Sandra‘s Closet

Two important dates in one week: Art Basel, the world-renowned contemporary art fair, is taking place from from 12th to 18th June and it also marks the end of  Switzerland’s second-largest bank, Credit Suisse, that was taken over by its rival UBS. In the photo to the left you can see the headquarters at Paradeplatz in Zurich in the back. We shot this beautiful art inspired look inside Galerie Gmurzynska. Fashion is art for me, and this time literally.

My Look: Buckle-detailed draped stretch-jersey mini dress, and frame handbag, both by Moschino, Grace bow-embellished knee boots, and grooved cabochon clip earrings, both by Saint Laurent.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht / David Biedert Photography
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Recently, I had the best time in St. Moritz. I have to admit that I had completely forgotten how much fun this ski resort can be. I stayed at the beautiful, luxurious Carlton Hotel, a place I can absolutely recommend, that soon will be celebrating its 110th anniversary. Here, the charity gala «Hot Party in the Snow» took place on Sunday night.

It was already the 17th time the charity gala took place in favor of the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, the legendary «Hospital of Peace». More than 9,000 doctors, medical professionals and employees treat over 1.5 million patients every year, regardless of nationality, skin color and religion: civilians, soldiers and tourists, as well as patients in need from the numerous crisis areas in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey , wounded refugees from Syria, etc. For years, the hospital has also supported and organized aid operations in disaster regions around the world.

Prof. Arnon Afek

The auction and donations raised more than € 500,000 for the magnificent charity work of the largest and most comprehensive medical center in Israel and the entire Middle East. Professor Arnon Afek, Associate Director General, Sheba Medical Center, Yoel Har-Even, Global Director Sheba Medical Center, Dr. Ellen Ringier, chairwoman of the honorary committee of the gala and gala co-chairperson Renate Gräfin von Rehbinder were delighted to welcome around 180 guests, among them philanthropist Sir Andrew Cook, entrepreneur and art patron Grazyna Kulczyk, book author and media entrepreneur Maria Theresia von Seidlein, Lodenfrey owners Sabine & Ralph Michael Nagel, designers Rolf Sachs and Carlo Rampazzi, and my dear friend Ljuba Manz-Lurje, who had invited me to the event.

Ljuba Manz

After some moving speeches, the charity auction led by Reto Barmettler of Sotheby’s, took place. 100% of the donations and the proceeds of the charity auction will benefit the children in the Sheba Medical Center. In addition to urgently needed medical equipment for the hospital, which could be symbolically auctioned off, highly coveted events such as a VIP package for Art Basel or a cooking course with one of the best Italian chefs in the world, Mario Gamba, went under the hammer.

Carlo Rampazzi with his artwork

A designer piece by Carlo Rampazzi, and sparkling jewelery by BVLGARI, Tornaghi and Asprey were also auctioned. Trips to the best island resort in the Maldives were also in great demand: The Nautilus Maldives or on the most exclusive private yacht The World.

I auctioned off the art work by Robert Indiana, donated by Galerie Gmurzynska. I love Indiana’s work and as my daughter is born April 4th, it was the perfect act for me.

Amazing duett, the «singing doctor» Yoel Hareven with Riki Ben Ari

After a gourmet dinner, we danced the calories off to the beats of Riki Ben Ari, powerhouse diva from Israel and finalist of the Eurovision Song Contest, and Amar Pure, scene DJ from Munich, provided a hot sound. The n-tv presenter and non-fiction author Carola Ferstl hosted the evening.

It was a beautiful evening among friends that ended in the legendary Dracula nightclub. Drink, dance and donate at its best.

LoL, Sandra

Martha Wiedemann (Badrutt’s Palace Hotel St. Moritz), Stephanie Lehnort (General Manager Hotel Carlton), Rebecca Wiedemann (Badrutt’s Palace Hotel St. Moritz)

Sabine Parenti, Louise Thérèse Blouin, Renate Gräfin Rehbinder

Yvonne Winkler

Richard Ossen, Carolin A. Geist

Daniel Gutenberg, Ellen Ringier

Mafalda von Hessen und Rolf Sachs

Tatjana Hoffmann

Annette Zierer, Carola Ferstl

Grace Rong Li in Zimmermann, Dr. Yonat Floersheim, Philip Nasrallah

Lodenfrey owners Ralph Michael and Sabina Nagel

Oliver Fritz, BUNTE Magazine

Lavender Howard, Martin Schoeller

Rita Müller, Kathy Dobers (Cartier)

Helen Prinzessin zu Oettingen-Wallerstein

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht and © BrauerPhotos / S.Brauer
First Collage: Screen Shots of BUNTE and Gala Magazine
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Last night, I got spoilt by CHANEL. The French Maison had staged its Cruise 2023 Paris – Monte Carlo collection in an amazing setting at Galerie Gmurzynska for me. As I hadn’t been to the show that took place in May on the pebbled beach in Monaco, it was a great opportunity to browse and try all my favorite looks from the runway before they will be officially in stores.

