Ever since we read G.W.’s Q&A with China Chow in Vanity Fair, we haven’t been able to get Bravo’s new show, Work of Art: The Next Great Artist hosted by “It Girl” China Chow, off of our minds. (We’ve also done a lot of thinking about drunken fish and pot stickers.) We’re all familiar with the highly popular Mr Chow brand, dishing out deliciousness on an international scale, and we’re just as familiar with the family behind the Mr. Chow name. Known for trendsetting food and fashion, the Chows also have eyes for art. As if super successful restaurateur wasn’t enough, Michael Chow dabbles in interior designer, skilled in architecture and painting, and collects art as admirable as his signature noodles and dumplings.
Growing into an eminently glamorous family, stemming from a grandfather whose name is recognized as one of the greatest masters of the Beijing Opera, a legendary father who dons pinstripe Hermès suits, a muse of a mother, a fashion and jewelry designing stepmother, an aunt who was a Bond girl…you get the picture, it comes as no surprise that the next generation of Chows would follow in such glorious footsteps. China Chow is not new to the scene. Making best dressed lists and formerly modeling for Shiseido, the GAP, Tommy Hilfiger, and Lane Crawford, Ms. Chow circulates around New York and LA and has managed to retain her socialite status without tarnishing her young Hollywood image.
Maybe it’s because China establishes herself by taking on classy projects, such as her latest, Work of Art, rather than by surrounding herself with bottles and drugs. Ms. Chow’s passion for art and the aesthetics is undeniable. She has been surrounded by the greats of the art world from birth, and knows the New York contemporary art world as well as her father, who delicately covers Mr. Chow walls in works of his artist friends. After all, who doesn’t love delectating in green prawns and crispy beef surrounded by Warhols and works form the likes of Helmut Newton, Julian Schnabel, Keith Haring, Francesco Clemente, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and David Hockney.
China will knowingly be dressed in fashion’s equivalent of works of arts, from Chanel and Fendi to Thakoon and vintage Oleg Cassini. Starting June 9, and each subsequent week at 11 p.m., China will play host and judge, alongside Bill Powers, Bill Powers, Jerry Saltz, and Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn, to the reality brainchild of Sarah Jessica Parker’s production company Pretty Matches, Magical Elves, and Eli Holzman. Work of Art follows 14 aspiring contemporary artists, mentored by Simon De Pury, as they push creative boundaries for a chance to win a solo show at the world-renowned Brooklyn Museum of Art and $100,000.
We have not one thing to critique, Ms. Chow’s hosting gig works for us.
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