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“We create, as some say, once-in-a-lifetime objects,” says artist and designer Job Smeets. “And you know, I don’t dislike that title.” That spirit is hard-wired into the Belgian’s most famous pieces – ranging from a new video collaboration with the art pop star Mika to the Robber Baron collection from 2006, for which Smeets presented five cast-bronze furnishings (a cabinet, mantel clock, table, standing lamp, and jewel safe), all produced and polished to an impeccable gleam but seemingly destroyed in some way. The cabinet was ripped open by a “bomb crater.” The table took its shape from clouds of industrial pollution emitting from power stations similar to London’s Battersea. Beautifully, carefully rendered destruction, but destruction all the same. Created in editions of five, the pieces were less luxury furnishings than conceptual art pieces commenting on the corruption of the oligarchy across time, from the titular robber barons of the Industrial Age to the Russian power brokers of today.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoJXsO_LqDw[/embed]

In this week’s Milkshake, we speak with Job about reverse marketing, running his studio like a Renaissance guild shop, and what it’s like creating those singular objects. “I think the process is the same as it was 25 years ago, when I started,” he says. “I am always curious to find the next thing – or the next thing that never has been done, or has been forgotten. Or the next thing that should be ugly but maybe It’s not ugly. The next thing that could surprise me. The next thing that would make the guys in the atelier happy. The next thing is always the best thing you ever did, until it’s ready.”

We also asked him what it’s like channeling the same sort of energy and exactitude that powered the Robber Baron collection: “When I was young, I was always fascinated by those old big goldsmith studios and silversmith studios from the 16th, the 15th, and 17th centuries, which created huge, beautifully crafted, shiny, glossy centerpieces – tableware, whatever –  for the rich and famous,” he says. “Which is actually the same now, but at least what I find fascinating about it is the way those pieces were created, and that they still exist in museums. It was never a really big production back then – there were only a few [pieces] created. The whole idea of industrialization – and modernism – is obviously to create something for the masses, and that’s a very good idea. But for me, and for my studio, I thought it would be much more interesting to create pieces that could have been created 300 years ago – and also to [combine] ancient techniques of casting, or the medieval techniques of stained glass with the digital techniques. Every time it creates a new image, and that’s what I’m looking for.” For more, tune in!

Diana Ostrom, who has written for Wallpaper, Interior Design, ID, The Wall Street Journal, and other outlets, is also the author of Faraway Places, a newsletter about travel.

Milkshake, DMTV (Design Milk TV)’s first regular series, shakes up the traditional interview format by asking designers, creatives, educators and industry professionals to select interview questions at random from their favorite bowl or vessel. During their candid discussions, you’ll not only gain a peek into their personal homeware collections, but also valuable insights into their work, life and passions.

According to Salvador Dalí, the seeds of his Surrealist vision were sown in his early childhood and adolescence. Now visitors keen to understand the importance of these formative years can do so at the newly opened Casa Natal Dalí in Figueres, Catalonia where the artist was born in 1904.

The grand, four-storey, 19th century apartment building at number 6 Carrer Monturiol, where Dalí and his family lived until he was eight years old, opened on October 20. The venue is organised as an immersive one-hour long audio visual experience.

“Figueres is where Dalí became who he was,” explains Eduard Bech, director of the Casa Natal Dalí. “And the Casa Natal Dalí is a place where visitors can understand his family relationships and early influences, as well as the importance of the local Empordà landscape on his art.”

The €4 million project is the culmination of five years of refurbishment and redesign—but it was first conceived nearly 30 years ago. In 1995 the then mayor of Figueres, Marià Lorca, bought the ground floor shop where Dalí’s father, a notary, had originally had his office, as well as the first floor space, where the family had their apartment.

The mission was to create a cultural space in which to commemorate Dalí. But it was not until 2017 that the rest of the building was purchased and funding was secured for the project, with work beginning the following year.

The result is a space that offers some intimate insights into aspects of the artist's practice. A visit starts with a small exhibition of five early works which predate his turn to Surrealism. Most powerful is a neo-classical 1925 portrait of his father in muted greys, brown and white, currently on loan from the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC) in Barcelona. There is also a looser, tender oil of his mother, a self-portrait in oils, and two family drawings, also 1920 and 1925, are all on loan from private collections until early 2024. 

The aim of the Casa Natal is not, however, to function as a conventional museum. As Bech explains: “Our objective from the beginning was to bring something to the town that would enable people to understand Salvador Dalí.”

