Until the cranes came yesterday to start taking it way, the Frieze Art Fair has been here.
A festival as much it seems dedicated to Mammon as Minerva this mammoth selling exhibition conquers an ever growing corner of The Dandy’s Beloved Regent’s Park for a few more days as each year passes.
In recent times some crumbs have been thrown from the tables of the oligarchs and art dealers who are ferried here in a steady stream of black cabs, silver ‘special visitor’ automobiles and limousines from whichever five star hotels they stay at.
‘A Sculpture Park’ is erected on general view in The English Garden.
And very shiny it was this year too, so I thought I’d share a few snaps, and the scents the ‘sculptures’ brought to mind… I wonder if you can guess why?
There may be some clues if you click on a few of the perfumes…
1. Very Important Perfume
2. Gave Good Face
3. Disjointed Horizon
4. The Big “C”
5. Modern Landscape
6. Coiled
7. One Shed of Grey
8. Fabric Knits Us Together
9. From Another Age
10. All You Need Is
Until the art world descends again….
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy.
The Perfumed Dandy. 
I love that Mitsouko got the “through the looking glass” VIP photo. It’s very much like stepping into another world when I wear it.
Dearest Lily
How very true… Mitsouko is just like falling down the hole after the white rabbit. Who knows who or what one will meet when wearing it?!?
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
Did Jean Harlow wear Femme? Spurious connection maybe! Yes the Frieze Art Fair and its ilk are fairly cynical affairs. I’ve been enjoying listening to Grayson Perry as part of the Reith Lectures on R4 – he says what most people don’t dare to utter!
Dearest Rose
Jean Harlow could well have worn Femme, it really would have suited her… though the star I had in mind can be discovered by clicking on the perfume bottle!
Yes ”cynical” and perhaps ‘clinical’ are both words that sum up elements of Frieze, though there was some wonderful work on show, as ever..
As to Grayson, his Reith lectures are just adorable… from the moment when Sue Lawley announced that he was the first cross dresser ever to have given them and he interjected ‘that you know of’ to his debunking of so much of the false mystery of modern art, they should be mandatory listening at art schools.
I knew how much I liked Grayson when I happened to read a truly awful hatchet job on him by that dreadful hack Brian Sewell. I thought, almost anyone within the world of art you hate that much must be pretty good.
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
Ah, I missed your comment about clicking on the bottle! I won’t say the name in case people are still guessing.!
Dearest Rose
The bottle was apparently based on her ample curves.
‘The line of beauty’ as Hogarth would have had it… I wonder what on Earth Hogarth would have made of the ‘broad’ in question!.
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
Or is it Rita Hayworth?
Dearest Rose
Gilda? My goodness, would there have been a perfume big and bold enough?
Though they don’t come much bigger and bolder than the gal I had in mind… you’re just a click away.
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
Oh, em… Bette Davis? Elizabeth Taylor? That must cover it!
Yes Grayson Perry is a charming breath of fresh air, not to mention ground/gown-breaking and intelligent! Brian Seyeeoowell’s main contribution to the art world has possibly been his comedy voice, so enjoyably imitatable!
Dearest Rose
His ‘main’ contribution to art? His only one more likely!
Oh, no, I forgot wasn’t there that rather unfortunate ‘alleged’ incident with Salvador Dali…?
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
Like? LOVE. Your sculpture garden images dance so well with the bottles! Shape. Color. Promises. Bravo!! T.
Dearest Theodora
Why thank you… for the kind words and for planting an image in my head of giant perfume bottles dancing waltzes with one and other amidst the sculptures in the Park.
Joy.
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
Thank you for this post! What a beautiful break in my day to consider all those sculptures and perfumes.
Dearest Batkitty
The pleasure was all mine… I would happily have the sculptures (and the sunshine that went with them last week) back!
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
I really enjoyed your pairings visually (thank you for sharing!) but I’m not familiar with most of the perfumes you used so I’ll leave guessing games to others.
Dearest U
A strange bit of serendipity, but the parings do seem to work visually, even though I matched them according to scent memories.
Perhaps designers do know a thing or two and that the best flacons really say something about the scents within….
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
Hypnotic.