- This event has passed.
Arno Elias + Stephen Verona + Maggie Coulombe
July 19, 2012 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
July 19th, Mouche Gallery of Beverly Hills, is bringing together Art, Fashion, and Music, with an exclusive look at Arno Elias’ “Escape with Me” collection, a Fashion Show by Maggie Coulombe, and a special guest appearance by the legendary Stephen Verona.
Arno Elias was born in Paris, France. As the son of a musician, Elias perfected his talents and at seventeen he was already on tour as the lead guitarist for the popular rock band, REX. By 2004 Elias became worldly recognized for his composition of the BUDDHA BAR album and the famous song “Amor, Amor” from Nino. His most recent praised work was for the United Nations organization UNICEF. Working with a narration of famous artist such as Latin Rock star Shakira, he created the score for the video and the PSA for UNICEF’s worldwide campaign. More than an accomplished musician, Elias has broadened his talents by studying art and painting, finding inspiration through the pop art movement. Based in Miami, he is working on a new series of paintings and is expected to exhibit in New York, Montreal, Tel Aviv, and his native Paris. He continues to travel the world to find new motivation and challenges in order to create his art. He dares to test the world with his contemporary stimulations of paintings. Arno Elias is a true pioneer in the artistic community and is sure to be noticed for his gift of inspiration. He has had exhibitions in Miami, Chicago, Paris, New-York, Las Vegas, Art Basel, etc. His work has been reviewed in ‘The New York Times’, PBS USA Television, NBC, the Miami Herald, Miami Magazine, Florida International, Haute Living, Chicago Tribune, etc.
Stephen Verona is a traditional and film artist born in Illinois and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Dubbed “The grandfather of the Music Video” by People Magazine, Verona directed the first two music videos for The Beatles after meeting John Lennon on location in England while directing a TV commercial for Ford. He then directed videos for Barbra Streisand, Chicago, Simon & Garfunkle, Johnny Cash, Leonard Bernstein, Liza Minelli, Mick Fleetwood, Natalie Cole, Boy George, Santana and a hundred other world renown recording artists. By the time he was 27 he was nominated for an Academy Award for his live action short film “The Rehearsal”. Verona wrote, produced and co-directed his first feature film, “The Lords of Flatbush” which launched the careers of Sylvester Stallone, Henry Winkler, and Richard Gere, who were all discovered by Verona. He gave Gladys Knight her first acting role in “Pipe Dreams” which led to 2 Golden Globe Nominations. All during his film making days, Verona always photographed and painted. In 2008, the Getty Museum acquired his photography for their permanent collection. In 2009, he was invited to join an exclusive group of artists from around the world for an Audience with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican for His address to artists. This is the first time a Pope has hosted artists in the Sistine Chapel since the Renaissance. His work continues to be featured in outstanding collections throughout the world. He has on over 100 awards for his work.
Maggie Coulombe, a Toronto native of Korean ancestry currently hails from Hawaii. Playing in the suits created by her grandmother sparked her passion for fashion. Living outside the box in Toronto came easy as the first Asian in town, bridging the gap with fashion as the universal language, with her trademark smile. Designing off the beaten path in Maui, inspired by the natural beauty of women and its shore has led to a collection that accents the essence of women all around the globe. Coulombe has styled celebrities on and off the red carpet, including Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Halle Berry, Teri Hatcher, and Lindsey Lohan to name a few. Fashionistas from as far as Dubai, Russia, China, Tokyo, and London frequent the Maggie Coulombe Store, created in 2000. Her designs have been featured in Elle, Instyle, Glitter Japan, Glamorous Japan, Lid, Modern Luxury, as well as, US weekly, Lifestyle, Star on the latest trendsetters.
Christophe Saluzzo was born in Cannes, studied hair design in Paris and traveled extensively throughout the world competing in international hair shows. In 1993, he moved to Washington, D.C. where he quickly became a highly sought after hairstylist with many high profile clients, most notably the former First Lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton and daughter Chelsea Clinton. He was even flown by the First Lady on Air Force One when she toured Australia and Asia. After moving to Los Angeles in 1999, Christophe joined Cloutier Remix and began to build an impressive resume in Hollywood, doing shoots for such magazines as Glamour, Vogue, GQ, In Style, Vanity Fair, W, and Premiere. He has worked with such celebrities as LeAnn Rimes, Connie Nielsen and Sela Ward and on advertising campaigns for Guess, Paul Mitchell and Hanes. Some of his T.V. commercial clients include Dove, AT&T, Salon Selectives, Coca Cola, Volvo, and Peugeot. In addition, he has worked on music videos including Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles.”
VH1 Save The Music Foundation was founded in 1997 as a public affairs initiative of the VH1 network. The Foundation’s core mission is to restore instrumental music education programs, ensuring that every child has access to a complete education that includes the benefits of music instruction. Since its inception, The Foundation has remained faithful to and focused on making our mission come to life. For more information please visit www.vh1savethemusic.com.