Designer Series – Maximalism

For those that like to live life in the colorful lane, the interior design wave termed Maximalism offers an excuse to indulge in any and every color, style, subject, form and taste that entices — as long as it is confident and bold. Vibrant color inhabits probably the most defining feature of this aesthetic, although it can also be achieved with dynamic composition, energetic tone or intricacy of detail, and works well when nestled in amongst the many other bold choices that are sure to be parading around. These statement pieces gain power through momentum, joining forces with the other elements in the space, and contribute to an overall mood that is quite simply lots of fun, bursting with attitude and joy, and inspiration that seems unending.

Marc Chagall’s work is often filled with floating figures, dancing linework and blossoming flora and fauna. Though the mood is usually calming and relaxed, his undeniable passion allows for an uplifting and full expression, dreamlike, untamed and decidedly vivid, of which The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflote) is no exception.

David Hockney’s Harlequin From Parade, a large original 1981 silkscreen, also has fun with a floating figure, this opera circus performer taking on a larger-than-life presence by maintaining a mystifying anti-gravity trick. The size, mix of colors, patterns and setting, all paired with Hockney’s infamously charming style, makes for a delightfully eye-catching work of art.

Jan Frans Van Dael’s Musee Du Louvre and Andrea Mantegna’s Ceiling Of The Palazzo Ducale, Mantua satisfy that maximalist desire for extravagant flourish, with levels of careful detail whether seen from up close or from afar.

Warhol’s cars in Formula 1 Car W 196 R (1954) and Lichtenstein’s Landscape With Figures And Rainbow both offer class and pop excitement simultaneously, experts as they were at combining high art with mass culture, resulting in many of the most enduring pop art images in history.

Robert Indiana’s New York City Center, a 1968 silkscreen, and Keith Haring’s Andy Mouse, Dollar Sign, a 1991 silkscreen both show off how little is needed to make a big point, playful as they are with simplicity, color and voicing. Both works are additionally important junctions in the evolution of pop art, playing with themes and motifs like stars and stripes, dollar signs and Mickey Mouse, that were changing people's understanding of what art could be. These works are both quite clever on close inspection.

Larry Rivers’ 20th Anniversary Of Lincoln Center, a 1979 poster of which there is a signed and an unsigned edition, touches on that irresistible kitsch feeling, being somehow terribly important and seriously funny all at once — and it is hard to argue with a celebratory nature, one whose fire never goes out.

For brilliant, over-the-top nature look to the ecstatic colors of Walasse Ting’s Flowers or to works like Bird Feeding, a signed and framed 1871 painting by an unknown artist. Opulent glamour and lush organics never fail to enliven the decor.

Warhol’s Birth of Venus - Red brings ancient mystique into modern day vocabulary without losing any of the original spark, and Carol Barker’s London Museum Tells London's Story brings graphic history into present-day form, adding new dimensionality to old representations with colorful flair.

And for some thrilling and striking expressions, Richard Lindner’s 1968 silkscreen Fun City from Multiples flaunts no less than prowling geometric bliss, and Ernst-Ludwig Kirchner’s L'Expressionnisme Allemand, a 1965 Mourlot stone lithograph, bathes in garish expressionist magnetism.