Christina Geyer
- Posted:
- October 21, 2011
With a cutting-edge exhibition making its U.S. debut at the Dallas Museum of Art in November, oui, indeed, Jean Paul Gaultier has his day.
As boundaries go, Jean Paul Gaultier has pushed them all — often to the extreme. From making bondage suddenly chic with his body-cage dresses to melding pop culture and fashion (Madonna’s world-rocking conical bras and bustiers; sending stripper Dita Von Teese down his runways), the innovator and couturier has never failed to wow. The Frenchman has done his fair share of gender bending, too, by dressing male models in skirts, and he continually comments — with much titillation — on culture and counterculture with his satirical prêt-à-porter and couture collections. Yes, Jean Paul Gaultier’s work is as complex and conceived as that of any artistic genius, relentlessly turning the mirror on societal norms and expectations in a wearable, wondrous way. Who else but the famously nicknamed enfant terrible could successfully send plus-sized models down Paris’ couture catwalks, or provocatively use the Virgin Mary as his muse? Now that mirror has flipped, reflecting Gaultier’s miraculous accomplishments directly back to him. Enter the first major exhibit of the designer’s work, “The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk,” making its U.S. premiere at the Dallas Museum of Art on November 13, barely a month after its closing in Canada, where it made its world debut at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Much like Gaultier’s nearly 40-year oeuvre, the contemporary installation at the Dallas Museum Art — under the leadership of MMFA director and chief curator Nathalie Bondil, with MMFA curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot — will be a blend: cutting-edge technology (think animated Gaultier mannequin heads); an inventive, multimedia mise-en-scène (sound, video, even a reproduction of JPG’s couture salon); plus never-before-seen mementos, down to funny bits from his 1950s childhood. Herewith, as a velvet-coned, sailor-striped prelude to our special exhibition pages next month, a visual whetting of the appetite for all things Gaultier …
Where to Go for Your Gaultier
• Save the dates: On Tuesday, November 8, invitation-only VIP guests will greet Monsieur Gaultier on his first-ever visit to Dallas. Next up, on Wednesday, November 9, is a sneak peak of the exhibit and luxe luncheon with JPG himself; for tickets click to dm-art.org. Finally, on Friday, November 11, DMA members at the Sustainer level and higher are invited to a preview party sponsored by PaperCity.
• JPG page-turner: The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk. The 424-page monograph includes more than 550 illustrations as well as dozens of interviews with starring characters from the designer’s extensive career — Pierre Cardin, Polly Mellen, Tom Ford, Martin Margiela, et al. Look for it at the DMA Bookstore this November.
• Gaga + Gaultier, the Tête-à-Tête: Fashion fireworks will no doubt explode when Gaultier poses questions to megastar Lady Gaga, slated to air on The CW on Monday, September 12, at 8 pm Eastern time. Set in the designer’s Parisian atelier, the chat will cover everything from Gaga’s rise to fame to her fiery passion for larger-than-life art and fashion.
"What he stands for: showmanship for sure.“ — Suzy Menkes, style editor
“He offers an open-minded vision of society — a crazy, sensitive, funny, sassy world in which everyone can assert his or her own identity.“ — Nathalie Bondil, director and chief
curator of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Images:
Le Male by Jean Paul Gaultier eau de toilette
Burlesque star Dita von Teese wearing the Circé ensemble from Jean Paul Gaultier’s Button collection for haute couture Spring/Summer 2003. Photo © Perou.
Arielle Dombasle wearing the Paloma gown from the Mexico collection, haute couture Spring/Summer 2010. Photo © P. Stable/Jean Paul Gaultier
The Barbès collection, women’s ready-to-wear Fall/Winter 1984-1985. Photo © P. Stable/Jean Paul Gaultier.
The new book: The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk (Abrams, $125).
A peek inside the Montreal exhibit. Photo © Jerry Pigeon (Studio JPG).
A peek inside the Montreal exhibit. Photo © Jerry Pigeon (Studio JPG).
The Jean Paul Gaultier body corset made famous by Madonna, as worn during her Blond Ambition World Tour (1990) and Dazed & Confused tour (2008). Photo © Emil Larsson.
The Lascar dress from the Les Indes Galantes collection, haute couture Spring/Summer 2000. Photo © P. Stable/Jean Paul Gaultier.
At the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts for the Gaultier exhibition’s world premiere: Deedie Rose, Dallas Museum of Art interim director Olivier Meslay, DMA League director of education Gail Davitt, Sharon Young, the Margot B. Perot curator of decorative arts and design Kevin Tucker, Catherine Rose, DMA chair of collections and exhibitions Tamara Wootton. Photo by Natacha Gysin.
Curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot, Jean Paul Gaultier, director and chief curator Nathalie Bondil at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts for the exhibition’s world premiere. Photo by © Jerry Pigeon (Studio JPG).