Inspired by the Formula One, CHANEL was heading a destination that is an integral part of its history, Monaco. It was a beautiful nod to Gabrielle Chanel who had built her villa La Pausa in 1929 on the heights of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, and also to the late Karl Lagerfeld, who loved to visit in the summer, from the late 1980s to the early 2000s, at La Vigie, his famous villa overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

The collection? Imagining the luxurious and cosmopolitan beach lifestyle of the Côte d’Azur, as well as the Grand Prix and the ballet that Monaco is so famous for, Virginie Viard came up with some kitsch Formula-One inspired fashion (my favorite part of the show – the first jumpsuit in red and white is to die for), embroidered baseball caps, black-and-white swimsuits, glamorous sequins and ensembles in breezy crochet.

The accessories were playful and fun. Enjoy the photos to explore more.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht and © CHANEL
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Classy and fabulous – this is how I feel in SAINT LAURENT. After this week’s IG Live Beauty Talk for Mother’s Day with Yves Saint Laurent Beauty (owned by L’Oréal, which holds exclusive licenses for the name), this post is an other homage to the French Maison. Shot at the Zaha Hadid exhibition at Galerie Gmurzynska – I am wearing pieces from the brand’s beautiful Resort 2021 and S/S 2021 collections.

SAINT LAURENT, that is today owned by the Kering Group, is one of the most iconic brands of the 20th Century. Founded by legendary designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé in 1961, it quickly revolutionized the way fashion and society intertwine with the launch of its iconic «Rive Gauche» collection just five years later, becoming the first couture house to launch ready-to-wear. Today, Creative Director Anthony Vaccarello, who was appointed in April 2016 after Hedi Slimane left the company, continues to honor the label’s trailblazing spirit with his empowering, dynamic and boundary-pushing designs.

My look: Two-tone ribbed wool jacket, pussy-bow ruffled silk crepe de chine blouse, cotton-blend satin shorts, Jodie rose-embellished white leather platform sandals, Cassandra medium YSL-plaque dark green leather cross-body bag, gold-tone, enamel and faux pearl clip earrings, all by Saint Laurent, JUSTE UN CLOU bracelet in rose gold with diamonds by Cartier, and Carrera Automatic Chronograph by TAG Heuer.

LoL, Sandra

Photos:  © David Biedert Photography
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.

«An important part of my life designing installations, spaces and experiences is actually spent putting out fires! I thought it was time to celebrate that fire…and help put the Art World on fire too! So I chose to show only burnt art and art relating to fire from the fantastic Gmurzynska collection, and create for these an environment that is pop and thematic, inspired by the beautiful look of fire stations, as a boy dreaming of them, pop and joyful, yet modern, minimal and fairly neutral, to enhance the viewing of such important art. It is made of traditional industrial materials, lacquered diamond steel plates and fire extinguishers, but reinterpreted to serve their new purpose in a luxurious manner.» Alexandre de Betak

Having presented a Karl Lagerfeld designed booth in 2011 at FIAC, Galerie Gmurzynska – the leading international art gallery specializing in masterpieces of both classic modern and post-war art – is returning to the fair with a visionary installation by French designer, scenographer and creative director Alexandre de Betak, who is mostly known for his involvement in the production of Victoria’s Secret shows, which he has producing and choreographing for many years.

Sketch by Karl Lagerfeld, FIAC 2011, Galerie Gmurzynska’s booth design

2003 marked de Betak’s debut in design, when he created an acrylic glass bookshelf and a leather bench with French design house Domeau & Perez. Moreover, he is known for various collaborations with important museums, among others the MOCA in Los Angeles and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

Preparatory rendering by Alexandre de Betak, FIAC 2018

Since its discovery, fire has been the propelling force of innovation, civilization and ultimately cultural advancement. Artists throughout the history of art have been drawn to its ethereal power to destroy, create, cleanse and illuminate.

Roberto Matta, Les Fumoïsses, 1973

The survey exhibition «On Fire» will include a diverse list of artists using or depicting fire in all forms throughout the 20th Century, from Joan Miró to Otto Piene, Yves Klein, Alberto Burri, Roberto Matta up to Tom Wesselmann and others. A booklet with an introduction by Germano Celant will be accompanying the exhibition.

Mathias Rastorfer at the booth with Alexandre de Betak

Isabelle Bscher at the opening party with Francesco Vezzoli

On Wednesday evening, the opening party of the gallery took place next to the Seine with a huge fire installation by Alexandre de Betak. The gallery owners Isabelle Bscher, Krystyna Gmurzynska and Mathias Rastorfer and star designer Alexandre de Betak welcomed actor Vincent Cassel, not only since his role as Vincent van Gogh in «Loving Vincent», an art fanatic, Parisian model and author Caroline de Maigret, star photographer Ellen von Unwerth, hotel guru André Balazs and actor and artist André Saraiva, the u.a. also designed for Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Tiffany and Converse, the Italian concept artist and filmmaker («Multimedia Popartist»), Francesco Vezzoli and Michel Gaubert, the best sound designer in the fashion world with clients such as Gucci, Fendi, Jil Sander, Roberto Cavalli, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, and Chanel.

