Cynthia von Buhler was born Cynthia Carrozza and raised in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, the middle child in an artistic family with six childr. Of her childhood, she says "As soon as we could hold a scissor, we learned every kind of craft imaginable, and worked in three dimsions, not just two."
Creative from the start, she created large-scale papier-mâché floats for her hometown Hallowe parades, and won her first art award while she was still in grammar school.
Von Buhler claims her family is rumored to descd from the royal Italian Sforza family through an illegitimate child. This Sforza line was giv the title of "Count" by the Pope to give them legitimacy. An Italian diplomat and anti-Fascist politician of this line is Count Carlo Sforza.
Sutton Hoo Helmet
In a manifesto von Buhler wrote in 2001 she explains why she has a title. "My grandmother's maid name is Sforza, and the rumor in the family is that we are related to the infamous Francesco Sforza of Milan, known for treachery, hiring Leonardo da Vinci as his plumber, beautiful mistresses, and a delicious Italian nougat candy called Torrone."
A frid began referring to the gothic Victorian house as Castle von Buhler and the name stuck—the press dubbed the artist Countess Cynthia von Buhler.
By von Buhler is a true tale of New York City Prohibition-era bootlegging, mafia, infidelity, and murder. Von Buhler had be haunted by a shocking family mystery for years. Her grandparts Frank and Mary Spano owned two speakeasies in the Bronx during Prohibition: one that masqueraded as a bakery, the other a secret nightclub. Shortly after Prohibition ded, her grandfather was shot and killed on the street in Manhattan. Her grandmother was pregnant with her mother at the time, and upon hearing the news of the murder she wt into labor. Von Buhler's grandfather's body was laid out in one room of their small Bronx apartmt while her mother was born in the room next to it. "Nobody still living in my family knows why my grandfather was shot. Nothing was known about the killer, his motive, or a trial. My grandmother took these secrets to her grave. And so, over the past two years, I have be dusting off a complicated, historically significant story, " explains von Buhler.
Out & About: Bloomin' Festival This Weekend
To more thoroughly explore her grandfather's murder and evts leading up to it, von Buhler created an elaborate speakeasy dollhouse set complete with handmade dolls in her art studio. The set includes a plush secret nightclub, a bakery, a pre-war apartmt, a bootlegging bathroom, a morgue, and ev Ellis Island.
The set contains crime sce details that can be examined from every angle. Von Buhler was featured in the "Gurney For Grandpa" episode of Oddities discussing this project.
Taking it one step further, the artist created an immersive theatrical experice to go along with the sets and her own investigation. Speakeasy Dollhouse stages these evts in a historic Lower East Side speakeasy elaborately set up to mirror the dollhouse sets. The actors ar't visually distinguished from the audice, making the audice as key to the show as the performers. The play's tagline is "The speakeasy is my dollhouse and you are my dolls."
Becoming Dangerous: Witchy Femmes, Queer Conjurers, And Magical Rebels: West, Katie, Elliott, Jasmine, Sollee, Kristen J.: 9781578636709: Amazon.com: Books
Of Dolls and Murder, directed by Susan Marks and narrated by John Waters, is a documtary about Francis Glessner Lee's crime sce investigation dollhouse dioramas. Marks created an Of Dolls and Murder sequel based on Speakeasy Dollhouse.
Speakeasy Dollhouse became the brand name for all of Cynthia von Buhler's immersive theater productions. The original show was ramed The Bloody Beginning.
The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini follows private investigator Minky Woodcock as she uncovers secrets surrounding the final days of the world-famous escape artist, Harry Houdini. Woodcock's investigation leads her to cross paths with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who believes Houdini is not merely a magician but has supernatural powers, and Bess Houdini, who suspects her husband is cheating on her. Von Buhler investigated the death of Houdini and based her story on true crime evidce.
Being Dead: A Novel: Crace, Jim: 9780312275426: Amazon.com: Books
Evelyn Evelyn are a musical duo formed by Amanda Palmer (of The Dresd Dolls) and Jason Webley. According to the fictional backstory described by Palmer and Webley, the duo consists of conjoined twin sisters (aka "Eva" and "Lyn"), Evelyn and Evelyn Neville, who were discovered in 2007 by Palmer and Webley. The twins are actually portrayed by Palmer and Webley, [5] dressed in connected garmts. Dark Horse Comics published a two book graphic novel cased in a hardcover sleeve, writt by Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley and illustrated by von Buhler. The book had an afterword writt by Neil Gaiman.
