MERCURA NYC: THE PICASSOS OF EYE AND BODY SCULPTURE
......poetic justice at the hotel chelsea INSPIRATIONS & RESPONSES PLEASE BLOG US COMMENTS
futuristic ultra rare visionary collector's pieces touched born
only by the designers themselves going around the curves and
swirls of time peeking into the past and experiencing the future through flexible images to make life personal and unforgettable in any millennium
Anyone in MERCURA NYC can become a personality, be unforgettable i n the experience, made for the person who dresses without fear and likes to be seen in the crowd and
elegant
expressionistic
ultra art time travel....post modern, post surreal, inspired by all art and yet creates a feeling of its own, made by two sisters dubbed Picassos. Catch the light, become the ultra mystery
Check this history of the work of two sisters as MERCURA NYC, a collector's
paradise
Rachel Cohen-Lunning and Merrilee Lichtenstein Cohen work together as MERCURA NYC. Together they designed metal body sculptures and art at the Hotel Chelsea in the mid 1970's. Artwork included unique fantasy jewelry, metal dresses, metal bustiers, gauntlet cuffs, headdresses, crowns, metal hoods, and eyewear, cigarette holders, head ornaments, boxes and paintings and table mounted sculptures. They continue to have their design studio at the Chelsea and at a large work loft in the Flatiron Neighborhood.
MERCURA NYC is and was worn by celebrities, artists and intellectuals, from writers such as Danielle Steel, Linda Drabova, Natalie Angier and Jill Neimark to film makers such asRobert Dernhelm and Shirley Clarke to photographers such as Greg Kitchen and Catherine Leroy to present day rising stars as painter Susan Olmetti and the New Kids on the Block, and established celebrities such as Drew Barrymore, DebbieGibson, Ivana Trump, Candice Bergen, Belquiys Rodriguez Hirsch, BarbraStreisand, Tia Carrere, Joan Collins, Maria Snyder, Tisch, Grace Jones, Cher, David Bowie, Iman,Sylvia Miles, Paula Abdul, Greg Kitchen, Kelly Lebrock, Sharon Stone, Elton John, Geena Davis,Vali Myers, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Taylor Mead, Mark Sink,Camilah Brock, Derek Warburton, Jamie Lee Curtis, Lil Kim,Greg Ellis, Madison Mobley, Goldie Hawn, to name a few on the endless list. Some of these wearers are from the Hotel Chelsea, others were magnetized by MERUCURA NYC'S work in Shang Hai to Tokyo, Paris, Milan, in boutiques, optical shops and fashion shows around the world.
(click featured artist on Susan's home page)
MERCURA NYC has been featured in gallery shows at the NOWGalle ry NYC, Stuart Gallery NYC, EM Donahue Galleries(presently called Proposition Gallery) NYC, the MICRO Gallery, and museum shops as the Guggenheim Museum Store, the Store Next Door(at the Whitney), the AlbrightKnox Museum, the New Museum, the Dublin Museum of Optometry. For their Clearly recognizable by intense unique visionary qualities in well balanced expressionistic designs Rachel Cohen-Lunning and Merrilee Lichtenstein Cohen, DerekWarburton dubbed the "Picassos of NYC Eye and Body Sculptures." MERCURANYC makes Body Sculptures and Eyewear of sculpted silver, brass or gold painted with jewelers' enamels or molten combinations of metals, or brass veined with silve r and/or bent, twisted, scrunchedsolid brass in signature museum pieces. Sunglasses are as armatures for MERCURA NYC who surround them with sculptures which act playfully with the face. Their eye art is made of an endless variety of materials.
Big metal wraps and dresses by MERCURA NYC shown with Giorgio Sant Angelo Couturier American Council of Fashion Design Award winner Collection of 1987 and in a 1999 show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art fashion Institute are presently in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Fashion Institute Collection.
above two hand cut brass pieces of MERCURA NYC i n the Metropolitan Museum of Art Fashion Institute Collection, on dresses as worn on Giorgio Sant Angelo catwalk 1987
MERCURA NYC works featured in Giorgio Sant Angelo Collections from 1975 to 1989 on the runway, in magazines such as Interview and the Cover of British Vogue, Elle, Cosmo Cover, etc. etc. etc. ere also sketched into Betty and Veronica Comic books by Daryl Edelman.
MERCURA NYC also participated in the Club Art and Fashion Shows, pieces were hung in group shows with John Cage works at the Famous NYC Mudd Club, Richard Hamilton works at Kamikazi, presented at the Limelight with Valentino's Clothes, another show at the Limelight featured MERCURA NYC on models in black tights(show also featured Robert Lee Morris Jewelry). MERCURA NYC was given full solo shows in New York City at the Roxy, the Society Club, the World, Club USA, the Limelight, the Underground, the World, MK's, The Palladium, The Mike Todd Room and, of course, shown at the National Arts Club, where big multi media paintings and Body and Eye Sculptures were celebrated and hung on the National Arts Club NYC walls through winter-spring of 2000.
MERCURA NYC went on the runways with many couturier fashion collections including Giorgio Sant Angelo, Oscar de la Renta, David Leigh, Nasty Habits, Mary McFadden, Vera Wang, Vivienne Westwood, Michael Forrest Furs, Grosvenor Furs, Mia Grau Productions, Anna Molinari, Blumarine, Heatherette 2008 collection. MERCURA NYC is also styled into American and International movies, magazines and runways under our own name or clothing designer labels.
abels.
