HERSTORY
CV
Paula Sweet
b. 1949, Berwin IL USA
BA 1971, University of California, Irvine
Dean's List, Honors in Fine Art
Paula Sweet photographed by Magnus Arrevad
Solo and Group Shows
2020
Presenze Veneziane, group show Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery
2019
Video produced by Sandro Capitano
2018
UNESCO Vicenza Photographs of Lovers
Artist residency, Emily Harvey Foundation, Venice
2017
Beyond Magazine, Essential Objects, illustrations by Paula Sweet
A Game with Names and Numbers, Archivio Emily Harvey, Venezia
2016
Leporelli Veneziani, Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery
2014
The Vicentini, one person show, Punto Ottico, Vicenza
2013
Emily Harvey Foundation Residency
Artist residency, Emily Harvey Foundation, Venice
2012
George Segal Gallery, Montclair University
2011
Pacific Standard Time Best Kept Secret, Laguna Art Museum
Studio MNX Myself Talking to Myself, Los Angeles, CA
1986-2004
Accents on Design Gift Show, NY Javits Center
1986-2002
Apparel and Gift Mart Showrooms, Dallas, Atlanta, LA Chicago, Florida, NY, SF, Seattle.
1997-2001
Bergdorf Goodman Windows, 57th St
Bergdorf Goodman Table Top Dept, New York
1996
Barneys Windows, New York
1995
Bloomingdales Windows, New York
1993
Table Linens for the Central Park Conservancy Annual, Frederick Law Olmsted Awards
1987
Janey Kline Gallery, NYC
1986
Chiostro Di Santa Maria Di Castello, Genoa Italy
Windows on 15th Street, New York
1985
Islip Art Museum, New York
Carrington Gallery, Madison Ave NYC
1981
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Galleria Del Cavallino, Venice Italy
The Functional Art Gallery, Los Angeles
1980
Otis- Parsons School of Design Los Angeles
Waldo’s Designs, Beverly Hills
American Artists Designer Collection, Chicago
1979
La Louver and Surya, Beverly Hills
LAICA Los Angeles
Fiorucci and LAICA, Beverly Hills
“Hot Couture” Venice CA
American Artist Designer Collection, Beverly Hills
Fabric Workshop, Philadelphia PA
Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary A
La Louver Gallery, Los Angeles
Karen Bernard Dance Company, New York
1978
Loyola Marymount University
West Beach Café, Venice CA
Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach CA
Mandeville Art Center UC San Diego
LACMA, Los Angeles
1977
Galleria Del Cavallino, Venice Italy
Galerie Jacques Bosser, Paris
La Louver Gallery, Los Angeles
Hanson Cowles Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
LACMA, Los Angeles
1976
LAICA, Los Angeles
La Louver Gallery, Los Angeles
Gallery Krebs, Bern, Switzerland
1975
Mt. St. Mary’s College, Los Angeles
LAICA
Laguna Beach Museum of Art
Nick Wilder Gallery
Roger Wong Gallery, Los Angeles
Main Street Design Center Los Angeles
LACMA
Pasadena Artists’ Concern, Pasadena CA
1974
Roger Wong Gallery, Los Angeles
T.J.B. Gallery, Newport Beach
1973
Newspace, Los Angeles
1971
UC Irvine Gallery, Irvine
Collections
Costume Institute, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
Chiostro Di Santa Maria Di Castello, Genoa Italy
Bo Diddley
Whoopi Goldberg
Mariel Kallis Steinberg Newman, NY
Waldo Fernandez, Los Angeles
Andre Stasart, Brussels Belgium
Luigino Rossi, Padua Italy
Gabriella Cardozzo , Venice Italy
Pearl Bailey
Bette Midler, NY
Nancy Hoffman, NY
Mr. and Mrs. Joel Rosenberg, NY
Walter Shapiro, New York
Meryl Gordon, New York
Sylvia Simon, New York
Holly Solomon, New York
Elizabeth and Peter Goulds, Los Angeles
Julie Nixon, USA
Awards
1993
Tommy Award, Women’s Dresses
1991
Tommy Award, Women’s Sportswear
1967
Palos Verdes CA. Art Association Award
Publications
1984
Artists Design Furniture, Domergue Abrams
1980
Furnishings by Artists Otis/Parsons Gallery
1979
La Calzatura Della Riviera Del Brenta, Venezia
Features International Magazines
1979
British Vogue, June
1975
Saison, Japan, April, 5 Color Pages
Features USA Magazines
1999
More, September
1998
Brides, April May
Better Homes and Gardens, June
LDB Interior Textiles, Cover, August
1997
Tableware Today, October/November
Better Homes and Gardens, Kitchen/Bath, Spring
1996
In Style Magazine, May, Objects of Desire
Modern Bride, June/Jul
Better Homes and Gardens, Kitchen-baths Fall
LDB Interior Textiles, January
LDB Interior Textiles, August
1995
LDB Interior Textiles, August Full Page Color
Woman’s Day, Volume 5 Number 1
Home Textiles Today, 12/11 Full Page Color Feature
1994
Bon Appetit, November
Gourmet, February
Gourmet, November
Better Homes and Gardens, Holiday Cooking, Dec.
