History for the home

POPULAR WITH anyone who loves art but can’t afford to collect, the Metropolitan Museum of Art Store is celebrating the opening of its new outlet in Bangkok with colourful Egyptian bead jewellery and a range of lifestyle products inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s “Irises”. 

Offering everything from jewellery and watches through statues, prints and fashion, the store has branches in several countries including the three in Bangkok. These are run by Link and B Grimm and also feature products from such leading luxury lifestyle brands as Provence, Volmont, Ma Maison and La Martina. 

“I’ve been in Bangkok’s retail business for more than 30 years and recognised the potential for a Met store here,” says Nantinee Tanner, managing director of Link and B Grimm. “Thanks to the unique designs, The Met’s art replicas make meaningful gifts and collectibles that everyone can afford. And if you use them as home decor items, you are making a statement about your taste.” 

“I want to educate people about arts. The Met promotes itself as the museum of 21st century and showcases a wide collection of rare artefacts and artworks from prehistory to modern.” 

The new store, which opened three months ago on the ground floor of Mandarin Oriental Bangkok Hotel, occupies a relatively small space but manages to find room to combine all the collections from New York under the one roof. The products are divided into nine categories ranging from apparel, fashion accessories and home decor, to wall art, jewellery, watches and stationery. 

The latest designs in the Egyptian jewellery collection include a Snake Lariat necklace, adapted from a gold snake bracelet from the Macedonian and Ptolemaic period (332-30 BC) and a Middle Kingdom Cylindrical bead necklace from 1878-1840 BC, which is adorned with colourful cylindrical beads made from gold, lapis lazuli and turquoise. 

The modern woman will love the Raspberry pendant, a nature-inspired necklace that celebrates aspects of a medieval garden. Berries are among the many fruits depicted in the millefleurs (thousand flowers) background of “The Unicorn in Captivity” tapestry displayed at The Cloisters.

The Crescent collection of pendant necklaces and earrings offers a modern twist on crescents, spirals, and circles through textured brass jewellery hand-made in the bustling Abasto district of Buenos Aires.

For daily use, there’s a selection of T-shirts, shawls, watches, mugs, vases, pens, postcards, coasters, tote bags and umbrellas in several flower motifs, adapted from such world-renowned art pieces as Claude Monet’s “Bouquet of Sunflowers” painting, Vincent van Gogh’s “Irises” and Louis Comfort Tiffany’s Magnolias and Irises glass panel. 

“The Thinker”, a scaled reproduction in bonded bronze of Auguste Rodin’s sculpture will add class to a room as well as “The Three Graces”, a Roman copy of a Greek statue group from the second century BC, which symbolises beauty, mirth and abundance.

For the kids, there’s a collection of innovative pop-up books including “Beauty & the Beast”, “Nursery Rhymes”, “Cinderella”, “Be a Princess”, “Peter Pan” and “Little Mermaid”. 

“The Met outlet at Kian Gwan House on Wireless Road has undergone major renovations and I have invested Bt1 billion to turn the building into a cultural centre. This will be home to a 500-square-metre Met Store, a 800-seat concert hall and an auction house. I want to promote the Met Store as an stage where Thai artists can show their artworks.” Nantinee says.

  

SHOPPING MADE EASY

>> The Metropolitan Museum of Art Store is at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok Hotel. It’s open daily from 10am to 8pm. 

>> Call (02) 630 7227 or visit Store.Metmuseum.org.