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Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's

I was just browsing through our movie posters the other day and came across some truly stunning images of Audrey Hepburn (May 4, 1929–January 20, 1993) . What a beauty she was -- inside and out! And what talent. She's one of my mother's favorite actresses.

Have you seen her in Breakfast at Tiffany's? The 1961 Academy Award-winning film was based on the novella by Truman Capote, and in it, Hepburn was at her most delightful, elegant and memorable. In the film, Hepburn played the role of Holly Golightly, a wacky, lackadaisical New York City socialite. The actress won hearts worldwide for that film, and to this day, both Hepburn and Holly Golightly remain powerful icons for style, poise, grace and quirky, off-beat charm.

If you're a fan of Breakfast at Tiffany's, and Audrey Hepburn in particular, you can easily add classic Old Hollywood glamour to your decor with a few images from our movie collection. Like this one:

Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's

This black & white photography portrait of Hepburn is another beauty:

Audrey Hepburn

Somehow, it seems fitting to end today's posting with this quote from Audrey Hepburn herself:

For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.
- Audrey Hepburn

Until next week!

A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature
to stop speech when words become superfluous.
-- Ingrid Bergman

Throughout history, great kisses have inspired many a legendary song, poem, photograph and painting. Think about it -- how many songs can you think of that feature the word "kiss"? If you ponder it a moment, dozens will probably come to mind.

Some of art history's most famous artworks feature lovers kissing, like this classic Gustav Klimt image, entitled simply, "The Kiss":

The Kiss
By Gustav Klimt

This rich, ornate piece is arguably Klimt's most famous work of art. It was painted in 1907-08, and today appears reproduced on calendars, T-shirts, stickers, temporary tattoos and in all sorts of surprising places.

This black and white photograph taken in Times Square in New York City on Victory Day, after World War II ended, features another powerful pucker-up. The photograph, snapped by U.S. Navy photo journalist Victor Jorgensen, captures a passionate embrace between a returning sailor and a nurse -- who apparently did not know each other. Many people claim to be the man and woman shown in the photo, but to this day, the mystery has not been solved.

Kissing the War Goodbye in Times Square, August 14, 1945

Going back to the mid 1800s, the following image beautifully captures a stolen moment between a young man and woman in a courtyard or castle in Italy. In that time period, the social mores dictated much higher levels of modesty for young lovers -- which makes this image (and the kiss it depicts!) all the more delicious.

The Kiss
By Francesco Hayez

Moving forward again to the 21st Century, this fourth and final image depicts a scene fraught with romantic tension: the moment just before a passionate kiss. The original painting is by Jack Vettriano and is aptly named. Vettriano himself is quite the romantic, and much of his work centers around lovers and their embraces.

The Last Great Romantic
By Jack Vettriano

In the mood for amore? Be sure to check out our Valentine's Day Art of Romance collection!

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, the romantic in me wanted to dedicate this post to lush, love-themed artwork...and yet, the journalist in me can't resist reporting this headlining news story in the world of art:

NY Times Article, Feb. 11, 2008:
$160 Million in Art Stolen from Zurich Museum

You can click on the links above to read the original story, but apparently, there's a band of art thieves on the loose in Switzerland. Just a few days ago, a team of 3 masked, armed men broke into the Buehrle Collection and relieved it of the 4 famous oil paintings you can see above: Boy in a Red Jacket by Paul Cezanne, Viscount Lepic and His Daughters by Edgar Degas, Poppies Near Vetheuil by Claude Monet and Blossoming Chestnut Branches by Vincent van Gogh. The incident follows on the heels of yet another theft -- 2 Picassos! -- from a nearby cultural center just last week.

Clearly, some crooks out there have good taste! My question is, what on earth will they do with these precious works? I mean, it's not like red flags won't be raised if they try to actually sell them! Who knows though -- maybe these sticky-fingered thieves just happen to love art. They're certainly risking a lot to obtain it.

Speaking of love (you knew I'd find a segue, didn't you?!), it's definitely in the air this week. Have you found the perfect gift to woo your sweetheart with? If you're looking to go the extra mile (i.e. not just flowers and chocolate), be sure to browse our Art of Romance collection for sensual artwork that will inspire your Valentine's romantic side all year round -- like this lush print by Pierre August Cot:

Looks like we have yet another thief on our hands -- Cupid. Clearly, the wiley little guy has stolen both of the young lovers' hearts. ;-)

Enjoy your Valentine's Day!