To achieve this, the team engaged in a “benchmarking“ process, he continues, “to determine what we wanted this space to be.” This involved “analysing all the Dalí spaces that already exist around the world – obviously [including] the Dalí Triangle here in the Empordà,” he says—referring to the nearby Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, the Salvador Dalí House at Port Lligat and the Gala Dalí House-Museum at Púbol. “And also the Dalí Museum in St Petersburg, Florida.”

”We saw that none of them talked about Salvador Dalí the man,“ he says. “We decided that the Casa Natal was the perfect place to do that, from his private life to his public persona.”

The original family spaces at Casa Natal take visitors right back to the first years of Dalí's life. The narrated tour includes the five-room apartment where the Dalí family lived, complete with original Art Nouveau floor tiles, and the unchanged bathroom and galley kitchen. In the “galeria”—the windowed veranda the family used as a living room—projections of forks and spoons dance around a small wooden table, illustrating how the six year-old Dalí began drawing, using cutlery to draw ducks and geese.

Another major highlight is the austere bedroom where Dalí was born, recreated according to his own descriptions, with an antique wooden bed beneath a reproduction of Velasquez’s Christ.

There are also photographs, films, lenticulars and kaleidoscopic, mirrored panels illustrating Dalí’s later life from his relationship with his wife Gala, his friendships with Paul Eluard (Gala’s first husband), Federico García Lorca, and Luis Buñuel, as well as his advertising work.

Finally, on the upper floors of the building, floor to ceiling, immersive projections portray the recurring motif throughout Dalí’s most famous works—the vast, wide open plains of the Empordà and the surreal rock formations, sounds and seascapes of the Cap de Creus (Cape Creus) Natural Park.

“Throughout Dalí’s work, the landscape that you see is the landscape of the Empordà or Cap de Creus,” Bech says. “He never stopped painting it, even when he was living elsewhere and it’s absolutely crucial to his work.”

This December, Monrovia-based John Moran Auctioneers and Appraisers is presenting three distinct sales highlighting some of the most influential and captivating artists of the 20th century.

Beginning the string of auctions is “20th Century Photography: The Emergence of Modernism” on Wednesday, December 6, at 10 a.m. PST, featuring works by pioneers of the field like Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham—and eight previously undiscovered photos from the 1920s by Edward Weston.

Later that day at 12 p.m. PST is “The Collection of Frederick W. Davis,” which will feature an expansive, 344-lot exploration of Latin American Art from the estate of the collector and dealer, ranging from fine art and photography to traditional craft and decorative art.

Rounding out the slate of events is the “Latin American Art and Design” sale on Thursday, December 7, at 12 p.m. PST, which will see further exploration of Latin American art and culture, and including 200 lots spanning everything from Mexican silver tableware and jewelry to artworks by important Latin American artists such as Diego Rivera, Felipe Castañeda, Fred Davis, and more.

Below, we explore just a few of the most intriguing lots from across the three sales.

Imogen Cunningham
Two Callas (1925–1929)
Est. $100,000–$200,000

Imogen Cunningham (1883–1976) had an incredible, seven-decade-long career in which she became world famous for her diverse photography practice as an influential member of the California-based Group f/64, founded by Willard Van Dyke and famous landscape photographer Ansel Adams. Cunningham garnered specific acclaim for her striking botanical photographs, with her Two Callas and other floral compositions drawing comparisons to the work of Georgia O’Keeffe. The present edition of Two Callas is of particular interest, as it is an example that was produced on a specific type of matte paper that she used throughout the 1920s, and it has the artist’s Mills College label, which was used for just a sliver of her career between 1929 and 1934.

Edward Weston
Cuernavaca (1925)
Est. $100,000–$200,000

Edward Weston, Cuernavaca (1925). Courtesy of John Moran.

Working across genres, including landscape, still life, nudes, portraits, and more, American photographer Edward Weston (1886–1958) was also a member of Group f/64, but unlike fellow members, was deeply influenced by the tenets of Surrealism. The present image is the result of the artist returning to a subject he had focused on previously, the palm tree, but instead of a traditional overall image of the tree, Weston omits much of its unique identifiers, such as the frond leaves, from the frame. Instead, the solidity and texture of the trunk becomes the focus, so that on first glance, viewers may not even know what it is they are looking at. The unusual crop of the subject speaks to Weston’s experimental approach to the medium.

Fernando Botero
Nude Figure Reclining (2002)
Est. $100,000–$150,000

Fernando Botero, Nude Figure Reclining (2002). Courtesy of John Moran.

Columbian figurative artist Fernando Botero (1932–2023) developed a unique signature style that has been termed “Boterismo,” recognized for portraying human bodies in exaggerated scale and proportions. This mode of representation bestows Botero’s work with both an element of humor as well as the ability to engage with political criticism. Also a sculptor, Botero’s iconic figures can be found installed around the world, including along New York City’s Park Avenue and Paris’s Champs-Élysés. Today, he is considered one of the most influential and recognizable Latin American artists in the world.

