More Is More: Tony Duquette [Hardcover]

Hutton Wilkinson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2009

More Is More, the exquisite second volume about Tony Duquette, delves into the creative process and personal life of this great American designer renowned for his fantastical artwork, sculpture, jewelry, gardens, film sets, and interiors. Using "The Enchanted Vision"--a three-day lecture delivered by Duquette at UCLA in the early 1970s--as its springboard, More Is More conveys through lavish illustrations Duquette's artistic credo on the arts of living and the living arts. Author Hutton Wilkinson explains Duquette's design philosophy, creative process, and studio practices, as well as the evolution of his exceptional style and vision.

While Duquette's own work receives full attention, an entire chapter is devoted to the artwork and persona of his wife, Elizabeth "Beegle". This personal dimension is further enhanced by countless anecdotes about the fabulous life they led together: their international travels, active social lives among royalty and the jet-set, their many dinner parties and gatherings, their homes and studios.
The final chapter reveals that Duquette's legacy is alive and well as Wilkinson continues to develop the Duquette style and expand the brand across the globe.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Hutton Wilkinson is president of Tony Duquette, Inc., where he continues Duquette's business as a jewelry and interiors designer. He is also president of the Elsie de Wolfe Foundation. He lives at Dawnridge, Duquette's Beverly Hills estate. John Galliano is chief designer of Christian Dior in Paris.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Abrams; 1 edition (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810957027
• ISBN-13: 978-0810957022
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 1.5 x 12 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #182,013 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars More is More: even more beautiful, engaging, magical, and intimate than previous book on Tony Duquette October 1, 2009

By Merrily Baird

Format:Hardcover

"More is More: Tony Duquette" is an even more beautiful, engaging, and intimate a book than the previous volume on Duquette that Hutton Wilkinson, the sole author in this case, coauthored with Wendy Goodman just a few years ago. If the first volume left the impression that Duquette and his wife Beegle were, to a degree, talented and well-connected dilettantes, this second book will dispel that notion. "More is More" does in fact cover the glitterati lifestyle of the Duquettes and their over-the-top living environments, but it also devotes a good deal more attention to Duquette's work style, philosophy, and output.

"More is More" opens with Duquette's own perspective, a series of lectures that he delivered in the 1970s in conjunction with a UCLA show of his work. This material, contained in the chapter titled "The Enchanted Vision: Casting the Spell," is enchanting and likely to appeal to a wide audience, indeed anyone with artistic leanings or a love of the exotic. Even more riveting is chapter two ("The Work, the Whys and Wherefores") which details Duquette's typically-long workdays, extraordinary output, lavish shopping habits, and positive relationships with both those whom he paid to work and those who volunteered to help him create monumental roomscapes and complex tapestries. It is this testimony of Wilkinson, who began working with Duquette as a youngster and now carries on his mentor's business, that puts the chapters that follow in "More is More" into perspective, in turn driving home just how remarkable a person and artist Duquette was. Chapter one will likely send your imagination soaring as you see the wonders, especially the natural wonders, of the world in a new way, while chapter two will likely leave you thinking of new uses for nearly everything that passes through your hands and before your eyes.

The remainder of the book looks at Duquette's phenomenal jeweled creations, Beegle and her work as a painter, the Duquette's social life, and their living environments both interior and exterior. These last several subjects were covered at length in Wilkinson's previous book, but the photographs provided and the visual fascination of the living environments justify another look. The previous study of Duquette has had extraordinary selling power for a book so ambitious and pricey. Still, this second volume may well top it in terms of circulation and impact, for there is much more here to inspire a reader's interest in art, adornment and collecting to say nothing of the more substantial insights provided for committed students of the applied arts.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting! December 2, 2009

By FPK

Format:Hardcover

I simply can not put this book down. I literally get lost in the photos, stories and incredible details that this man creates. The author is a fabulous raconteur; if only to have been a part of that extravagant, creative and enchanting world that Tony and Beagle designed. This would certainly make a fabulous movie!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars pure delight October 11, 2009

By Patricia Don Diego

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I cannot begin to say what a wonderful book this is. It's beautiful, inspirational, everything a book about Tony Duquette should be. The author has given us great insight into the life and mind of Mr Duquette, showing us how he worked, thought and lived. A must book for every creative person. I cannot put it down.