MAP ACTE III BLOG

To strip something of its embellishments is to beautify it.

Mies Van Der Rohe would agree. In fact, he might respond with “Yes, after all, ‘Less is More’”. This architect, and many other Minimalist designers believe this to be true.

These Minimalists believed in stripping everything down to the most simple of elements. Although simplicity is often considered to be cold and personality-less, the opposite is true. Minimalist style makes a statement! Stark whites and clean lines are striking. Sparing pops of bright color and accents of geometrical patterns make this style bold.

Designer Amy Lau said that “restraint calms the eye and gives everything a sense of purpose.” This is especially true for this Minimalist style. The addition of a piece to a room is a weighty decision, as each lamp, each table, each work of art must make a statement, without clashing or being too overbearing. Because of this, artwork chosen for these Minimalist settings should be of a similar, sleek style. Artists, like Frank Stella, Ellsworth Kelly, Sol Lewitt, Kenith Noland, Barnett Newman, Ernesto Riga, Davide Polla, and Nicolas Le Beuan Benic, have mastered this stark style, capturing the clean lines and clutter-free elements of Minimalism.

At MAP ACTE 3, we do believe in the beauty of this simplicity, and believe that in design, less can be more. Because of this, we have dedicated a portion of our line to this Minimalist art movement. Our fine art prints collection includes the work of the Minimalist artists mentioned above, and many more. Their clean, bold art works are available on our website as beautiful museum quality open edition silkscreens, art prints and limited edition prints on Plexiglas. With one, bold Minimalist piece you could make a simple, yet strong statement in any sleek commercial or residential interior space.

This 4th of July, as I dance around with shining sparklers, and look up at the sky, illuminated by flaming colors red, white, and blue, I’d like to celebrate what truly makes America unique. After all, isn’t that what birthdays are for?

Yes, I do love celebrating the 4th of July with a great meal among friends and family, and relish in waving our flag of stars and stripes with pride. I do love baseball and barbecues - both as American as apple pie. Yet, what I love most about America is the set of values we stand for, our freedoms and rights. These timeless values, declared over 200 years ago, are still relevant today. This Independence Day I would like to celebrate them. This Independence Day I am most thankful for freedom of speech, for freedom of expression.

This liberty is what has given amazing artists the ability to show the world what they feel, and what they believe. This liberty is the foundation of our company. Here, we believe that everyone’s voice has a right to be heard, and through our art publishing process, we help artists speak out, and tell their stories. We believe that, just as artists have a right to show their work to the world, the world has a right to see these works. Because we believe this so strongly, our mission is not only to assist artists as they broadcast their message, but  we are helping people see and experience what these artists have to say. We are “democratizing art.” Each person has the right to surround himself, or herself, with beauty. Each person has the right to own beautiful art.

MAP ACTE 3 aims to facilitate the realization of these liberties for each person, “from sea to shining sea” and beyond. Because we believe in the red, white, and blue, we believe in art for me and art for you.

This is our American Dream. What's yours?

Saturday marked the beginning of the summer season. The sun’s rays shone the longest they will all year, welcoming this new season of sun, sand, and surf. As spring became summer, and I traded my sweaters for sundresses, I realized I wasn’t the only one celebrating the sunshiny season. Artists like Nicolas Le Beuan Bénic have created works of art that capture the beauty of these summer months. His newest collection of beach scenes depicts the simplicity and sweetness of summer, with soft representations of beach-goers on the seaside. These cool seascapes are fresh, decorative pieces that liven up any beach house, bringing the feel of summer to your home long after the leaves begin to turn. You can find Le Beuan Bénic's works, and other summer seascapes on our website: http://mapacte3.com/index.php/

Welcome!  When I began MAP /Acte III, as an art publisher and distributor over twelve years ago, my goal was to serve design professionals in need of vibrant, discerning and contemporary art.  In that time I’ve worked on many exciting, satisfying projects and with many wonderful people.

Most of those people expressed an interest in a comprehensive website from which they could browse our gallery of images, purchase our products, identify which products can be customized and seek our design consultation services.

At long last, I am thrilled to introduce such a site and to invite decorators, architects, commercial and residential interior designers, art consultants and other design professionals to take a virtual stroll through the best-curated, most eclectic and forward-thinking art gallery on the web.

In addition to providing curated images, MAP/Acte III provides printing, framing and design consultation services.  We specialize in projects requiring coordinated and customized images in large quantities, but professionals searching for a single piece of fine art are also welcome to browse our unique collection and request recommendations.

Our art…Every image we offer has been carefully considered and chosen because it makes a unique statement and carries a voice forward into the world, as art should always do.  The selection is extensive, but not indiscriminate, so professionals can quickly locate art that will distinguish their project.  The selection includes both fine and contemporary artists.  Contemporary work can be greatly customized, including alteration of colors and scale.  In addition, customers can provide us with their own artwork to be printed, creating a personal aesthetic experience at the highest levels.

Our printing…Printing services include "best in class" prints on Plexiglas®, flawless prints on aluminum, the most comprehensive collection of archival silkscreens in the country, offset lithographs published onto textured watercolor fine art paper, truly limited editions prints and museum quality giclees on cotton canvas or fine art papers.

Our design team…My team, a cutting-edge group of creative professionals with many years of combined experience, provides personal design consultation and art selection services.

To our long-time clients, we say thank you for the loyalty and enthusiasm that has helped to make MAP/Acte III such a well-known source for the most distinctive, eclectic art available.  To those who have just discovered us, enjoy this new site and come back to visit often.  Exciting images hot-off-the-easel are always arriving, and I’ll be regularly blogging about them and other related topics right here.

Welcome, and enjoy discovering!

Mary-Elizabeth