BillyBoy* | |
---|---|
Born | [1] [2] | 10 March 1960
Citizenship | Switzerland |
Occupation | Artist, [3] costume jewellery and fashion design |
Years active | c.1974—present |
Organization | Surreal Couture, Mdvanii, Surreal Bijoux, Foundation Tanagra |
Notable work | Barbie: Her Life and Times [4] |
Spouse(s) | Jean Pierre Lestrade ("Lala", 2012–) [5] |
BillyBoy* (born 10 March 1960) [1] [2] is an American artist, socialite and fashion designer who was a muse of Andy Warhol. [3] [5] [4] [6] Born in Vienna, he was adopted by a Russian couple who moved to New York City when he was four.
In 1979 BillyBoy* began to design and manufacture costume jewellery under the label Surreal Bijoux in Paris. [7]
A bracelet made by BillyBoy* and owned by Elizabeth Taylor was sold at auction in 2011 for $6,875. [8]
BillyBoy* had a collection of over 11,000 Barbie dolls and 3,000 Ken dolls, and in 1987 authored the book Barbie: Her Life and Times. [4] During 1984–1990 Mattel sponsored two tours called Le nouveau théâtre de la mode (New Theatre of Fashion) curated by BillyBoy*. Like the original 1945 exhibit Théâtre de la Mode , the exhibitions consisted of hundreds of dolls—in this case Barbie dolls—wearing miniature outfits made by Yves Saint Laurent and other prominent fashion designers. [9] [10] The exhibition toured France on board a TGV-train entitled Le Train magique des jouets Mattel.. [10] BillyBoy* designed two Barbie dolls for Mattel working as a designer and consultant, "Le Nouveau Théâtre de la mode" in 1984 and "Feelin' Groovy" in 1986. [11] [12] After finishing working with Mattel, BillyBoy* formed the "BillyBoy* Toys" company, [12] and in 1989 BillyBoy* and his partner released the Mdvanii fashion doll.
Warhol's last work Barbie, Portrait of BillyBoy* was a painting of BillyBoy* depicted as a Barbie doll and was presented to BillyBoy* in New York on 10 February 1986. [6] [12] [13] The painting was gifted to BillyBoy* and hung in his living room. [12] In 2014 the painting sold at the auction house Christie's for £722,500 ($1,161,780). [14] [15] A second version of Warhol's painting, this time with an orange-red background instead of blue, was created for and purchased by Mattel. [13] [15]
In 1978 or 1979 BillyBoy* moved to Paris, [7] where later his shop would be at 6 Rue de la Paix, Paris. [16] In 1993 BillyBoy* and his partner Jean Pierre Lestrade ("Lala") moved to Trouville-sur-Mer in France, [17] then in 1997 to Switzerland, [18] [17] and finally in 2011 to Delémont, [18] the capital of the Canton of Jura [18] and near Basel. On 6 February 2012 BillyBoy* and Jean Pierre Lestrade married at the L’Hôtel de Ville in Délémont. [5]
On 13 February 1998 BillyBoy* and Lestrade founded the Fondation Tanagra non-profit in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland. [19] In 2012 the website of the Foundation was updated to reflect the creation of a future museum in Delémont. [20]
Mattel, Inc. is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The products and brands it currently produces include Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, American Girl, UNO, Mega, Thomas & Friends, Polly Pocket, Masters of the Universe, Monster High and Enchantimals, with Ever After High and My Scene also having been previously produced. In the early 1980s, Mattel produced video game systems, under its own brands and under license from Nintendo. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more than 150 countries. The company operates through three business segments: North America, international, and American Girl. It is the world's second largest toy maker in terms of revenue, after The Lego Group. Barbie was named the top global toy property for 2020 and 2021 per The NPD Group, a global information research company. Hot Wheels was named the top-selling global toy of the year, also for 2020 and 2021, also per NPD's judgment. Richard L. Dickson has been the company's president since 2010, having previously held executive positions at the company in the decade since he came aboard. Ynon Kreiz has been the company's chairman and CEO since April 26, 2018, replacing former Google executive Margo Georgiadis, who was previously announced as CEO on January 17, 2017. She stepped down a year later on April 19 to take charge of Ancestry.com.
Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist.
Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration.