MERCURA NYC has been styled and published with famous designers clothing from Gaultier to Yves St Laurent to Calvin Klein to Gucci, to Donna Karan, Celine, Moschino, Victor & Rolf, Prada, Marc Jacobs, Sonia Rykiel, Lanvin, Alberta Ferretti, Giambatista Valli, Valentino, Louis Vuitton, more, more, more, more, more .............to new young rising designers as Soyoon Elly Park, Tanuka Ghosh and Andy Starkweather. We were most inspired by meetings with Charles James, who never showed on the runway but is known as America's first and most influential couturier designer.
Writers we inspired included Judith Gould star character in their novel Forever,wearing our crystal sunglass es to look enticing and Jill Neimark's character who wears our alligator sunglasses as part of her personality in her acclaimed novel Bloodsong.
| PLD1112_110_0013BIS.jpg 31K View Download Peter Lindbergh image for Italian Vogue styled by Patti Wilson |
Photos published of MERCURA NYC include those by Helmut Newton, Tom Munro, Ellen Von Unwerth, Peter Lindbergh, Greg Kitchen, Curtis Eberhardt, Gary Lupton, Frank Franca, Peter Lindbergh, Patrick Demarchelier, Anna Donovan, Oroma Elewa,Michael Comte, Eric Boman, Jack Pedota, Robert Dernhelm, Tim Francais, George Chinsee, Kristina Wilson, Gloria Nicola, Rita Barros, Seth Sabal, Spiros Poros,oRachel Cohen-Lunning, Merrilee Lichtenstein Cohen, Luca Babina, Jill Neimark Annie Lebowitz, Eric Martin,Amy Arbus and many many many more. We have magazine covers and pages from around theworld that pasted together would be much taller than a one hundred foot high sculpture. Is this foreshadowing? Opticians accross America tell us the newspapers and local film makers love MERCURA NYC!
We met Susan Olmetti, rising star painter, at the Hotel Chelsea. International writer and stylist, Linda Drabova, is publishing an article, a Slovakdesign magazine wiin Inspireth both English and Slovak language, next month about Susan Olmetti, her art, and the sisters(us) at the Hotel Chelsea.
MERCURA NYC is going to share the Grand Ballroom at the Hotel Chelsea and show our most elaborate avant garde work with Susan Olmetti paintings next summer, 2009.
Petite blonde famous French Photographer, Catherine Leroy, at Hotel Chelsea Party wearing MERCURA NYC
hand cut brass as pieces of MERCURA NYC in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Fashion Institute Collection, on dresses as worn on Giorgio Sant Angelo catwalk 1987
We initially created believing and still do believe certain pieces will be used as models for buildings and fenestration for windows. Any Warhol suggested we make them all tCatherine LeRoy took these photos below of Rachel Cohen-Lunning and Merrilee Lichtenstein Cohen, at their studio at the Hotel Chelsea in 1985,wearing their body sculpture creations, for an article that appeared in Italian, French, Japanese and German Magazines
high. Robert Rauschenberg admired Catherine LeRoy took these photos of Rachel Cohen-Lunning and Merrilee Lichtenstein Cohen, at their studio at the Hotel Chelsea in 1985,wearing their body sculpture creations, for an article that appeared in Italian, French, Japanese and German Magazines in hand cut brass as pieces of MERCURANYC in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Fashion Institute Collection, on dresses as worn on Giorgio Sant Angelo catwalk 1987
| 8 attachments — Download all attachments View all images Gary Lupton styled by Linda Drabova |
| SHOT_01-000049.jpg 234K View Download |
| SHOT_04-000179.jpg 197K View Download |
below urls photos of Naima Mora by Eric Martin, styled by Marc Sifieuentes
http://www.tommunro.com/#m:content(fashion/japanese- vogue-07-oct/012.JPG)
| http://all-antm.net/displayima http://all-antm.net/displayima below are urls of Tom Munro photos, styled by Patti Wilson, in Japanese Vogue and Numero |
Hello Beautiful Urls photos by Eric Martin, written by Madison Mobley
http://hellobeautiful.blackplanet. com/your-glam/qa-merilee-and- rachel-founders-of-mercura- eyewear/ http://www.dripbook.com/eric_martin/book/mercurany/#107068 photos by Eric Martin
http://www.popafricana.com/issue1/#beaute photos by Elewa Oroma
http://www.covermagazine.biz/ please sign in to Cover Magazine archive #39, takes a few seconds, styled by Linda Drabova, photos Kristina Wilson
book , available at Barnes & Noble Eyeglass Retrospective: Where Fashion Meets Science by NANCY SCHIFFER, cover photo of MERCURA NYC by Greg Kitchen Schiffer Publications
Special thanks from MERCURA NYC to Peter Lindbergh, Greg Kitchen, Susan Olmetti, Linda Drabova, Patti Wilson, Tom Munro, Catherine Leroy, Italian Vogue, Taylor Kim, Andy Warhol, Christina Wilson, Jill Neimark, Gary Lupton, Curtis Eberhardt, Nancy Schiffer, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Ellen Von Unwerth, Oroma Elewa, Eric Martin, Richard Martin, Mark Sifieuentes, David Widjaja and Madison Mobley for their wonderful part.
contact information
MERCURA NYC
The Hotel Chelsea
222 West 23rd Street #824
New York, NY 10011
ph 212 532 5787, 212 691 4846, 212 243 3700 ex 824
fx 212 532 5787
mercurany@aol.com
