Lion statue – Cardiff Castle
Art pieces that stimulate conversation
Art is acquired for all sorts of reasons: investment, heirlooms, decorative, functional and even as a conversational piece. After recently noticing a piece on an auction site being promoted as a conversation piece, I started seeing art pieces from this perspective and it threw up numerous scenarios. As a conversation ‘circuit breaker’ the merit of having alluring decorative art objects strategically placed around a room is obvious, but also can be a godsend if you need a discreet deflection, when you find yourself in one of those awkward silences. Which is more mortifying? — being a crashing bore about your art or confronting a deafening silence. Hopefully with astute buying, your guest will be absolutely enthralled with your taste and refined aesthetic and if they are genuine art lovers, it is a failsafe course of action and a possible trigger for an animated discussion about the joys of collecting.
Large Alhambra floor vase -signed F. Jose MF Martinez
circa. 1900
In the context of ‘convo rescue’ art, having pieces that have intriguing provenance and background stories in their history is a bonus. For example, with a Bernard Palissy charger, attention can be drawn to the fact he had to burn his families furniture to fuel his kiln, when he was trying to imitate Chinese porcelain. Or say an Edmond Lachenal vase, who gave his studio to his wife and son Raoul, when he abandoned ceramics to take up acting, when he was having an affair with Sarah Bernhardt. For tactile attraction, the silky glaze of a Rose Cabat “feelie” sculptural vessel could stimulate sensual interest.
Pieces with a rich history or from unique design eras, like a Hispano Moresque Alhambra floor vase or an Italian Futurismo lamp, would support a good conversation. It helps to really like the piece you acquire, so you can sound genuine when heap it with praise. Try to avoid sounding too pretentious about how good you think your choice is and there’s no need to go on about how much it cost, unless it was an absolute steal. Sometimes a back up piece might be needed, something more quirky and amusing or even erotic, if the guest had little interest in art, to cover all bases.
Here are some ideas for some ‘convo rescue’ decorative objects and other art beyond any conversation. I also included some images of some mid-century and modern ‘conversation pits’, an appealing architectural concept that peaked in the 70’s, The cosy sunken seating could be re-embraced to encourage social discourse. Can I invite you into the ‘Pool Of Thought’, to discuss this further.
Conversation pit rejuvenation
– raising the sunken living spaces back into design contention.
” Talking in circles roundabout” Mid-Century sunken seating conversation pit
Spencer Peterson (curbed.com) flagged the idea of rebranding the ‘conversation pit’ with more appealing names such as ‘communiqué nest’, ‘groupthink decline’, ‘dialogue dip’ or ‘discussion crater’ to revitalize design interest in this innovative Mid-Century architectural feature. Here are some more suggestions :-
Outdoor sunken seating ‘Island Chat Basin’ living space
Photo John Coolidge
‘Pool of Thought’ conversation pit located in outdoor pool by Franco A. Pasquale Design Associates
Sunken living area— ‘Talkfest Nest’ – Javier Senosiain Nautilus House, Mexico
– social life flows inside the Nautilus without any division, a harmonic area in three dimensions where you can notice the continuous dynamic of the fourth dimension when moving in spirals over the stairs with a feeling of floating over the vegetation. – worldarchitecturenews.com
.…. the guests would be so gobsmacked by the audacious style they would be speechless for at least 15 minutes.
Mid-century decor ‘Convo Cavern’
‘Abstract Zone of Discourse’
From 1976 Norma Skurka NY Times Times on Interior Design
retro-space on Flickr
‘Head Read Retreat’
Miller home 1957 – Mid-Century modern home designed by Eero Saarinen and located in Columbus, Indiana
‘Candour Corner’
70’s modernist interior
Some claim the 70’s was the ‘decade that taste forgot’. For boldness and individuality of expression, it really was an exceptional decade that still has an influence on current designers.