In 2001 von Buhler was asked by Stev Spielberg to illustrate Martha Stewart's story for Once Upon A Fairy Tale (Viking), a book produced to befit The Starbright Foundation for seriously ill childr.
They Called Her Molly Pitcher, writt by Anne Rockwell and illustrated by von Buhler, as one of One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing.
Art Guide Australia — September/october 2022 By Art Guide Australia
In 2004, von Buhler wt on to illustrate Nicolaus Copernicus: The Earth is a Planet. Reviews called her "dramatic oil-on-gesso artwork" (School Library Journal)
"handsome and effective" (Booklist). Publishers Weekly offered high praise for her work on the book: "Von Buhler's paintings exert a gravitational pull of their own."
In 2006 von Buhler wrote and illustrated The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside with dual credits as author and illustrator. The book, based on a true story, featured painted clay characters in detailed architectural sets. Book Sse named the book as a Childr's Pick for Winter/Spring 2006/2007 for its "beautiful story" and "extremely detailed sets."
The Chew Chew Poop Pee Express: A Magical Journey Through The Digestive System: Labarre, Susan, Nicholson, Janine: 9781442158382: Amazon.com: Books
Kirkus Reviews called the illustrations "unique" and "eye-popping, " providing "a glimpse of a world beyond the frame" and pronounced the book "a sheer delight."
While Time Out New York called the book "beautifully ornate, " and "the cat's meow." The book was also chos as Teacher's Picks: Best of 2006 by Part & Child magazine.
In 2009, von Buhler took a second turn as author and illustrator with But Who Will Bell The Cats?. The book's illustrations feature handmade architectural sets, cinematic lighting, and paper doll oil paintings of the characters in action. Kirkus Reviews stated that "young readers will pore over this one again and again, "
Feeling Nostalgic? These 90s Movies Are Still Worth A Watch 30(!) Years Later
The Nassau County Museum of Art in New York exhibited the book's elaborate miniature sets in a solo exhibition betwe September 20, 2009 and January 3, 2010.
During the summer of 2010 Von Buhler exhibited the miniature sets in an animatronic window display that she created for Books of Wonder in Manhattan.
Elizabeth Bird, a New York Public Librarian, posted a lgthy review of the book on her School Library Journal blog, "Is it wrong that I sometimes want to blow a four-year-old's mind? I've come to the decision that Cynthia von Buhler's But Who Will Bell the Cats? is going to be my library's secret weapon from here on in."
Children's Home Society 2022 Program Report By Chsssd
In August 2001 she held an evt at Castle von Buhler dubbed "The Great Purge" where she sold off most of her possessions.
Von Buhler separated from Adam Buhler and moved to New York City's Meatpacking District. Farewell articles were published in The Boston Globe,
At this point von Buhler began utilizing unconvtional media in her art: video projection, living fauna, found objects, human detritus, and electronic audio. By combining these media, oft hanced with text and electronics, von Buhler's canvasses frequtly became kinetic installations.
Aia Young Architects Award Book By Aia Young Architects Forum
"Regardless of medium, all of von Buhler's pieces require the viewer to get involved: sometimes physically, by feeding a caged animal or inserting a coin to operate a machine. For example, "Sir Repetitious, " a man's transpart insides reveal two live rats, hungry for the food and atttion of onlookers – feed the rodts with the supplied seed, and you are satisfying "Sir Repetitious" on physical and metaphorical levels. Miss Ann Thrope is a life-sized painting of a woman with two doves perched inside. Wh the birds move in the piece, they change its equilibrium and alter its intded meaning. A velvet-curtained puppet theater sets the stage for Show and Tell, a multimedia painting that explores the use of word versus action with hidd visual and auditory messages. "Please Don't Look Up My Skirt" is a commtary on date-rape in which a Botticelli-esque girl without arms or legs tries modestly to cover herself, imploring the viewer not to violate her; those who disregard the plea see what they have become wh they look up her skirt. Cynth-O-Matic offers various plastic capsules containing actual samples of the artist's body hair and fluids from a vding machine. The piece is von Buhler's critique of those who attd art opings to chat with the artist and scarf hors d'oeuvres without buying any art. For only 25 cts they can buy a piece of the artist. Von Buhler's work provides commtary on morality, vanity, politics, and the art world itself".
A photograph of von Buhler tak at her New York loft for The Boston Globe was larged and used on billboards advertising the publication.
Inspired by lying politicians, von Buhler altered and old carnival machine for "Shake Hands With Uncle Sam." For 25 cts, viewers shake Uncle Sam's hand,
0 comments
Post a Comment