Editor's Letter
There are some things filed under ‘Against All Odds’ - and moon landings are in that category. On 21 July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped out of the Lunar Module, codename Eagle, gingerly climbed down a flimsy steel ladder as if edging into an icy swimming pool and placed their feet on the moon. It was a moment that was shared around the world live on TV in grainy black and white (if you were in Europe). It came as quite a shock to discover colour images were available including some taken by the astronauts themselves. In its sale For All Mankind: The Artistic Legacy of Early Space Exploration, Bonhams is offering 450 vintage NASA photographs from the collection of Victor Martin-Malburet. Click on Moon shot to marvel once more at the astonishing leap for mankind.
It may be a stretch but the triumph of Ross Brawn’s BGP 001 in the 2009 Formula One World Championship was perhaps even more surprising. The Apollo programme got it right on the 11th time, Brawn staggered everyone by ambushing the title at his first attempt with Jenson Button at the wheel. Neil Lyndon writes about how Brawn’s team was regarded as such an outsider, that the others – Mercedes among them – gave a hand. It was only when Button roared past the chequered flag again and again, did the opposition realise what a mistake they had made.
In the personal sphere, it can seem as if every day is ‘AAO’. It must have seemed like that to Elsa Peretti, the celebrated designer, who arrived in New York at the tail end of the 60s to try her hand at modelling – and then at creating jewellery, pieces which were so extraordinary, they shifted the perception of silver to metal of choice. Peretti’s designs drew on many threads, but one source of inspiration was the pure simplicity of Asian Art. The historian Vivienne Becker, who knew Peretti, writes about the designer and a piece in Peretti’s own collection – a 13th century brush washer – that Bonhams is offering on behalf of the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation in June.
Lucinda Bredin
Editor, Bonhams Magazine
Contents
Light on the harem
John Frederick Lewis was intoxicated by the life in Cairo. So much so, he was still painting it 20 years on from his Surrey studio. Mark Hudson sheds light on the artist's tour-de-force watercolour which is not all it seems...
Pure beauty
World-famous designer Elsa Peretti changed the course of jewellery. Where did she source her inspiration? Look to the east, says Vivienne Becker
Cycle of life
Jules Speelman has collected Chinese and Himalayan works since he was 18. Now in two special sales, many of these masterpieces come to auction to mark his 80th birthday. Emma Crichton Miller asks how it all began
Wild cat
Rembrandt Bugatti was the pride of his famous family, says Adrian Dannatt. But although his sculptures of animals were instantly acclaimed, his affinity with humans was more problematic
Moon shot
The Apollo missions were not just feats of engineering, they shaped how we see space. Now, many of NASA’s early photographs, both famous and forgotten, are being rediscovered through the collection of Victor Martin-Malburet
Ancient and modern
Graham Slater's eye of antiques roamed from saleroom to the shore of the Thames. And everything ended up on shelves in his house in Cambridge. Philippa Stockley is entranced
Late flowering
Scottish Colourist, Samuel Peploe, looked more like a bank manager than an artist. But then he channelled his passion into painting, says Matthew Sturgis
“It was a monster”
The impossible, the unthinkable, the unimaginable can happen in sport. This car – to be offered in The Miami Auction – proves it, says Neil Lyndon
Dedicated follower of fashion
Dylan Jones has been in the front row for every shift in London's cultural scene. And he's got the tickets, posters and t-shirts to prove it. Here he describes why he is saying goodbye to some of his favourite possessions
Happy valleys
Bhutan is known for its Gross National Happiness Index. How to increase this? Well, what about making wine. Jancis Robinson reports on a new enterprise
Contributors
Vivienne Becker
Vivienne is a jewellery historian, journalist and author of 30 books on the subject. Contributing Editor to How to Spend It, she writes for Tatler UK, WSJ Magazine, Vanity Fair and Bazaar Jewelry China. Her books include Art Nouveau Jewelry and The Impossible Collection: the 100 Most Important Jewels of the 20th Century. Vivienne also curates the Designer Vivarium in Geneva. In this issue, Vivienne delves into the life and work of world-famous designer Elsa Peretti, whose inspirations took her from Catalonia to Hong Kong
Emma Crichton Miller
Emma Crichton Miller is an arts journalist, editor and writer. She's a regular contributor to the Financial Times and a columnist for Apollo magazine. Emma sits down with Jules Speelman, whose collection of Chinese and Himalayan works of art come to Hong Kong in two sales marking his 80th birthday. Revealing details of his collecting journey and his eye for the finest Asian masterpieces, Emma explains how it all began
Dylan Jones
Dylan Jones OBE is an award-winning journalist and author. He was one of the first editors of i-D, before becoming a Contributing Editor of The Face and Editor of Arena. Previously Editor of GQ and fashion biannual GQ Style, Dylan is now Editor-at-Large at The London Standard. He is a New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author, including David Bowie: A Life. His most recent publication These Foolish Things: A Memoir (2024) is out now available paperback. As selected items from his personal collection come to auction, Dylan reflects on his time under the bonnet of British culture
Jancis Robinson
Jancis Robinson M.W. was voted the world’s most influential wine critic in 2018. She has been wine correspondent for the Financial Times since 1990, is founder-editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine, and in 2000 founded JancisRobinson.com. In 1984, she was the first person outside the wine trade to pass the rigorous Master of Wine exams and in 2003 she was awarded an OBE. She is a voluntary member of the advisory board of the Bhutan Wine Company. Jancis reports on a new enterprise, Bhutan wine
Neil Lyndon
In a 50-year career in journalism, Neil Lyndon wrote for almost every leading newspaper in the UK and published seven books. He was Motoring Correspondent of the Sunday Telegraph for 20 years. In retirement, he lives on a smallholding in Scotland and writes about keeping bees on Zen and the Art of Beekeeping | Substack. In this issue, Neil tells the story of the car that helped make one of the greatest underdog stories in motor racing history: the 2009 Brawn GP Chassis 001/01
Adrian Dannatt
Adrian is an actor, artist, writer, editor and curator, with books and exhibitions on Alexander Iolas, Les Lalanne and Impasse Ronsin. Adrian's own work has been shown at Deitch Projects and Shanaynay, and exhibited his art collection in New York, London and Paris ahead of the publication of Doomed and Famous, his book of obituaries. Adrian reveals the life and work of Rembrandt Bugatti, equally doomed and famous himself
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