Originally, we had planned on shipping the sculptures and then we changed our minds and decided to take a trip along the East Coast and drive them ourselves.
Our first stop was Savannah, Georgia. We checked in a lovely Bed and Breakfast and explained to our hosts that we were traveling with two very special guests !
Little did they know that it was two statues… As soon as we brought the “ Floridians” into the house, they became the center of attention. The owners of the Inn gathered all their guests and called several of their neighbors to join us for wine and appetizers around the sculptures. I think the whole town of Savannah showed up ! This was the “ Floridians” first public appearance and what a success !
People coming all the way from Minnesota to take the famous tour of the town’s haunted mansions got completely sidetracked by Frederic and his Art. Forget the ghosts, our statues were a far better attraction !
The next day, we continued our journey towards North Carolina.
We spent the night in another Bed and Breakfast, which had the most beautiful garden.
Roses of every color mingled with Gardenias, Magnolias and Jasmine over an astonishing fishpond.
The sculptures were taken from room to room to be photographed by the Inn’s owners. I think Will and Martha fell in love with our Floridians. They were very disappointed to see us leave the next morning. They asked Frederic to come back in the fall and create one statue for their garden.
As we said good-bye to our hosts, we took the scenic route to the Chesapeake Bay.
We stopped at the Hilton… All right, not as charming as our previous Bed and Breakfast !
Here we are, two hours away from New York…
We finally make it to Park Avenue.
The final two nights of our fabulous voyage take place at the Waldorf Astoria.
The “ Floridians” and us are greeted in style as we walked into the lobby of this wonderful hotel and landmark.
We are in New York, people at the hotel are extremely busy between talking on their mobile phones and their business meetings but somehow, when the sculptures appeared it seemed like time stopped like a freeze frame for a moment and everyone looked.
This was the actual story of how Frederic Lanovsky’s sculptures named “ The Floridians” came to life and traveled a bit across the USA.
Frederic Lanovsky flew from his beloved city of Cannes on the French Riviera to Florida to specially create his sculptures.
The first four weeks of his trip, he went sightseeing to capture the light and energy of the Sunshine State to get his inspiration.
Then D-day came ! Frederic was ready to start his creation and asked me : “ Would you mind if I begin to make my sculptures in your living room instead of my studio ?”
Well, I thought “why not ?” “If that’s where you feel comfortable, let’s do it”. So, we got really creative moving my furniture around for him to have plenty of working space.
Here comes the fun part… Let me explain how the structure of Frederic Lanovsky’s lovable characters comes to life. The skeletons of the sculptures are made with wire netting, more commonly known as chicken wire. Then, when this process is over, Frederic wraps the entire “ bodies” with plaster strips. Now, picture my living room with pretty marble floors and nice French doors overlooking my lovely palm trees, covered in plaster, soapy water, little and big pieces of wire everywhere for two full weeks ! That’s what I call FUN ! Nowhere else in the house, it had to be in the living room !
For a moment I felt like checking in at the “ Four Seasons” or the “ Ritz-Carlton” for a few days !
Once the plaster had dried, we took the sculptures to Frederic’s studio where he applied the resin and fiberglass. At last, he painted and varnished them. This is a long procedure and probably the hardest part of his work. It took him five weeks to make the “ Floridians”. Each and one of his statues are one of a kind. They are no two alike and are not made from a mold.
The sculptures were donated by the artist, Frederic Lanovsky. They were auctioned off during the Humanitarian Award Dinner which took place at Cipriani’s in New York on June 7 th , 2007 .
All the proceeds went to this wonderful cause. This fundraiser was a great success.
Frederic Lanovsky is familiar and very fond of charity work.
