For more than fifty years, Kenneth Paul Block and Morton Ribyat made their home in a stunning Upper West Side apartment overlooking Riverside Drive and the Hudson River in Manhattan. Kenneth was renowned for his fashion illustrations – his iconic images defined fashion throughout the last half of the 20th Century. His work regularly appeared in Women’s Wear Daily, W Magazine, and his freelance full-page illustrations graced the pages of The New York Times, Vogue, and The New Yorker. Designs by Givenchy, Bill Blass, Yves St. Laurent, Oscar de la Renta, Isaac Mizrahi, and Halston sprang to life in his illustrations.
Block endowed the woman he drew with an impact, a star power that they did not yet possess. As designer Isaac Mizrahi explains it, Block “gave New York fashion its sophistication. Because he drew Babe Paley and Jackie Kennedy a certain way, they became what he had envisioned.”
Photographer Steven Meisel recalls how Block would draw the models as they came down the runway, sitting “there with this long cigarette holder and a polka-dot bow tie, always a sports jacket, immaculate… He had so much style, so much class, so much chic.”
Morton, an accomplished artist in his own right, worked professionally in textile design, later becoming the chargés d’affaires for his and Kenneth’s extraordinary life together. Elegant and erudite, their lives were filled with influential friends, distinguished acquaintances and colleagues, and they carefully cultivated a lively salon environment in their home where many of New York’s most creative minds could congregate.
Surrounded by well-read books, an eclectic art collection and antiques gathered from all over the globe – they created an urbane world in which refinement, decorum and sophistication conditioned the energy and enthusiasm of their fascinating existence. Kenneth passed away in 2009, followed by Morton in 2016, their losses felt throughout the fashion and design worlds.
Stair Galleries will be offering for sale selections from the Collection of Kenneth Paul Block and Morton Ribyat on September 24, 2016.
For inquiries regarding the items in this sale please contact us at 518-751-1000 or info@stairgalleries.com.
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