Sandra‘s Closet

«Impeccably imperfect» – that is the new catchy slogan that the new Baur’s plays with. Imagined by Andrea Kracht and created by trendsetting interior designer Martin Brudnizki, who designed the elite nightclub «Annabel’s» in London as well as the «Beekman Hotel» in New York City and «Fortum & Mason» in Hong Kong, this hot spot in Zurich will finally reopen its doors in September this year.

I had the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful interior during a guided art tour as guest of Gigi Kracht followed by a beautiful intimate ladies lunch on the terrace of the Baur au Lac.

Gigi Kracht (center with green jacket) surrounded by her girlfriends.

«Take a set, grab a treat» – the classic brasserie concept is elevated to a whole new level, blending contemporary chic with international grace in an artful, inviting ambience. The colors blend in perfectly, the retro vibe delivers a certain twist. I adore the interior design of the Baur’s. It gives me this international flair that we are sometimes missing in Zurich.

As I am at the moment designing my new home, color is also a must for me along with stunning wallpapers to create the perfect ambiance. The Baur’s has it all. I am not a minimalist and white rooms don’t make me feel at home. I couldn’t agree more with Brudnizki who says: «When I enter a white space, I feel like I’m being deprived of something. Color infuses my life.»

The best is yet to come. The green color combined with the coral red of the armchairs serves as the perfect backdrop for the highlight of the restaurant: the private art collection. Drawing on the expertise of Gigi Kracht, Andrea Kracht’s wife, that my avid readers know well from her Art in the Park events, the room is filled with selected works from the world’s most popular painters: thirty-three originals by artists such as Rashid Johnson, Rita Ackermann, and Martin Creed to photographs by the iconic Annie Leibovitz, to intimate art work by Louise Bourgeois who shares a raw look at female pain.

Painting by Louise Bourgeois

Even that these simple yet cruel images contain a sensual sense of loss and the often unspoken sorrow of miscarriage, they seem to belong there, to this place of happiness and relaxation among dear friends or business partners, providing the bar area with a certain coziness.

Photographs by Annie Leibovitz

Cigar aficionados will enjoy the cigar lounge that is decked out from top to toe in Baur’s green and decorated with artwork by Swiss artist Dieter Roth, who took tablecloths, or even the floor as his canvas to scribble on.

Painting by Dieter Roth 

Playing all together, the new Baur’s is a feast for all senses. Vive la Brasserie! Vive le Baur’s!

LoL, Sandra

Artwork by Martin Creed

Painting by Rita Ackermann

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

The opening of the annual outdoors exhibition ART IN THE PARK in the lovely gardens of the BAUR AU LAC hotel has been a highlight of Zurich’s summer social calendar since its beginning. Hosted by Gigi Kracht, in collaboration with Galerie Gmurzynska, this year’s INSIDE OUT is a solo showcase of sculptures by artist Allen Jones, one of the pioneers of British Pop Art.

His sinuous, brightly colored reinventions of the human form will be on display until August 23, 2015  in the property’s half-acre park set on the shores of Lake Zurich. The contemporary pieces, including «Taxi» and «Sprawl», are mostly abstract and use interlocking sheets of steel painted in colors like cobalt and primrose.

Gigi Kracht, the wife of Baur au Lac’s owner, Andrea Kracht, created the show and collaborates with the international art gallery Galerie Gmurzynska to choose the artists. Here she is having a dialogue with Allen Jones during the seated lunch.

Allen Jones with me

«Taxi»

Jürg and Raquel Marquard with Krystyna Gmurzynska

«Sprawl»

Mathias Rastorfer, Gigi Kracht, Krystyna Gmurzynska, Allen Jones and Andrea Kracht

German De La Cruz, Patrick Liotard-Vogt, Sima Akhlaghi and her husband Peter Merian with me

«The Conjurer»

Mathias Rastorfer (Galerie Gmurzynska) with Gigi Kracht and me

If you are interested in last year’s Art in the Park, click here for the previous post.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Art in the Park, © Dörte Welti, © Sandra Bauknecht

Mid June, I was invited by the lovely Gigi Kracht to her iconic Art in the Park event which she celebrated for the 12th consecutive year. This time, a very special presentation of one of the last masterpieces of the twentieth century awaited the guests at Zurich’s Baur au Lac gardens.

