A taste of France by way of Texas, come again, how so? The kind folks at the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) hosts The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, the first exhibition ever devoted to the celebrated French couturier curated by the Montreal Museum of Fine Art (MMFA). In the 70′s Jean Paul Gaultier was immediately dubbed fashion’s enfant terrible for his shocking and unusual haute couture as well as pop culture fused street wear. From encouraging the use of man-skirts to designing Madonna’s cone bra and corsets worn during her Blond Ambition Tour to the future-sex-tric costumes in The Fifth Element to the more recent Nicki Minaj get ups and all the other audacious cutting-edge pieces is the work he has been heavily criticized for which in turn ultimately made him as popular as he is today.
The exhibit pays honor and is inarguably JPG’s biggest show to date as it features approximately 140 accessorized ensembles for women and men spanning over 35 years from his couture and ready‐to‐wear collections, including wigs and headdresses.
According to Olivier Meslay, the DMA’s Interim Director as well as its Senior Curator of European and American Art and The Barbara Thomas Lemmon Curator of European Art, “Jean Paul Gaultier’s couture fashions are bold and unapologetic, and intuitively reflect the cultural moods of a global society. His designs inspire, influence, and bring the very essence of imagination to life. The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier marks the first time the DMA will present an exhibition that explores the art of fashion and we are thrilled to be the first U.S. institution to exhibit the work of one of the most influential designers of our time.”
This multimedia installation is organized along six different thematic sections tracing the influences, from the streets of Paris to the world of science fiction, that have marked the couturier’s creative development: “The Odyssey of Jean Paul Gaultier,” “Boudoir,” “Skin Deep,” “Punk Cancan,” “Urban Jungle,” and “Metropolis.” An audio-visual component is added as an extra dimension to the lively atmosphere by surprising visitors with their lifelike presence and spontaneous commentary with 30 animated, talking mannequins, placed throughout the galleries, including one of Gaultier himself. The incredible presentation is on view now through February 12th, 2012. And here are a few words from the vibrant Jean Paul along with a peek of exhibit.
Dallas Museum of Art
1717 North Harwood
Dallas TX 75201
Images Courtesy of the Dallas Museum of Art
