You may know that the fellow at left is Kevin Costner of ”The Untouchables,” premiering this week. And that the movie, written by Chicago native David Mamet, was shot (so to speak) here. But did you know Giorgio Armani did the good guys` fashions? Look for his deft mixing of fabrics. Then remember that Armani`s first movie venture was dressing Richard Gere in
”American Gigolo,” and the influence it had on men`s styles. SOURCE: By Sharon Stangenes.
WELL-DECORATED GALLERY OPENING
The sapphire-ring-and-Hermes-scarf crowd was out in full force recently for the opening of Portals Ltd., a new River North gallery at 230 W. Huron St.
The carefully coiffured gallery-goers sipped champagne and munched on truffle hors d`oeuvres as they mingled among the naive and primitive paintings from the United States and Europe, as well as 18th and 19th Century furniture and decorative objects. Most carried price tags averaging $3,000 to $5,000, which drew raves as being ”very affordable.”
The opening exhibition theme–”And All the Animals Were There . . .”– included several Noah`s Ark scenes and more than a few Gardens of Eden.
At the opening, a psychiatrist was wondering out loud if her patients would dirty up a 19th Century couch.
Portals` owner, William B. McIlvaine Jr., a retired International Harvester executive, said he plans to devote full time to the gallery, which carries on his family`s tradition of art collecting. (McIlvaine`s great-grandfather, Quincy Adams Shaw, was an avid collector of art, including 50 Millet paintings that form the core of the Millet Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.)
But the gallery is really the ”lifelong” dream of McIlvaine`s wife, Nancy, a longtime interior designer to Chicago`s Gold Coast and North Shore, under the name of Nancy Ross Interiors.
She plans to operate her interior design business out of the Huron gallery, which features huge Palladian windows in each of its three interior spaces.
”I designed the gallery that way so designers and their clients could see how a certain piece looks in an actual room setting,” she said. SOURCE: By Marla Donato.
NIGHT AND DAY AT NUPTIALS
Except for an occasional paint-spattered tuxedo jacket, or black leather or rubber dress, the nightclub set dressed relatively conservatively to brave the sunshine and invade Old St. Patrick`s Church on West Adams Street a few days ago.
The occasion was the very traditional Roman Catholic wedding of Limelight special events director Tom Doody and his bride, graphic artist Rebecca Ahlberg, who walked down the aisle in her mother`s satin wedding gown.
”We are making history here,” the Rev. John Cusick observed to the wry grins of the churchgoers before beginning the mass in what he said was the
”oldest church and oldest public building in Chicago.”
During the mass, Father Cusick talked of bridging the gap between the
”two different cultures,” seemingly pleased with the eclectic mix of nightclub friends and rather traditionally dressed relatives. Despite their Sunday-best efforts, the club crowd still seemed rather offbeat.
After the early-afternoon ceremony, the wedding party and entourage, about 300 strong, headed for (where else?) the Limelight for a private buffet luncheon.
The club itself looked rather sedate in daylight, with an obvious effort made to tone down the outrageous: Many employees turned up in suits and ties, and the managers even covered up the giant bikini-bottom mural on the Dome Room`s wall with a virginal white cloth.
But the mural cover-up lasted only a few hours before the wedding party pulled it down; and by the time the regular night crowd arrived, the wedding reception had drawn close to 1,000 people.
When it grew dark, several of the original guests changed into their club clothes and the party turned into a real nightclub event–as promised in the printed club invitations to the public.
SOURCE: By Marla Donato.
PEDAL POWER IN OAK PARK
The Great American Federal Classic race has bicyclists in training all over the map. The event–45 laps, 50 kilometers, around a four-cornered course –will begin at 2:15 p.m. Sunday at Lindberg Park in Oak Park.
Competitors in that race–professionals and experienced amateurs–will vie for an $11,900 purse. Three citizens` races, one for women and two for men, will begin at 8 a.m. Winners of those races, which are open to the general public, receive trophies and medals.
Other races sanctioned by the United States Cycling Federation, offering cash prizes, will begin at 11 a.m. Prizes for the day`s events will total $20,000. Sponsored by Great American Federal Savings, this year`s Classic will be part of Oak Park`s ”A Day in Our Village” celebration.
For riders in training for such races, Turin Bicycle Shop in Evanston puts together an organized training ride of nearly 100 miles to the Illinois- Wisconsin border and back every Wednesday April through October.
The State Line Ride is open to cyclists licensed by the USCF and unlicensed cyclists interested in serious training. Daily rides of 40 miles, not as strenuous, also are organized by the bike shop.
For more information, call Norman Kittelson at 864-7660. SOURCE: By Margaret Carroll.
HUGE PALETTE FOR THE PALATE
Pick a phrase to live by: ”A picture is worth a thousand words.” ”Art alone endures.” ”My feet are killing me.”
For a peruser at the annual Chicago International Art Exposition at Navy Pier, any of the above applies. Mass communication takes on new definition during a journey through this global art fair.
A viewer with limited browsing time faces a major decision: to stand and absorb the art of a few among 150 American and international dealers and galleries displaying their wares, or to do the comprehensive survey course and then backtrack to relocate, if possible, booths that first-impressed.
Either way–with people-watching an enticing side trip–visual overload is inevitable.
Guests at the Museum of Contemporary Art`s opening-night fundraising party at Art Expo fortified themselves along the way, filling up on tacos, beef sandwiches, cheeses and libations between forays into the artistic offerings of 20 states (although New York City becomes a nation unto its own on this occasion) and galleries as far away as the Macquarie in Sydney, Australia, and the Matombo in Harare, Zimbabwe.
”Americans love art. It`s wonderful to see their enthusiasm,” said London gallery owner Odette Gilbert.
”This is one of the best fairs in the world,” said Rome gallery owner Sandro Manzo.
”We`re renovating our law offices and we came out to shop for art,”
said Diana Reindl of Denver.
”There`s an energy here, a sense of risk-taking. It gives me courage,”
said Leah Ferrara, a graduate art student at Northwestern University.
And to clear the palate, they looked at the lake. SOURCE: By Margaret Carroll.