Galerie Gmurzynska @ FIAC: OCTOBER 18 – 21, 2018 Booth 0.C24
When the world of fashion meets the world of art, there is fire…

LoL, Sandra

André Balazs and André Saraiva

Ellen von Unwerth

Vincent Cassel

Photos: Courtesy of Galerie Gmurzysnka

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

Yesterday, I was invited by Montblanc to attend a lovely, very intimate lunch with caviar and champagne at their Arts & Artisanery lounge at the Beverly Wilshire hotel. The rooms of the suite are decorated so beautifully with artwork from the German house’s Cutting Edge Art Collection. Along with many celebrities, among them Emily Rossum, Billy Zane and Pat & Michael York, I had the honour to explore some of the amazing pieces from their high jewelry line, that will surely be seen tomorrow on the red carpet of the Oscars 2013.

My look: Neon stretch-crepe blazer by Antonio Berardi, printed cotton shirt by Carven, pleated wool-crepe mini skirt by Christopher Kane, 4810 hoop earrings by Montblanc, holographic faux leather pumps and matching faux leather clutch, both by Stella McCartney. (For more information on the holographic trend, please click here).

During lunch, I sat next to Pat and Michael York, who is famous for his roles in Cabaret, The Three Musketeers and Austin Powers, among many others. His wife Pat, a former editor of Vogue and Glamour magazine, and a passionate photographer, is a very captivating lady. With exhibitions all over the world, including one at Galerie Gmurzynska in Switzerland, her preferred  subjects are dissected cadavers. “I love the human body,” she explained to me. “It is so fascinating. Once you’ve looked under the skin, we all look the same. You feel how meaningless is all racial and religious prejudice.”

This unique piece from Montblanc’s Bouquet Collection is absolutely breathtaking. It features three blooming diamond studded roses and a gigantic star-shaped “Montblanc Diamond” and drapes comfortably around the neck.

Billy Zane with me. The actor is probably best known for his role as the arrogant Caledon Hockley, Rose’s fiancé in Titanic.

The bracelet and necklace from the Riviera Collection feature a cascade of briolette diamonds and a beautiful embellished closure.

Montblanc’s iconic Princesse Grace de Monaco Collection is a tribute to elegance. For the Pétales Entrelacés motif, the rose petals, in warm pink gold with or without diamonds pavé, are crafted in an intertwined way for rings, earrings, necklaces and braclets.

The last two days have already been so wonderful and I couldn’t be any happier to join Montblanc for the ultimate Oscar experience. I am off this morning to attend the Montblanc Signature for Good Charity Brunch at the Bel-Air hotel where many celebrities are expected and a gorgeous charity project will be presented. You can follow me on the official Montblanc Twitter account @montblanc_world and on Instagram @sandrascloset.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Yesterday, I drove from Zurich to St. Moritz to attend a very intimate event at Galerie Gmurzynska for the exhibition opening of a new unique work by Karl Lagerfeld, in a brand new medium: “FIRE ETCHINGS”; forming the artist’s answer to contemporary portraiture.

As I knew that Karl Lagerfeld would be present, there was no doubt, I had to be there. First, the invitation was supposed to be a dinner which was changed last minute into a brunch. The guests were waiting patiently for over three hours for Karl Lagerfeld’s plane to land. When he entered the room, his presence was unbelievable. He shook hands and talked to everyone.

A magic moment: Shaking hands with Karl Lagerfeld.

“FIRE ETCHINGS” is truly outstanding. On display was Karl Lagerfeld’s gigantic body of work created from backlit glass that has had its image etched into the surface. The “Kaiser” explained that a company near Nuernberg, Germany, which usually produces church windows manufactured his artwork for him.

Large scale and unique, for “FIRE ETCHINGS” Lagerfeld has abstracted some of his current muses: the rapper, Theophilus London; and the models, Freja Beha Erichsen and Aymeline Valade.

When Karl Lagerfeld was asked to explain his artwork a little, he replied with a quote by Voltaire: “Everything that needs an explanation is not worth the explanation.”

In his hands the whole time? His iPhone with a Karl by Karl Lagerfeld cover.

Karl Lagerfeld with Krystyna Gmurzynska and Mathias Rastorfer

Also present at the exhibition opening were actor Rick Yune to the left (2 Fast 2 Furious and James Bond – Die Another Day) and famous L.A.-based DJ Eddie Ruscha.

My look: Leather and cotton-jersey sweater, chain-trimmed leather mini skirt, both by Saint Laurent and jacket, scarf, cuff, bag, all by Chanel, fur boots and coat, both by Prada.

What an amazing day! If you are interested, the exhibit in St. Moritz will remain open until the 23rd of March, 2013. For further information, please contact the Galerie Gmurzynska directly.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht

Last week, I was invited by Galerie Gmurzynska to a dinner with the Pritzker Price winning architect Zaha Hadid for the start of Art Basel at the Hotel Les Trois Rois. (If you would like to get more information, please click here for a detailed post on the previous exhibition Zaha Hadid and Suprematism.)

My look: One-shoulder silk-chiffon and woven mini dress by Matthew Williamson, black blazer with exaggerated shoulders by Balmain, cage sandals by Alexander McQueen, fluo pink python Box bag by Céline and daisy earrings by Dolce & Gabbana.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht