It’s June, and it seems all anyone can talk about is weddings. And while I don’t begrudge the happy newlyweds, there are plenty of relationships that never make it to July 4th weekend, and they need some attention too. In addition to your heart, breakups can wreak havoc with your skin, nails, and waistline, and while I’d never make the lame proposal that a new look alone will cure what ails ya, it is pretty amazing what a new hairstyle or indulgent facial can do for your self-esteem. 

Last night in Florence, something spectacular happened. At 9pm I boarded a bus that drove through the snaking streets in the hills above the city to the magnificent Villa Grand Petraia, where the boys from Proenza Schouler—Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez—staged a fashion-meets-art-world spectacular. The event was held to debut their 2010 pre-spring collection and to launch the new issue of A Magazine the designers guest-edited. And while their traditional fashion shows held in New York every season may be the hottest tickets in town, the duo opted to present their collection with a multimedia extravaganza as they took to the international stage for the first time. Working in conjunction with Pitti Immagine (the organization responsible for Florence’s fashionable trade fair that takes place twice a year) and with Art Production Fund, the designers invited three of their favorite artists to present their collection using various mediums.

Inspired by the Office Art Project, I decided to impose a hasty Bonnaroo Art Project on some festival newcomers I found hanging around the Press Tent at the festival last weekend. Results after the jump. 

Shawn Mortensen with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

When word came that photographer and BlackBook contributor Shawn Mortensen had passed away, our last issue had just come in from the printer. In it was a portfolio of Shawn’s most recent work, including some of the most fabulous images we’d ever seen of the Gossip’s Beth Ditto and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and a soulful moment with Clive Barker in his studio. It was an art issue, and Shawn’s images were both celebrations of the wild forms of self-expression from these creative types and works of art in their own right. Shawn wasn’t the kind of guy to sit still, and his lust for life came through in his subjects. He had an uncanny way of working with people, who often became more like collaborators in his photos, ignited by his passion. 

In exchange for misappropriating the hard work of artists, Google would like to offer all involved the much-coveted compensation of exposure. ‘Cuz you know, exposure pays the bills. More vexing is that this sort of patently stupid request likens the eggheads at Google to the unsavory barnacles lurking around Craigslist. Luckily, a few illustrators, including Melinda Beck and Gary Taxali, have all flipped the net giant the bird. And in Taxali’s case, quite literally. Although the continued outbursts of one of Google’s marketing lackeys remain troubling.

Most people who love music are familiar with the iconic photograph of John Lennon standing on a New York City rooftop—arms folded in circle-sunglasses, donning a bold-lettered New York City t-shirt. Legendary rock photographer Bob Gruen is responsible for creating that image. As of yesterday, the public can see it up close at the Museum of Modern Art exhibit ”Looking at Music: Side 2,” exploring the creative exchange between musicians and artists in New York during the 1970s and 1980s. Bob was asked to create an enormous collage installation (spanning 7.5’ by 22.5’) of his magazine spreads, covers, and posters titled “A Rock and Roll Teenager’s Bedroom Wall”. Next to the installation sits a video made by Bob of bands playing at Max’s Kansas City. The exhibit also displays music videos, drawings, audio recordings, and influential publications from Bob’s groundbreaking peers at the time: Patti Smith, Nan Goldin, Kim Gordon, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Robert Mapplethorpe among them.

With scant time until their performance at New York’s Webster Hall, Jamie Hince and Alison Mosshart of The Kills pay BlackBook a visit to wreak creative havoc on our office walls. Photography by Victoria Will.

I have family friends and relatives who are annoyingly quick to extol the virtues of Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal not because they agree with his parochial politics, but for a sense of cultural pride that when pitted against his politics, makes no sense to me. But now, thanks to Richard Phillips, we have this glorious work to translate Bobby Jindal’s value into visual terms—so that even the blindest Jindalites may pause for a moment, scratch their heads and say, “Oh, I suppose he doesn’t have my best interests at heart.” And it’s just one of millions (or more likely, hundreds) of pieces on display at Art Basel in Switzerland, some of which are rather unimpressive. And for the rest of you who can’t be bothered to venture so far out to Central Europe, fear not! There is still some excellent work that hasn’t been snapped up by the thieving hordes at Basel.

We went to Venice’s monthly First Friday art walk over the weekend and enjoyed a few pleasant hours taking in the sights at various galleries, including bright, colorful paintings by Barbara Rogers at Gebert Gallery and paintings with an amusing fusion of pop culture iconic references at Red House by Trek Kelly. We especially liked the riff on Prince’s LoveSexy cover re-imagined with Clark Gable, and the piece that had Frida Kahlo’s head pasted on to a Calvin Klein model. Go see them both—totally worth it.

Women in music reigned last night in New York City. To begin with, Catherine Pierce, from the songstress-sister-duo The Pierces had an art opening at Cameo Gallery in Brooklyn. Catherine invited me to check out her latest paintings on display, so naturally I said yes to the lovely lady and friend. Nadia Koch, a huge music fan and partner in Home Sweet Home, tagged along with me for the evening. We arrived at Cameo—which sits behind The Lovin’ Cup Café—to a sea of Catherine’s friends and family, including her younger sister Louisa, plus Paige Wood, who also had artwork on display. Alison Pierce, Catherine’s better half from The Pierces was of course there as well to support. And oh! I can’t forget this bit—the girls introduced to me to their mother! After our introduction, I knew why her daughters are so sweet.