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Mdvanii was originally conceived as a conceptual art and fashion doll for adults by artist BillyBoy*. Since 1990 it has been a collaboration with his life partner, artist Jean Pierre Lestrade. The 25 cm (9.8 in) tall doll was originally made in a matte Caron make-up toned hard resin. Mdvanii debuted on February 14, 1989 in London, England.
Théâtre de la Mode was a 1945–1946 touring exhibit of fashion mannequins created at approximately 1/3 the size of human scale, and crafted by top Paris fashion designers. It was created to raise funds for war survivors and to help revive the French fashion industry in the aftermath of World War II. The original Théâtre de la Mode exhibit toured Europe and then the United States, and is now part of the permanent collections of the Maryhill Museum of Art in Washington state in the United States.
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The Globes de Cristal Awards is a set of awards bestowed by members of the French Press Association recognizing excellence in home art and culture. The annual formal ceremony and dinner at which the awards are presented happens each February.
French-based … designer Billy Boy … he was born in 1960 and that the name on this document is Billy Boy.
I was manufactured and came out on the market in the year 1960 on March the 10th.
couture-collectie van Parijse socialite Billyboy* geveild.
Billy Boy, a jewelry designer who also wrote a book about Barbie: Her Life and Times, describing her history and his collection of more than 11,000 Barbies and 3,000 Ken dolls.
6 février 2012 : l’union de BillyBoy* et Lala est célébrée à l’hôtel de ville de Délémont.
Andy Warhol made his name creating images of iconic American names and brands … The last of these works, painted in the year before he died, was a portrait of his muse, a 23-year-old jewellery designer called BillyBoy* – in the form of a Barbie doll.
Billy Boy, who owns Surreal Bijoux, for which be designs charming, eccentric pieces of custome jewelry, has been in Paris since 1979, though he was born in Austria and grew up in New York. He first become famous for his jewelry in New York, thanks to a highly successful show at Bendel's.
Price Realized $6,875 … gilt-metal bracelet designed as a band of skulls with rhinestone eyes, … Signed Billy Boy Surreal Bijoux
BillyBoy*: BarbieBoy. BillyBoy* has the world's largest collection of Barbie dolls. Mattel sponsored a tour of America and Europe for a show Billy created
Between 1984 and 1990, BillyBoy* organized with MattelFrance the exhibition of the “New Theater of Fashion” featuring his collection of vintage Barbie dolls … dressed by French, British, Italian and American couturiers and designers. … toured the main cities of France in a "Train à Grande Vitesse," a high-speed train baptized "Le Train magique des jouets Mattel."
after a rift with Mattel, Barbie's manufacturer, where he was a consultant and designer, BillyBoy quit, citing disillusionment with the corporate toy world. He soon formed the BillyBoy* Toys company with his partner, Jean-Pierre Lestrade. … A 1987 special BillyBoy-signed Barbie doll edition, Feelin' Groovy Barbie Glamour a Go-Go Gift Set, now sells for about five times its original market price of $29.99, … Though an Andy Warhol portrait of Barbie, a gift from the artist, looms large in BillyBoy's living room,
Andy Warhol che presenterà a New York, il 10 febbraio 1986, il celeberrimo ritratto di BillyBoy* as Barbie. …il doppio ritratto di Barbie, il primo con fondo blu molto brillante, ispirato alla giacca Surreal Couture BillyBoy*, donato allo stesso BillyBoy*, il secondo con fondo rosso-arancio, acquisito da Mattel.
Price Realized £722,500 ($1,161,780) … Sale Information … 17 October 2014
1986 painting Barbie, Billy Boy depicts Barbie … against a light blue background. Warhol later made a second version of the piece, titled Barbie, with a red background. The blue version sold at auction at Christie's, London in October 2014 for £722,500 ($1,161,780).
write him, not us: BillyBoy Toys; c/o Surreal Productions; 6, rue de la Paix; 75002 Paris.
En 1993 Lala et BillyBoy* s'installent à Trouville où ils poursuivent leurs activités. … Depuis 1997, Jean Pierre Lestrade/Lala et BillyBoy* sont installés en Suisse
1997 : le couple s’installe en Suisse. Eté 2011 : le couple s’installe à Délémont, capitale du Jura Suisse
Les deux artistes ont également remis à neuf le site de la Fondation Tanagra dans la perspective de la création future d’un musée à Delémont.