Yves Saint Laurent – The Retrospective
Over four decades, Yves Saint Laurent has solidified its position as one of the foremost design houses in the world. Now, their entire history will be laid open for all to see at the Denver Art Museum, for the Yves Saint Laurent – The Retrospective exhibition.
The Denver Art Museum (DAM) and the Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent will present a complete overview of the designer’s 40 years of creativity. Combining photographs, drawings, films and other multimedia elements with a selection of 200 haute couture outfits, the exhibition creates an immersive environment for visitors to see firsthand the development of Yves Saint Laurent’s style and the historical foundations of his work. Organised thematically, the multifaceted presentation melds design and art to explore the full arc of his career, from his first days at Dior in 1958 through the splendor of his final runway collection in 2002.
During his 40 years of designing, Yves Saint Laurent transformed the female wardrobe by borrowing the tuxedo, the trouser suit, shorts and the safari jacket from men’s clothing, transferring these symbols of power from one gender to the other. Drawing inspiration from the World War II era (Scandal Collection, 1971), his imaginary travels (Africa, China, India, Japan, Morocco, Spain and Russia) and his dialogue with art (Van Gogh, Matisse, Mondrian, Picasso and Tom Wesselmann, among others), Yves Saint Laurent was forever turning fashion into celebration.
“My primary concern has always been respect for my craft, which is not exactly an art, but which depends on an artist for its existence,” Yves Saint Laurent
Yves Saint Laurent – The Retrospective’ will show from Sunday March 25 to Sunday July 8 2012.
www.denverartmuseum.org
