (1932)

Leo Reisman and his Orchestra

Fred Astair and Ginger Rogers

"Night and Day"

From "The Gay Divorcee" (1934)

Frank Sinatra

"Night and Day" (1957 version)

Tony Bennett

"Night and Day"

Perfectly Frank

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga

"Night and Day"

04644

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Lady Gaga by Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett is not the kind of visual artist I usually mention to my readers, but I'll make an exception today. The iconic singer collaborated with Lady Gaga on "Lady is a Tramp" featured on his new album Duets II. Then Bennett, 85, sat in on Annie Leibovitz's New York photo shoot for the current issue of Vanity Fair and created a charcoal portrait of the nude Lady Gaga, 25. It was published in Vanity Fair along with Leibovitz's photos and is now offered on eBay in a charity auction. Hey, there's always something to blog about.

I mention this not because I admire the artwork--good heavens, I don't--or because I am hoping to attract legions of music fans to my little illustration blog--I wouldn't be able to hold their interest for three seconds. The thing that strikes me about this auction is the sheer brilliance of this is as a publicity grab! I am truly amazed.

We live in a post-Warhol world where getting attention is seemingly its own art form. Lady Gaga is, I believe, a master in this area, and I suppose Annie Leibovitz and Tony Bennett are way above average at the publicity game in their respective fields. It doesn't hurt that they are each prodigiously talented.

But Tony Bennett's talents as a visual artist aren't in the same league as his musical talents. This drawing of an unclothed Lady Gaga which, at this writing, has a healthy bid of $15,200 but hasn't met its reserve, is getting attention not for its artistic vision but rather for its status as a unique object of celebrity memorabilia which, incidentally, can be hung on a wall and talked about ad infinitum once the bidding is over. If I close my eyes, I am truly dazzled.