Henry Wolf lived a double life.
His style of décor, dress, design and painting were always
a combination of simplicity and intricacy.
Note the titles of his recent books-
“A bold look backwards”
and “hopeless but not serious”.
His beautiful home was comfortable, yet opulent at the same time.
When he recently moved to a new space, every item was
put in the same spot as the apartment before.
He listened to the music of his youth and surrounded himself with
drawings, letters and photos of his life and the people in it.
He reminisced about the past but loved the present.
In his work, it was the same.
Simple, yet very,very complicated.
In recent years he focused on painting.
And devoted every minute to it.
The recent works are so different from the early paintings.
They appear heavy — as if they hold a lifetime.
He was very proud of his work as a painter.
Henry Wolf was not a modern man by most peoples’ standards.
He did not have an iPod, a laptop, cellphone, or even a microwave.
It never occurred to him that he needed them.
As far as he was concerned he had everything he needed.
He was so true to himself in everything he did.
It was amazing.
He was backwards, and yet forward at the same time.
Our relationship went from academic to professional to intimate,
but over 30 years we remained close friends.
We would meet for dinner as often as we could —
I last saw him just a few days before he passed away on Valentines Day 2005.
The evening was true to form. It felt like the past, but it was the present.
Designer — Roberta Chiarella
Roberta Chiarella began her design training at an early age beside the drawing table of her father, Joseph Chiarella, a successful advertising art director and illustrator. She studied at Parson’s School of Design in New York City. As an art director, producer and package designer, Roberta worked for Clinique and Cosmair’s Designer Fragrance Division that included Ralph Lauren, Paloma Picasso, Cacharel, Guy Laroche, and Giorgio Armani. She later succeeded as Vice President of Creative for Yves Saint Laurent Perfumes, overseeing Public Relations, Special Events, In-Store Design and Advertising.
Roberta’s transition from creative director to jewelry designer was completed when her early work was honored in a group exhibition at The American Craft Museum in NYC.
Since then, Roberta Chiarella’s designs have been featured in print, television and film.
Thank you for this. I was a student of Henry Wolf's at Parsons, and what I learned in his class alone made the exorbitant tuition worth it. Henry also wrote one of my grad school recommendations. I was very moved at his memorial service a couple weeks ago and will always treasure the handwritten notes I received from him as a student. Truly a class act that will be sorely missed. They don't make 'em like that anymore.
On Feb.28.2005 at 02:01 PM