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MMFA, The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier
Photo by Ingrid MIda 2011 |
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JPG Smart Car
Photo by Ingrid Mida 2011 |
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Press waiting to preview the JPG exhibition
Photo by Ingrid Mida |
As I waited outside yesterday at the
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts to enter the press preview of
The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier, I was feeling a bit jaded. Although it has been said that "
fashion is for everybody", sometimes that world can be a bit insular. And while my niche in writing about art and fashion is a unique one, it still requires me to have a thick skin.
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Red carpet shoes
Photo by Ingrid Mida 2011 |
Luckily it was not long before my spirits were lifted. At the press conference, Nathalie Bondil, director and chief curator of the
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts talked about her vision for the exhibition of Jean Paul Gaultier's work. She saw beyond the provocative and humourous aspects of his work, identifying him as a contemporary artist with an important but subtle message about the dictates of beauty, where "
everyone can wear his fashions regardless of size, age, gender, or sexual identity". She thought that this was something society needed to hear and initiated the exhibition which was funded by the museum, (an important distinction in my mind compared to marketing oriented exhibitions funded by the fashion house). Although Ms. Bondil described herself as "
not a fashion person", she is both beautiful in looks and spirit. When one well known fashion diva walked in twenty minutes late to the conference and started up the self-serve espresso machine, Ms. Bondil laughed and said "Je me recommence" (I start again). And at the end of the day, I had a one-on-one half hour interview for
Fashion Projects with Ms. Bondil and she was as articulate, gracious and fresh as if it was her first interview.
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Nathalie Bondil, JPG, and Thierry Maxime Loroit
Photo courtesy of the MMFA |
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Jean Paul Gaultier being interviewed for TV in the Skin Deep Gallery
Photo by Ingrid Mida 2011 |
Jean Paul Gaultier laughed often and was both humble and sweet. He said "
I am no longer l'enfant terrible. I am just the old terrible." He worked hard to convey his message that "
there is not only one type of beauty". I'm not sure how many other journalists appreciated his humanist approach to fashion, but it was refreshing to hear it spoken.
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On the steps of the MMFA
Photo by Ingrid Mida 2011 |
I have so much more to share about
The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier and will follow up in upcoming posts with links to my review and interview for
Fashion Projects as well as photos and video clips.
This exhibition at the
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts opens to the public on Friday, June 17, 2011 and runs until October 2, 2011. It will later travel to Dallas, San Francisco, Madrid and the Netherlands.
11 comments:
Excellent Ingrid- LOVED this post!
And, loved what you wrote about both JPG and Nathalie-makes them so real.
Can't wait to read more posts on this. Oh and you can be sure I'm popping in early next week to see this!
(BTW I'm also giggling about the styletto scene;)
Fabulous, cannot wait to hear/see more! After this, a brief respite perhaps?
Nathalie
Salut Ingrid. This post is brilliant and I think JPG is probably the only designer who I would believe when he says "fashion is for everyone". I remember the stir it caused when he sent a (back then) over-sized (for the fashion world) Sophie Dahl down the catwalk...genius.
Unfortunately, just as it happens with religion, there will always be enough people to tell you/us/others that fashion is only for a chosen few and that they're the only worthy ones. I wish there were more designers like him and people wouldn't take it all - or themselves for that matter - so very seriously!
Anyway, I'd rather be surrounded by "unfashionable" happy people than miserable fashionistas any day - which isn't to say that there aren't any happy and very fashionable people out there ;-)
I think that's enough from me now, Love from London xo
I love this, Ingrid. You have such a wonderful intimacy in your writing that I feel like I was there with you, seeing what you saw and appreciating all there was to take in. Thank you :) Kx
*sigh You ARE living the dream, my friend.
Ah, I adore JPG's personality and his outlandish designs. I agree with him that "Fashion is for everyone" - Only JPG can utter such words in public and get away with it. He's so terribly unique, even in his madness ( which I adore). Look forward to reading more.
P.S: Did you manage to see the Gustave Caillebotte exhibit during your stay in Paris?
Ingrid, I just love his Smart car!
Nathalie
Brilliant review Ingrid! I'm also in the JPG-loving camp - for his humour, and as you say, humanist approach. The 20 minute late fashion diva would have made me cringe...I'm one of those people who has to be early for everything - I guess I'd never make it into the diva camp for that reason! Hope you had a great time, and it sounds like you definitely did.
Until reading your wonderful post about JPG I confess to thinking of him in the 'untouchable' realm, from a persona point of view, but your writings unravel my mis-conceptions and I find myself wanting to know him a little more intimately. Naturally the keys to the miniature car would help and an ensemble or two could speed the process dramatically - for now I will continue to read your reviews and hope the above follow.
Great message about fashion. In my youth, I admired my one girlfriend who was large and always adored interesting make up and designs. I remember that males also admired her pizzaz.
That JPG Smart Car is brilliant!
And this: "I am just the old terrible." Just super.
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