Alfredo Ramos Martines
Madonna India (ca. 1932)
Est. $60,000–$80,000

Alfredo Ramos Martines, Madonna India (ca. 1932). Courtesy of John Moran.

Mexican painter, muralist, and teacher Alfredo Ramo Martinez (1871–1946) was influential in the development and propagation of Modernism in his home country, so much so that he is often referred to as the “Father of Mexican Modernism.” Synthesizing both Modern and traditional styles of painting, Martinez’s work is recognized for its empathetic representation of the people and landscapes of Mexico both in his standalone paintings and murals. Following his relocation to Los Angeles, California, in 1930, his work was brought to a broader audience, and he developed a significant following from the Hollywood set. Posthumously, the Alfredo Ramos Martinez Research Project was established in 1991, which seeks to preserve and advance the artist’s legacy.

Miguel Covarrubias
El Mercado (n.d.)
Est. $20,000–$30,000

Miguel Covarrubias, El Mercado (n.d.). Courtesy of John Moran.

Miguel Covarrubias (1904–1957) began his professional career as a teenager following his move from Mexico to New York City at the age of 19, working as a caricaturist for Vanity Fair. Homing in on his own signature style and approach, Covarrubias’s practice grew to include painting and murals—though he continued creating caricatures for publications and theater productions. An avid explorer and academic, he was also credited with co-discovering the Olmec civilization, identifying it as distinct from the Mayan civilization. Mass-produced reproductions of his work are considered some of the most influential in America during the 1920s and 1930s, and his use of flat planes of color and simplified forms contributed to Modernism’s ability to take root in the country.

Diego Rivera
Dos Indios Arando En Un Frutal (1935)
Est. $30,000–$50,000

Diego Rivera, Dos Indios Arando En Un Frutal (1935). Courtesy of John Moran.

Recognized as one of the most influential and famous artists of the 20th century, Mexican painter Diego Rivera (1886–1957) was a pioneer in the mural movement—both in Mexico and internationally—and his work can be seen in public buildings around the world. A devoted Communist, Rivera frequently depicted everyday people and their work, which can be seen in the present lot that depicts two individuals plowing. Though he was married multiple times, his most famously wed to Mexican Surrealist painter Frida Kahlo, and the two had great influence over each other’s work. Rivera’s work today can be found in some of the world’s most prestigious institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Centre Pompidou, Paris; and Museo Nacional de Arte, Mexico City.

Learn more about the sales at John Moran Auctioneers here.

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Archaeological excavations in the Incesu district of the Kayseri province in Central Anatolia, Turkey have turned up the largest floor mosaic in the Cappadocia region. 

Measuring a whopping 600 square meters or more than 6,400 square feet, the tiled floor was uncovered in the Örenşehir neighborhood, within a villa that is estimated to date back to the 4th century. The research, ongoing for three years now, has been carried out by the Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli University, with the backing of the Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality. 

According to the university’s Can Erpek, who directed the excavation, the villa has roots in the Roman and Byzantine eras and was used long after the Turks arrived in Anatolia. It encompassed a vast area and about 33 rooms, with “highly valuable” floor mosaics indicating the structure was a “high-level residence.” 

“In the Central Anatolia Region, which includes the Cappadocia region, we do not see such a large residence with floor mosaics,” Erpek said in a statement, adding, “We have not yet fully reached the boundaries of this residence.” 

In a statement, Şükrü Dursun, Kayseri’s provincial director of culture and tourism, further highlighted findings such as a Latin inscription in an area believed to be a reception hall, Greek engravings, and other geometric mosaics.  

In particular, Erpek pointed out the discovery of the name “Hyacinthos” in the inscriptions, which the archaeologists believe belongs to an administrator and the villa’s one-time resident. 

Kayseri rose from the foundations of an ancient city known as Mazaca, a key stop along trade routes between the Greek colony of Sinope to Euphrates. In the fourth century, the province formed part of the thriving cultural landscape of Anatolia, which prospered under Roman rule. Kayseri also served as a hub of Christianity during that time, housing a major monastic complex, built by Saint Basil the Great, which has not survived. 

See more images of the mosaic below. 

An aerial view of the excavation site in the Incesu district of Kayseri, Turkey, on November 10, 2023. Photo: Sercan Kucuksahin/Anadolu via Getty Images.

Detail of the floor mosaic excavated in the Incesu district of Kayseri, Turkey, on November 10, 2023. Photo: Sercan Kucuksahin/Anadolu via Getty Images.