Spring's just around the corner -- thank goodness! That means, it'll soon be that delightful time of year where clothing, furniture and home decor designers across the country start ushering in a fresh new palette of seasonal colors. To help you get started on your spring decorating, we're offering 15% off all the art in our seasonal 2008 Color Trends Collection:

We've done our homework on this year's trends and this season, designers are looking to the lush, oasis-inspired colors and tones of the tropics and the Mediterranean. 2008's most inviting hues in design are:

Golden Olive – warm, earthy
Daiquiri Green – uplifting, inspiring
Cantaloupe – bright, fresh
Snorkel Blue –oceanic, inviting
Croissant – neutral, soothing
Pink Mist – delicate, invigorating

Here's a gorgeous Abstract artwork by artist Marlys K. Mallet that happens to feature every one of these delicious colors!

Springtime n 6
By Marlys K. Mallet

Inspired to explore 2008's freshest new colors in art? Jump-start your spring decorating and check out our 2008 Color Trends Collection!

You remember last week's posting about that tragic art theft from Zurich's Buehrle Collection? Great news! Swiss police have recovered 2 of the 4 famous stolen paintings.

According to a recent BBC article, Monet's Poppies near Vetheuil and Van Gogh's Chestnut in Bloom were found in the back seat of a white car parked (of all places!) outside a local psychiatric hospital. As you might expect, the museum director was extremely pleased to have recovered the paintings, and he's hopeful the others will turn up as well.

In the interim, perhaps you've been wondering why ArtSelect does not offer fine art reproductions of these images on our site? Much as we'd love to offer prints of every single Monet or Van Gogh painting ever created, sometimes it's just not possible, due to estate and museum ownership rights, printing permission, etc.

Having said that, though -- we do have quite sizable collections for both artists in our online gallery. And the good news is, you don't have to steal them to enjoy them on your walls!

Be sure to check out our beautiful selection of Monet titles, like this one:

Poppies at Argentueil
By Monet

And stop by our Van Gogh collection as well:

Branches l'Ammandier en Fleur, 1890
By Vincent van Gogh

See you next week, and may the 2 missing titles reappear!

As every savvy decorator knows, it's easy to add space and light to a room by hanging a few well-placed mirrors on the walls. Mirrors naturally reflect light -- whether from an open window or an overhead lamp -- and they have a wonderful way of adding life and sparkle to dull spaces.

Now's a great time to revisit our mirror collection, since we've just added a new line of fresh, frameless styles! The beauty of unframed mirrors is that they blend seamlessly with just about any furnishings or decor styles.

And there are lots of different shapes to choose from, including:
round mirrors:

oval mirrors:

square mirrors

Westminster style mirrors:

...and many other frameless mirror styles! So there you have it -- a wide array of choices to choose from. Which is the fairest for your decor?

Hey folks! You know me -- I'm always scouting out great home decorating deals and art sales for you. So here's another: ArtSelect's Leap Year Art Sale.

Here's the scoop: our Leap Year Sale is full of beautiful custom-framed art that's up to 35% off. Pretty good deal, huh? It's a great opportunity to find discounts on wall art for your spring redecorating. Also, if you spend $300 or more, you get an additional 10% off, which brings your total savings to almost 50%. I'd say that calls for an exclamation mark!

Just remember to use the promo code "LEAP" at the checkout. But the sale ends this Friday, February 29th, at midnight, so better "jump" to it soon... See ya next week!

It's official. According to a recent People Magazine article, the wildly famous teen actress Miley Cyrus, daughter of Country rocker Billy Ray Cyrus, has changed her name to "Miley Ray Cyrus." The actress was originally born "Destiny Hope Cyrus," but her father nicknamed her "Miley" because she was such a "smiley baby." Now, the actress is officially changing her name to "Miley" and adopting "Ray" as a middle name to honor her father.

On TV, Miley is better known as "Hannah Montana," the dual-lived teen diva who goes by "Miley Stewart" by day. Whew! That's a lot of names for one girl! But whether you know her as Miley, Destiny Hope or Hannah, you can have her on your walls today -- whether in a poster, a framed art print, or a texture-glazed Framed Posterz.

Be sure to check out our new Hannah Montana collection!