In collaboration with Galerie Gmurzynska, which celebrate the 20th anniversary of their representation of the Yves Klein Estate, another puzzle piece of Yves Klein’s career was brought back to life. The Venus Project was the major concept behind much of the work that Klein completed during the fall of 1961 and the early part of 1962. When Klein’s career was cut short by his passing in June of 1962 this project was left unexecuted.

Gigi Kracht to the right with her daughter Muki

Me in front of the exhibition

Famous jeweler Laurence Graff with Andrea Kracht, owner of the hotel Baur au Lac

Granddaughter of Yves Klein Seffa Klein with her grandmother Rotraut Klein-Moquay

Yves Klein’s family had flown in for this special occasion. Daniel Moquay who is the new husband of Rotraut, Yves Klein’s widow, gave a great speech during the intimate lunch hosted before the official exhibition opening: “Yves Klein travelled in 1961 with Rotraut in America for the occasion of his solo exhibitions at Leo Castelli Gallery in New York and Virginia Dwan Gallery in Los Angeles. During his journey, he had this vision in Las Vegas of having a kind of classical columns where he would have placed his “Venus of Alexandrie” which was the Louvre model that he painted in International Klein Blue. Unfortunately, he could not achieve his project. Several years later, a developer in Las Vegas has approached us and we had this idea to complete Yves Klein’s wish. We made a special edition of 30 blue Venus in order to present them in a hotel in Las Vegas. Regrettably the business went bad and we never could achieve the dream. Today we wish to show this very special project for the first time and to present this unique edition of 30 blue Venus, as the acme of the entrance of this place. For the first time, we will find the presentation that exactly correspond to Yves Klein’s dreams. We just wish you to enjoy this work, and the serenity of it.

We will also realize the other happening of Yves Klein: “Sculpture Aérostatique“, which consists in 1001 blue balloons that the artist released in the sky, place Saint-Germain des Prés in Paris, at the occasion of his show at the well-known Iris Clert Gallery in 1957. This event has been recently realized a couple of time at the occasion of Yves Klein’s retrospective shows in different museums all over the world.”

There was so much love for detail during the exclusive lunch hosted by Gigi Kracht before the opening. Even the roses were colored in International Klein Blue (or IKB as it is known in art circles). The hue that was developed by Yves Klein as part of his search for colors which best represented the concepts he wished to convey as an artist.

LoL, Sandra

Gigi Kracht welcoming her guests

Photos: Courtesy of Art in the Park, Yves Klein Estate and © Sandra Bauknecht

As you might have realized already, some of this week’s posts have been dedicated to sustainable luxury. But what does this new fashionable expression actually mean?
Sustainability poses an opportunity to explore alternatives to the norm, to propose innovations and ideas for a closer connection of technology and nature, to develop and experiment with recycled and natural materials.

In our daily life, we are not willing to compromise very much in order to live and consume responsible-minded. Today, there are many brands who try new ways to combine both lifestyles. One of them is the Volvo Car Corporation.

Yesterday, we shot a short movie for the launch of the Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid in Switzerland.

Their new Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid is the world’s first diesel plug-in hybrid, and the economy benefits are just incredible. At the touch of a button, you can choose which of the three driving modes you want to drive at any given moment: Pure, Hybrid or Power – meaning you have „three cars in one“. The V60 Plug-in Hybrid can be recharged from a regular power outlet (230V/6A, 10A or 16A) at home or in a car park.

Yesterday, I had the car for the day and drove around the city of Zurich sometimes on pure electricity which was totally amazing. It is pretty impressive that it is not only totally silent, but you can accelerate reasonably hard in electric mode without the diesel motor kicking in. As you sink in the black leather upholstery with contrasting stitching and inlays of blue-grey wood, you are definitely not thinking of going green.

Let me take you on a ride to some of my favourite spots in my recent hometown.

First stop: HOTEL BAUR AU LAC

I love this beautiful hotel set in its own park, with a stunning view overlooking the lake and the Alps. The terrace is one of my favourite places to lunch in the summer.

This weekend, the famous hotel park will host the opening event of Zurich’s ninth “Art in the Park”. The exhibition shows sculptures in the garden of the legendary 5 star hotel until August, 6th 2012. It is created and curated by Gigi Kracht, the wife of Andrea Kracht, the hotel’s sixth-generation owner, in collaboration with Gallery Gmurzynska.

