‘I am honoured and flattered that my exhibition will travel to Australia and I am thrilled to be returning to a country that I have visited only once, many years ago. Preparing this exhibition I have realised how strong my ties to Australia are – Nicole Kidman was my first couture client; Kylie is a dear friend and I have had the pleasure of working closely with her on her tours. I have also been working for many years with models Gemma Ward, Catherine McNeil, Jarrod Scott, and the list goes on. The people are what make this country great and you Australians certainly excel!’ – Jean Paul Gaultier
Ground-breaking French couturier Jean Paul Gaultier will open his exhibition The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk at the National Gallery of Victoria on Friday 17 October.
Showing exclusively in Melbourne and the only venue in the Asia-Pacific region, the exhibition will feature over 140 superbly crafted and detailed garments spanning his creative output, from the first dress created in 1971 and the launch of his first prêt-à-porter collection in 1976 to his most recent haute couture collections. The exhibition is curated by Thierry-Maxime Loriot and organised by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in collaboration with Maison Jean Paul Gaultier, Paris.
This spectacular overview of Gaultier’s extensive oeuvre will include exclusive material not exhibited in previous venues of the tour, such as pieces from his recent haute couture, ready-to-wear collections and pieces created for Australian muses such as Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman, Andreja Pejic and Gemma Ward. More than a million visitors have already flocked to see the exhibition on its worldwide tour that includes Montreal, New York and London.
Minister for the Arts Heidi Victoria MP said, ‘The National Gallery of Victoria is the only Australian venue and, indeed, the only venue in the region, to stage this extraordinary exhibition celebrating the creative talent of one of the world’s most influential fashion designers. The exhibition promises to be show-stopping and I look forward to welcoming it to Melbourne.’
Tony Ellwood, Director, NGV, said, ‘Jean Paul Gaultier’s radical designs break down stereotypes and clichés, questioning preconceived standards of beauty and challenging societal, gender and aesthetic ‘norms’. The results are exquisite works of art; exuberant, witty, surprising and dramatic. This is a unique chance for our visitors to experience the world of Jean Paul Gaultier; a world that extends beyond the catwalk into the realms of art, music and film.’
Initiated, developed, produced and circulated by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) under the direction of NathalieBondil, the MMFA’s Director and Chief Curator, the exhibition is organised around seven themes tracing the influences, passions and obsessions of Jean Paul Gaultier; from the streets of Paris and London to his impact on world cinema. A major
feature of the exhibition is the 32 custom mannequins utilising high-definition audio-visual projections. A dozen celebrities lent their faces and voices to realise this project, among them Gaultier himself but also muses Ève Salvail and Smashing Pumpkins/Hole bass player Melissa Auf der Maur. Many of the mannequins wear remarkable wigs and headdresses created by renowned hairstylist Odile Gilbert and her Atelier 68 team.
The production and staging of this dynamic audio-visual element is the work of Denis Marleau and Stéphanie Jasmin of UBU/Compagnie de création of Montreal. Jolicoeur International, one of Canada’s leading designers and manufacturers of display mannequins for retail chains, created all the mannequins in the exhibition. They are presented in innovative poses and in skin tones that reflect the various ethnicities of Gaultier’s runway models. Accessories, sketches, stage costumes and excerpts and footage from films, runway shows, concerts and dance performances will help illustrate the intriguing story of this unrivalled fashion designer.
Gaultier’s rich collaborations with renowned contemporary artists and photographers such as Andy Warhol, Peter Lindbergh, Richard Avedon, David LaChapelle, Pierre et Gilles, Herb Ritts, Cindy Sherman, Stéphane Sednaoui and Mario Testino among others, are a major focus of attention.
The exhibition is accompanied by the first major monograph on the French designer, The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Catwalk to the Sidewalk, as well as a special publication The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Catwalk to Australia highlighting Gaultier’s work with the many Australian muses.
A special program of events have been created including a series of Opening Weekend Talks, the return of the popular Friday Nights series with a huge line-up of fourteen acts including JD Samson, Cibo Matto and the Bombay Royale and a lecture series, A Colourful History of the Stripe, which will detail the historical and societal significant of one of Gaultier’s signature design elements. Later in the season visitors can enjoy Drop-by Drawing: Fashion, the Dressed by Jean Paul Gaultier: Movie Marathon and a ten day NGV Children’s Festival which will give kids and families the opportunity to immerse themselves in the exhibition and children’s commission Express Yourself: Romance Was Born for Kids.
The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk is on display at the National Gallery of Victoria from 17 October until 8 February 2015. Admission fees apply.
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