From the photo vaults: The blue haired boy. Mannequin by Ralph Pucci, based on drawings by Maira Kalman. Photographed at Pine Street Art Works ©Liza Cowan 2007. Used for advertising and display at store for many years.
I had the great pleasure of visiting the Ralph Pucci headquarters in New York City the other day. Pucci makes mannequins - and sells limited edition home furnishings - and I have five of their creations. Those of you who know my work know that I love to photograph my mannequins, and I've always kept the Pucci people aware of what I'm doing. Wade Willams at Pucci has always been gracious and fun to talk to, and when I had a trip planned to the city, I made an appointment with Wade to get a tour.
Photo by Liza Cowan. This is Wade, reflected in a fabulous mirror by Philippe Hiquily in the Pucci foyer.
A shelf of heads in the sculpting room. On the upper right is the head of my beloved Maira Kalman girl. Liza Cowan photo.
Ralph Pucci workrooms, Photo by Liza Cowan. Three finished mannequins in front of a shelf of casting forms.
Photo by Liza Cowan. Ralph Pucci mannequin head molds.
These things look to me like ancient treasures recovered from a sunken ship. Maybe Greek amphora. But they're not. They are workaday artifacts, which, in my opinion, only makes them more valuable.
Photo by Liza Cowan. An assortment of Ralph Pucci mannequin hands.
Photo by Liza Cowan. Sanding down the cast fiberglass mannequins at the Ralph Pucci factory.
One of my Maira Kalman mannequins in my show window at Pine Street Art Works, photo Liza Cowan