An aerial view of the excavation site in the Incesu district of Kayseri, Turkey, on November 10, 2023. Photo: Sercan Kucuksahin/Anadolu via Getty Images.

An aerial view of the excavation site in the Incesu district of Kayseri, Turkey, on November 10, 2023. Photo: Sercan Kucuksahin/Anadolu via Getty Images.

Detail of the floor mosaic excavated in the Incesu district of Kayseri, Turkey, on November 10, 2023. Photo: Sercan Kucuksahin/Anadolu via Getty Images.

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Your typical 30-lot contemporary art auction can be over in an hour, but the prep-work involved for those who are participating in it lasts much longer. Late on Tuesday afternoon, art adviser Dane Jensen sat at the zinc bar of a French bistro in midtown Manhattan. Wearing stylish attire that has come to be a constant feature at an art auction, in this case, a green Gucci sneakers, matching green sweater, dark gray pants, and a navy blazer, he flipped through the catalog for Phillips’ two-part sale of 20th century and contemporary art , which was due to start a few blocks away that evening. No sooner had the clock struck five–just an hour to go before the sale started–than Jensen’s phone lit up with text messages. He answered them swiftly, then made a call to check in on a few bids. 

The names of art advisers aren’t typically known beyond their clients and a circle of art world insiders, but Jensen became unusually visible last year when he and another bidder went head-to-head for Ernie Barnes’s The Sugar Shack at Christie’s. Jensen didn’t win, but he helped push the price to a record-setting $13 million , around 80 times its pre-sale estimate. His enthusiasm for that Barnes’ work stemmed from his theory of collecting, honed from his years as director of contemporary art and auctioneer at Bonhams in Los Angeles and as a senior director with Gurr Johns advisory: go for lesser known, likely undervalued works by blue chip artists.

“See, this Lichtenstein is super interesting,” Jensen said, pointing to Lichtenstein’s Woman Contemplating a Yellow Cup (Study), lot number 15 in the Phillips sale. “These are the kinds of opportunities I tend to look for. A well-known market that perhaps has an overlooked segment.” The Lichtenstein, a late work made around the time of his Guggenheim retrospective, was originally categorized as a study, but has been re-christened a collage, an acknowledgment of the tape and cut paper the artist used when he made it in 1994. Paintings by Lichtenstein can run into the tens of millions; the collage was estimated to sell for between $1.5 million and $2 million.

“The market for this kind of work by Lichtenstein has already started to move,” Jensen said, “but if you have a client that isn’t ready to spend ten or thirty million on a work, but they want a Lichtenstein, this is a cool, emerging category they can comfortably jump into.”

As auction game time grew closer, Jensen’s phone continued to burble to life. “Sometimes this stuff happens really fast, you know,” he said. “My job is to put my client in a position to win. Sometimes that means talking with the specialists to gauge interest and hint at what we are looking for. Maybe mention what you’re willing to spend. But you always want to have something in the tank in case you want to get after it.” Naturally, things evolve during the heat of the auction. Jensen compared auction season to an elaborate dance. “You want everyone to be prepared, the client especially, because when it comes to bidding time, you really don’t know what will happen.” 

Leaving the bar with a reporter, Jensen walked the few midtown blocks to Phillips, switching between calls and texts with the facility of a Hollywood agent. Before entering the fray, he had a few last words about the tricky business of estimates. 

“If the estimates don’t match up with what something costs historically at auction, then I have to warn my client. ‘Be prepared to look for something else.’ I’ll always tell them … ‘this is the number we’ll need to be competitive, according to the data, but this is the number we’ll need if things don’t go to plan.’”

Paddle movements during an auction can be subtle. Sometimes a simple nod in the direction of the auctioneer can indicate a bid increase. Even in the room, collectors, and the advisers who they employ, often prefer anonymity. The Lichtenstein sold for a solidly-within-estimate $2 million. It really is a nice picture. And if Jensen bought it for a client, he’s not telling.  

“The Fabelmans” actor, who presented the Best Comedy Series winner at the award show, mocked the network after he asked if the ceremony’s organizers “always” simultaneously present two awards.

“That was weird,” said Rogen, who referred to the presentation of the show’s Best Supporting Actor and Actress awards at the same time.

“Why do they do that? Are we crunched for time? Get another hour. It can’t be that expensive,” Rogen said.

Rogen later said the show’s time slot on The CW “cannot be pricey” although he insisted his remark wasn’t a poor reflection of the network.

“I’m not saying the CW is bad,” Rogen said. “What I will say, it is the one network to receive zero Critics’ Choice nominations. You are saying it’s bad.”

“We’re on your least favorite network. How did that happen? Nominate yourselves next time, you’d have won,” Rogen said.