A warm welcome upon my arrival.
My look: Orange-fuchsia bi-colour silk shirt and “Audrey” wayfarer sunglasses, both by Céline, stretch-leather leggings and green python “1970” bag, both by Gucci and booties by Chanel.

On my way, I received many compliments from people who loved my car.

Second stop: SHOPPING AT GUCCI

As you know, I love Gucci and I am a huge fan of their new sustainable collections. The trunk of the Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid has enough space for many shopping bags. Awesome!

It is always too much fun shopping with Stefano Polli, Gucci’s store manager in Zurich.

Third Stop: SUSANNE WISMER BLUMEN

I love my green oasis at home to relax and I always have flowers on display. Yesterday, I got my favourite ones: a huge bunch of pale pink peonies.

Fourth stop: RESTAURANT SEEROSE

Personally speaking, whenever I am there, I feel like being on vacation. Surrounded by the mountains and the lake, nature is embracing you in the city. Where else in the world can you find this?

By the way, when you switch to the “pure” almost silent mode, you have a similar effect while driving. You can hear the wheels on the asphalt and the wind around you. Such a beautiful and relaxing feeling.

I hope that you have enjoyed my little ride through Zurich!

The indicative price of the Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid luxurious “Pure Limited Edition” is starting at CHF 78.600,- in Switzerland.

After the initial batch of 1,000 cars for model year 2013 (of which 79 will go to Switzerland) this upcoming December, production of the V60 Plug-in Hybrid will increase to 5,000 cars as of model year 2014.

Stay tuned for more… and a huge thank you to all who liked my facebook page. It has reached today over 30.000 likes!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Last Friday, I went to the opening of Marco Perego’s first solo exhibition in Switzerland entitled “Secrets” curated by Isabelle Bscher at Galerie Gmurzynska. The exhibition features works from 2011 including 
3 sculptures, 40 drawings and 10 paintings and will be open until October 25, 2011.

The artist Marco Perego with me last Friday at the opening

Perego, born 1979 in Verona, Italy, is a very good-looking former soccer star who is now based in Los Angeles. He has presented solo shows worldwide, including a solo exhibition at the Museo Archeolgico Nazionale in Florence in 2008. In the same year, he unveiled one of his most controversial pieces, “The only good rockstar is a dead rock star”, a sculpture of a dead Amy Winehouse lying in a pool of blood, long before the soulful R’n’B songstress met an untimely end past July. In 2008 his painted works formed the background of Dolce & Gabbana’s advertising campaign. His animated film “Burn to Shine” will premiere next year at Sundance Film Festival.

Dolce & Gabbana’s S/S 2008 ad campaign with Marco Perego’s paintings in the back

Marco Perego with Isabelle Bscher*

Perego’s Portrait of Isabelle Bscher, Mixed media on paper, 2011

In 2007 Marco describes himself in an interview with the New York Observer like this: “I just believe in my dreams, the sun in the face, wind in the back, the rest take care from the destiny to dance with the stars.” He spent a year with Shamans in Argentina, after which he started his series „Secrets“. Perego who has taken inspiration from Freuds dream analysis, told Bscher: „These are drawings of the unconsious, of the inner demon within.“

The artist is known for his controversial paintings, often a fantasy that perverts images that we take for granted as innocent. For example, when the Evil Queen drops all pretensions of prude as well as her knickers in front of the Seven Dwarves.

Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld with me

Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld, Carine Roitfeld’s son, art dealer and curator himself, counts the artist amongst his closest friends. So no wonder, he came with an entourage of famous and close friends to the opening, among them Fiat scion Lapo Elkann and Starvos Niarchos.

From left to right: Mathias Rastorfer, Andrea Kracht, Marco Perego and Lapo Elkann*

Famous friends: Niclas Pol, Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld, Starvos Niarchos, Andy Valmorbida with Marco Perego.*

About his life in the city and his friends he said once to the New York Observer: “It’s the same, because I never forget where I’m from. I am the same kid. I love to sit down and be like a voyeur. I love to watch people, and feel like a pirate. My friends are the best pirates in the world. I promise.”

Marco Perego, La terre et la lune, 2011, Gypsum, 158 x 140 x 140cm

I especially love the sculpture “La terre et la lune“.
You can count me definitely among Perego’s fans.

LoL, Sandra

My outfit last Friday: 
Baseball jacket, striped pants and top by Balmain, patent shoes by Stella McCartney and bag by Gucci.

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht, Photos with* are courtesy of Galerie Gmurzynska