Monthly Archives: May 2014

Design … The NYC Subway Map by the Late Great Massimo Vignelli, R.I.P.

A giant of the design world passed away earlier this week. The New York City-based Italian designer Massimo Vignelli died in New York Tuesday morning at age 83.

Vignelli was one of the world’s foremost designers, and in a career that started in Italy, where he was educated, and saw him immigrate to New York and start his own firm, Vignelli created an enduring vision and legacy of work that influenced several generations of leading designers, architects and creators.

The New York City subway map below is a design classic and a testament to his vision and style. Created by Vignelli in 1973, it became an iconic example of information design that would be copied the world over.

Over on Design Observer, the Pentagram founder Michael Beirut has written a personal tribute to Vignelli and shares some of his experiences and what he learned working for Vignelli Associates in the 1980s.

Art in New York … A Crushed Fiat Painted in Pink Nail Polish

One of the highlights of Frieze NY 2014, the juggernaut art fair launched by London-based art magazine Frieze, was a crushed Fiat car coated in pink nail polish. The artwork is titled “Skin Crime 3” by Swiss artist Sylvie Fleury, and it was installed next to a giant mirror-like old-school Gilette razor blade titled “Blade” (of course). We’re a fan of Fleury’s ouevre, which explores themes of consumerism, shopping, fashion, luxury, beauty and marketing, often in striking vivid, colorful installations.

Side note: Fiat cars seem to be useful media material for European artists, as seen here in British artist Simon Starling’s “Ostalgia.”

Street Art … Fresh Artwork by TrapArt, New York City

Street art stencil image of be-bop-era Miles Davis (?) by Trapart on Jersey Lane in SoHo, downtown New York City. Full of awesome. We love how “trapart” is an enigmatic palindrome. 🙂

Street Art … “MR. A” by Andre, New York City

“Monsieur ‘A'” (a.k.a., “Mr. ‘A’) by the Paris-based Swedish-Portuguese street-art pioneer Andre makes a long overdue appearance in downtown New York City upon a construction hoarding covering a storefront on Lafayette Street in SoHo. Welcome back to New York, Andre!

Street Art … Fresh Artwork by A.S.V.P., New York

New street from the always awesome A.S.V.P. at the site of the former Pulino’s restaurant on Houston Street near southwest corner of intersection with Bowery, across from the Bowery Wall, a.k.a., the Deitch Wall.