With this exhibition, it is an opportunity to “show a lesser-known facet of the couturier which appeared to us to be very current, contemporary, graphic” through the pieces which were rarely exhibited, declared Elsa Janssen, director of the establishment at the AFP.
A collaboration under the eye of visual artist Claudia Wieser
The graphic silhouettes presented in the exhibition “Yves Saint Laurent-Forms” are staged in the decor imagined by the German artist Claudia Wieser. His ceramic panels, mirrors and sculptures resonate with the pure and colorful shapes of clothes, hats and shoes. “We will reveal all the more his genius and the durability of his work by inviting contemporary living artists to take a look at the work of Yves Saint Laurent”, emphasizes Elsa Janssen. Work on shapes began in 1958, when Saint Laurent, then artistic director at Christian Dior, signed the “Trapèze” line, a silhouette that is part of the history of fashion.
“Forms”, the play of colors and geometry
The quest for lines and verticality can be found in the famous “jumpsuit” (combination) created in 1968. Colour, which the couturier made radical use of, contributed to perfecting the work on shapes. “From the end of the 1960s, he made assemblies that were almost unnatural in haute couture”, underlines Serena Bucalo-Mussely, head of the museum’s collections. An outfit with “blocks” of blue, electric blue, red colors is enhanced with a fuchsia stole. The bright yellow element emphasizes the clean cut of a black jacket. As for a white coat with black bands from the Mondrian collection of 1965 “obviously timeless”, ultimately only the fact that it is in real fur does not make it “not completely” modern, adds Elsa Janssen.