in "The Domus Tower."
"The 'Tom Vac' became a
best-selling chair after it
went into plastic, which is
more accessible and afford-
able," says Arad, who
worked with the Vitra com-
pany to make the later ver-
sions. "I think it was a little
breakthrough in the use of
aluminum. It's also a very
carefully designed chair. It
stacks well. It sits well.
People feel good in it."
Beyond The Greasepaint
Bruce Finsilver's carnival scenes peel back
the merriment for a glimpse of the grotesque.
Branching Out
Arad, whose firm also spe-
cializes in architectural proj-
ects and studio pieces, began
his studies at the Jerusalem
Academy of Art in 1971. He
moved to London and
enrolled in courses with the
Architectural Association in
1974.
After working briefly in an
architectural practice, he set
up his own design office and
showroom and moved on to
collaborative ventures before
establishing the London-
based Ron Arad Associates
in 1989. He also maintains
the Ron Arad Studio in
Como, Italy.
His early furniture pieces
were done on commission
and got him started in this
field.
Besides building a strong client base,
Arad has watched his works become
part of the permanent collections of
many museums, including the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New
York City, Victoria & Albert Museum
in London and Centre Georges
Pompidou in Paris.
"I designed the public spaces at the
Tel Aviv Opera House, and the build-
ing was four years in construction,"
says Arad, who returns to Israel fre-
quently to see his family and friends.
"I never decided to stay in London.
There just wasn't a decision to go back
to Israel."
When Arad viewed "Aluminum by
Design" in Pittsburgh, he admired the
diverse applications of the malleable
metal. As explained in the catalogue,
these range from ornate sculpture to
sleek meat slicers, from fast-moving
vehicles to slow-going vacuum clean-
ers, from floral vases to everyday table-
ware.
"When I gave the keynote lecture
for this exhibit, I tried to speak about
SUZANNE CHESSLER
Special to the Jewish News
Thirty-three feet of stacking
"Tom Vac)! chairs were used in
the "The Domus' Towen"
erected during the 1997
Furniture Fair in Milan, Italy.
aluminum projects that were not in
the show," he says.
Most recently, Arad has used alu-
minum in new bowls and vases for
Alessi, the trend-setting Italian pro-
ducer of designer kitchen utilities and
tableware. His firm is using laminates
for a new showroom at the Maserati
factory in Florence, Italy.
"Regardless of material, everything
done by Arad and Associates has to be
seriously new We're about inventing
everything as if it was done for the
first time." ❑
"Aluminum by Design: Jewelry
to Jets" runs through Aug. 25 at
the Cranbrook Art Museum in
Bloomfield Hills. Museum hours
are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-
Sundays with extended hours
until 9 p.m. Fridays.
Nonmember admission: $5
adults/$3 seniors, students and
children 6-17. (877) 462-7262.
arnivals mean more than superficial fun to Bruce
Finsilver, and he expresses some of those deeper asso-
ciations through a series of oil paintings and drawings.
"Twilight on the Midway," Finsilver's broad-based series on
the ephemera of carnivals, is on view this month at the Del
Gallery in Lathrup Village. Rides, games, concessionaires and
Kewpie dolls appear with emotion-tinged col-
oring and form.
"In-many ways, a carnival is a microcosm of
our lives," explains Finsilver, a financial plan-
ner. "The purpose of my paintings is to por-
tray a duality of fun and fear and illuminate
the issues that confront us all.
"The brightest lights have dark edges, and
our most innocent icons often portend death
and destruction. Adults may think clowns are
funny, while some children can be terrified by
them. People by the score drive hundreds of
miles to ride roller coasters just to sense the
drama of fear."
Finsilver, whose views are represented in 20
pieces, is having his first solo show. A former
student at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, where
his works were displayed with those of other artists, he visit-
ed galleries to promote a show of his own.
"I realized that I didn't have enough paintings on one sub-
ject," Finsilver says about his current collection. "It was the
time of the Michigan State Fair, and the subject of carnivals
just came to mind. I liked the carnival association with
excitement and drama as well as color."
Finsilver, a member of Temple Israel and former president
of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Michigan, has given
his painterly attention to many types of realistic images,
including the human form and still lifes. He works in a
basement studio in his West Bloomfield home.
"I don't paint as a hobby," says Finsilver, married and the father
of two grown daughters. "I paint because it's a passion."
❑
"Twilight on the Midway?' will be on view through
the end of July at the Del Gallery, 28001 Southfield
Road, Lathrup Village. A reception for the artist runs
5-8 p.m. Saturday, July 13. Gallery hours are 11 a.m.-7
p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays and 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturdays.
(248) 423-7270.
Bruce
Finsilver:
"Portraying
a duality of
n and
fear:"
Top:,
"In many
ways, a
carnival is a
microcosm
of our lives,"
says Finsilver
about his
midway-
themed
paintings.
7/12
2002
75