Country Living, January
Country Living, July
House Beautiful, January
Traditional Home, Companion, July
Woman’s Day, Volume 4 Number 2
Woman’s Day, Volume 3 Number 9
1993
Country Living, May
Cosmopolitan, July
Cosmopolitan, September
Bon Appetit, What’s New What’s Hot, August
Woman’s Day, Cover, July, Volume 3 Number 5
Woman’s Day, December, Volume 3 Number 2
Woman’s Day, December, Volume 3 Number3
1992
New York Magazine, May 25
1991
Cover Magazine, New York
House, Cover, May/June
1988
New York Magazine, Hot Stuff 6/27
1987
Home and Garden, Houston, February
1986
New York Magazine, Cover +2 Pgs Inside May 19
Seventeen Magazine, April
1980
New York Magazine, Best Bets, July 7
Los Angeles Magazine, February
1979
Vogue, June
Playboy, July
New West Magazine, February 1
New West Magazine, March Color Photo
House and Garden Magazine, June 2 Color Pages
Wet Magazine, April
1978
Vogue, View, May
Art Week Magazine, April 1
1977
Los Angeles Magazine, October
Art News, February
1976
New West Magazine, May 24
Reviews/Stories International Newspapers
1989
News Today, Jan. 8, Madras India
Financial Express, Jan. 7, Madras India
Hindu, Jan 8, Madras India
Hindu, Jan 9, Madras India
Dinakaran, India
Anna, India
1986
La Stampa, Genoa Italy, April 8
Il Secolo, Genoa Italy, April 12
Il Lavoro, Genoa Italy, April 12
Reviews/Stories USA Newspapers
2011
Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot
1997
New York Times Magazine, October 19
1993
Chattanooga News, Lifestyle, Color Cover, March 1
1992
The Times –Picayune, Living, April 23
1991
The Beacon Journal, Cover Story, Photo April 7
1989
Home Furnishings Daily, May 29, Cover Photo
1988
Dallas Morning News, The Town, August 28, Photo
Long Island Newsday, June 30
1986
New York Times, April 25 Photos
1985
New York Times, Jan 22 Photo
New York Times, November 10
Women’s Wear Daily, September, 19
Indianapolis Star, May 19, Photo Story
1983
New York Times Cover, Home Section, Mr 31 Photo
1980
Hollywood Reporter, May 13
1979
New York Times Magazine, June 10
New York Times, August
Women’s Wear Daily, January 23, Photo
Women’s Wear Daily, June 1, Photo
Valley News, May 30
Apparel News, June 8th Photo
The Trade, Two Photos May
Los Angeles Times, Style, April 19, Photo
Los Angeles Times, April 27, Photo
Los Angeles Times, June 8
Los Angeles Times, December 14, 3 Photos
Los Angeles Herald Examiner, April 19
Los Angeles Herald Examiner, September 29
Los Angeles Herald Examiner, Nov 23
High Life, December 14
1978
Women’s Wear Daily, October 18 Photo
The Guardian, November 22, Photo
Los Angeles Herald Examiner, November 23 Photo
Los Angeles Herald Examiner, December 3
1977
Evening Outlook, December 5, Photo
Valley News, Los Angeles, December 10
Valley News, Los Angeles, December 14
1976
Los Angeles Times, William Wilson, December 3
Los Angeles Times, December 17
Evening Outlook, September 20
Evening Outlook, September 10
Art Week Magazine
1975
Art Week Magazine, July 26, Photo
Art Week Magazine, June 28
Evening Outlook, July 12
Selected Retail Stores
Bergdorf Goodman
Barneys
Neiman Marcus
Saks Fifth Ave
Henri Bendel
Takashimya
Bloomingdales
Marshal Fields
Selected Catalogues
Neiman Marcus
Bergdorf Goodman
Bloomingdales
Los Angeles
Horchow
Macy’s
Spiegel, Cover
Avon
Cottura
A.b. Lambdin
Annes Collection, Cover
Knight’s Ltd
The Very Thing, Cover
Selected Full Page Advertising
1994
Women’s Wear Daily, Inside Back Covers
1987
First and only Issue of Egg Magazine...Forbes
Bomb Magazine New York, Fall
1984
Details Magazine, Inside Back Covers
Bio
Paula Sweet is perhaps best known for creating the Muslin Mink jacket, which can be found in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. An artist, inventor and teacher, Sweet was born in Illinois and grew up in Maryland, the daughter of an artist and a physicist.
