WRITING
He is currently the New York Editor of VMSD (Visual Merchandising and Store Design) magazine and has penned more than 100 articles for that publication, including cover stories on Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Armani, Moschino, Uniqlo, Polo Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss, Coach, Neiman Marcus and Christian Lacroix. He has also written about visual merchandising for Museums and More Magazine, Home and Garden Retailer Magazine, Eyecare Business Magazine, and Wedding Vows Magazine. He also wrote reviews. For two Ralph Pucci books, "Wall" and "show."
COMING SOON
PROFILES OF THE MANNEQUIN
They’ve been referred to as the quintessential silent sales force. And yet mannequins have assumed a greater role with a more enduring effect. Certainly they have fulfilled an important utilitarian function in terms of showing and ultimately selling apparel. But they are so much more than fancy clothes hangers. They cross the line from being a strictly functional selling tool, to a breath of life, emotion, and animation in retail environments across the world. They are works of art that tap into the emotions and aspirations of all who engage them. While stoically standing in place, they move the viewer through spirit and imagination to another place, another time, and another state of mind. While seemingly locked in place and time, they take us vicariously to a life that we would like to live. This book is an exposé not only about these fabulous forms, but also about the creative visionaries who brought these seemingly inanimate objects to life, and who have made significant contributions to The Art of the Mannequin.
BOOK REVIEWS
SHOW by Ralph Pucci
2009
Ralph Pucci Takes Center Stage
Ralph Pucci never brandished a paint brush or crafted a plank of weathered teak. He does however wield a deft baton, prompting fashion illustrators to design mannequins and sculptors to reconsider scale. A lover of music, Pucci performs his job as a master conductor; an impresario bringing together multiple forms of artistic expression. He built a successful career by daring to be different. Pucci doesn't follow trends, he sets them.
This past May, his New York showroom bristled with excitement as some 800 aesthetes gathered to celebrate the publication of "Show". Published by Glitterati Incorporated, with photographic images by Antoine Bootz, the book represents fifteen years of innovation and extraordinary work from Ralph Pucci International.
Shortly after joining the mannequin repair company started by his parents in 1954, Pucci realized the long term success of the organization hinged upon reaching out to other industries. Collaborating with the renowned Andre Putnam was the catalyst that propelled Pucci into the world of fine art and home décor. Soon after, he began alliances with designers such as Vladimir Kagan, Herve Van der Straeten, Jens Risom and Chris Lehrecke.
"Show" is a testament to Pucci's aesthetic sensibilities. He has a gift for creating artistic harmony from a varied palette, ranging from the surreal photographs of Josef Astor to the pristine minimalism of furniture designer Robert Bristow. "Show" illustrates Pucci's brilliant melding of the mannequin industry to fine furniture and art. Believing in simplicity of form and subtlety of movement, his work celebrates the inherent parallels in all forms of art.
Prof. Eric Feigenbaum
WALL by Ralph Pucci
2011
Wall is a masterpiece
Entering the Ralph Pucci showroom is a transformative experience. Crossing the threshold, a simple wall takes the visitor to another place, and another state of mind. Pucci is a purveyor of possibilities. Where others may see an empty wall, he envisions a conduit of communication; a rich edifice brimming with potential. Over the course of twenty years, Pucci has manipulated a single showroom wall into a tactile expression of ideas, concepts, and artistic points of view.
His latest book "Wall" published by Glitterati Incorporated, creates a new dialogue based on color, texture, and emotional sensibilities. Jean-August-Dominique Ingres, the French Neoclassical painter said to his students, "If I could make musicians out of you, you would benefit as painters." Pucci will quickly tell you that he is neither artist nor musician; and yet, as a master at melding artistic disciplines, he will move you through rhythm, harmony, and a beautiful simplicity of line.
While not an artist in the traditional sense, Pucci's medium is people and his brushstroke is his ability to push the limits of their talents. He has inspired a wide range of artists and creative thinkers to articulate the attributes of furniture, sculpture, and his unique portfolio of mannequins, onto a two dimensional surface to produce compelling and memorable murals.
While each installation on the wall is ephemeral, changing with the caprice of fashion and the impulse of artistic inspiration, the book remains a photographic keepsake; an orchestration of artists and designers who Pucci directed in the transformation of a simple architectural element, a wall, into a three dimensional abode of thought, creativity, and emotion.
WALL IS NOT MERELY A PAINTED CANVAS OR A MUSICAL SCORE. WALL IS A PUCCI MASTERPIECE.
Prof. Eric Feigenbaum