Paisley garden ‘Babbling Gabby Alcove’ designed by Ben Hoyle, NZ
‘Fish Bowl Ear Bender’
Jasper Conran’s house
‘Sunken Portal of Intimate Depth’
60’s design by architect Roger Hirsch
‘Rave On Recess’
Interior decor – Marcelo Rosenbaum
‘Heated Diatribe Soaker’ – heated outdoor pool
70’s ‘Philosophers Stone Circle’
‘The Curvaceous Converso’
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Décor objects for ‘convo rescue’
Mexican bird headed whistle
8th to 9th century
Giant sculptural vessel wrapped in Matisse-inspired illustration – Rudy Autio
‘Two Toucans’ – Anita Reay – AUS
Ceramic vase with natural wood appearance – Ankhworks Pottery
‘Conversation Piece’ by Juan Munoz at the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden
Art Nouveau vase by Paul Dachsel for Ernst Wahliss
Lone Borgen and Stephen Parry, UK
Raku bird by sculpteur céramiste animalier – Catherine Chaillou
www.catherinechaillou.com/
Michel di Nunzio
‘Danaides’ vase – Rene Lalique
Loetz glass vase, 1901
Kunsthandel Kolhammer, Vienna, 1stdibs
Murano Vase – Dino Martens for Aureliano Toso
Surreal sgraffito vase – Laura Jean Mclaughlin ?
1stDibs – Drake, NY
Sitting meditation Buddhist Monk ceramic figurative sculpture
‘Flames of Love’– Limited Edition Collector Plate – Erte
Raku wine cooler – africaandbeyond.com
‘Bob’s Your Uncle & Fanny’s Your Aunt’ – cat and dog sculpture by Govinder Nazran
‘Grijze Raku’ – Marika Baumler, France
height – 30 cm
John Maltby abstract sculpture
Ceramic wall panel – by Léger Fernand
XIX – Lidya Buzio
‘Restricted Zone ‘- handbuilt, coil constructed, soda fired stoneware vessel
Melanie Ferguson
‘After Fire’ – Jeff Mincham
Orange glass Art Deco vase – Daum, Nancy and Louis Majorelle
Contemporary vase by Michael Köhler – 1982
Dana John LA – 1stDibs
Plate with painted geometric designs – Myrton Purkiss
Raku GAUTENG Éléphant – Divart, France
Metamorphose I (Personnage feminin) – Pablo Picasso
1928
Porcelain vase, Adelaide Alsop Robineau
Australian artist Derek Jungarrayi Thompson with monumental ceramic vessel
Ernabella
Primavera White, Brown and Black Glaze Vase, 1930
Gary Rubinstein Antiques
Raku ‘Garden Sprite II’ – Wall Hanging by Leslie Ahrens
Raku spherical bottle by Andrzej Chybowski-Warsaw, Poland
Massive glazed ceramic vessel with sgraffito decoration, “Menage a Trois,” Los Angeles, CA, 1989
height 30 inches – Richard Duffey
Inna Rogova ceramic sculpture
Sergei Isupov Ferrin – Contemporary figurine
Ron Meyers
Rose Cabat bulbous shaped ‘feelie’ vessels
Stephen Bird vase – handpainted with Australian outback landscape
‘That way madness lies’ by John Morris
André Aleth MASSON ceramic lamp – height 30 inches
Thomas Fritsch
‘Pope Joey No.2′ – Exiles From Lower Utopia series
Tricia Cline
‘Up on the Roof’ by Merry Arttoones
Vase and incense burner
Obsidian Gallery in Tucson, Arizona
‘Burr Owls’ – Laurie Shaman
William De Morgan bowl —–inspired by the brilliant colours of Islamic pottery, especially the bright Iznik turquoise
Moorcroft Flambe koi vase
Wu Tong
photo – Gian Paolo Barbieri – 1979
‘Conversation Starter’ – Beth Tarkington
‘Totem with snake’ by Ernst Neizvestny
artnet galleries
Maiden in pink dress Art Nouveau female figure vase
Ceramic sculpture by San Francisco based artist Calvin Ma
” My work draws inspiration from the toys and action figures I had growing up. As an introverted and socially awkward kid, the plastic heroes, villains and their vehicles helped me cope with my inability to socialize. They served as an escape for me and soon became a passion. Now, as an introverted and socially awkward adult, I create artwork that reflects on the struggles I have with social anxiety. Those toys have become a visual reference in my work and in a way, still help me cope. ‘Homebodies: Recollective’ is a continuation of the series I’ve been working on, but incorporates pop culture related vehicles. Movies and cartoons were also welcome distractions growing up, so I thought it would be interesting to pair more recognizable elements with my work.” – Calvin Ma
‘Belly Dancer Vessel’ – KLM ceramics
Artsy Home
Antique golden glass snuff bottle, China
‘Face éventail—Odile Frachet
2009
‘Il mio dilemma quotidiano’, Terri Kern
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