At 11, she moved with her family to the west coast, leaving behind her girlfriends who played with dolls to meet new Palos Verdes, California girls who had kissing parties with surfers who wore no shoes.
She attended Rolling Hills High School and won the Palos Verdes Art Assoc Award in 1967 and spent her summers studying product design at Chouinard Art Institute and life drawing at the Academy of Art in San Francisco.
In 1971 she graduated from The University of California Irvine on the dean's honor list, where she studied art history with Barbara Rose and ceramic sculpture with John Mason.
Her next move was to Venice California; where she worked for and assisted the artists Billy Al Bengston and Robert Graham.
While residing in Venice, Sweet’s work began to be recognized with two solo shows at the La Louver Gallery. The Paula Sweet Shop on Melrose, opened by Waldo of Waldo’s Designs, featured her hand painted textiles. Internationally her art works were represented by the Galleria Del Cavallino in Venice Italy. While in Italy, she began to study yoga with Rademes Silvestri, a first generation student of Iyengar.
When she needed a coat for a cool California night and a hot date Sweet invented the Muslin Mink, a coat made of natural muslin resembling fur which could be machine washed. This casual but luxurious item was sold by Donald Pliner at the Right Bank Clothing Co and Fiorucci in Beverly Hills.
As the Mink grew in popularity it was produced in larger numbers and sold at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus and other high end retailers. The largest quantities were sold by Speigel Catalogue, where the Muslin Mink was featured on the cover.
Because simple and beautiful is her mission, during a party in her garden, after guests finished eating their delicious salads of layered lettuce, she asked them to turn over their plates to receive their hot off the grill juicy chicken. Thus was born the reversible dish, produced and sold in an edition by La Louver Gallery. Her ceramics were hand painted in Italy, and along with her table top linen designs, were sold at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, and among others Henri Bendel.
In 1979 Sweet moved to NYC, showing drawings out of Holly Solomon’s back room and mass producing the Muslin Mink.
It was in Tribecca that she began her paintings of NYC Roof Tops.
In the 1980’s when a friend suffered disabling sciatica, he became her first yoga student. She furthered her yoga studies with Radames Silvestri in Italy and Angela Farmer and Victor van Kooten in Greece.
As her experience in teaching yoga grew, she began to see that what most interested her was that an individual’s characteristics, such as, intelligence, reticence, joy, and patience are present and visible in the physical body and face. Each person, living creature, and plant is made of a unique recipe created through the daily living of their own life, similar to how vines in their shape show the precise voyage that they’ve made searching for the light. Human faces likewise are a record of a journey.
In 1992 her daughter was born and in 1999 she moved to Rural New Jersey where nature continued to be the inspiration for her art and life.
Sweet’s large portrait sculptures focus on actions and responses that have been recorded in the flesh and become visible over time as they become repeated often enough to make a path. We can see this clearly in wrinkles. Sweet is not interested in wrinkles, but rather the deeper more often overlooked pathways in the skin that delineate the strengths and beauty of the unique recipe that is that individual.
Sweet’s Ink portrait Drawings are done from life and capture many ingredients of the sitter’s unique recipe.
The large portrait sculptures are done from photographs that she takes herself. Multiple shots of different angles and expressions enable her to study the movements in the skin that have been recorded over time forming the character defining shapes of the present face. Facial expressions are as fleeting as yoga poses; Sweet is interested in the pure face underneath the expression as it reveals itself in its present state, a product of its life voyage. Much the same as the body in a yoga pose reveals today what it has been in the past.
Paula Sweet hopes that you enjoy all that you see here.
