Silent and secretive, determined to a lifetime of seclusion spent entirely in the workshop, Madame Grès (1903-1993) saw herself as a sculptor. Fully immersed in his work, with the relentless determination of tireless masters, Azzedine Alaïa (1935-2017) also studied sculpture at the School of Fine Arts in Tunis. This shared ambition was not corrupted by the fashion trades to which they dedicated themselves with such singularity and success. On the contrary, it elevated the art of draping for one and the art of cutting for the other to the level of guiding principles in the history of fashion.

While there is no evidence that the two couturiers ever crossed paths, their creations undoubtedly did. Apostles of a certain form of simplicity, the seemingly simple creations of Grès and Alaïa hide an inherent complexity in their cut and design.

The drapery that Grès had elevated to the level of total art since the 1930s is embodied in Alaïa’s long, fluid, and pleated dresses. The jersey embraced by the former translates into knitwear and soft materials in the latter’s designs. The pursuit of proportion and the precision in cutting, whether for evening or daytime models, unite them.

For the first time, an unprecedented exhibition brings together the works of Madame Grès and Alaïa. United by their formal principles, their cutting techniques, and the harmonious combinations of fabric and colors they commonly embraced, the evening gowns and day dresses by both couturiers invite visitors to a lesson beyond fashion. Timeless for one, and outside of time for the other, the exhibited creations, totaling 60, restore the dialogue between Grès and Alaïa, two solitary and determined individuals who became sculptors of dresses.

Fondation Azzedine Alaïa 18
Rue de la Verrerie
75004 Paris
P : +33 (0)1 87 44 87 75

Press Inquiries: fondationazzedinealaia@2e-bureau.com

fondationazzedinealaia.org

Looking forward to the 2024 Olympics, the Musée des Arts décoratifs (Paris) presents Fashion and Sports: From one Podium to Another, an exhibition on the fascinating interconnections between fashion and sports from the Ancient World to the present day. This major exhibition illuminates the shared social concerns and focus on the body of the apparently unrelated worlds of fashion and sports. 450 items of clothing, accessories, photographs, sketches, magazines, posters, paintings, sculptures and videos illustrate the evolution of sportswear and its influence on contemporary fashions. Jean Patou, Jeanne Lanvin, Gabrielle Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli were some of the interwar fashion design pioneers who found inspiration in the world of sports. The exhibition shows how they made sportswear fashionable in a wider range of contexts, including in everyday wardrobes. The importance of comfortable clothes is a recurrent theme, explaining why tracksuits and sneakers are now ubiquitous on the streets and on the catwalk, from Balenciaga to Off- White. The exhibition was curated by Sophie Lemahieu, Keeper of the museum’s post-1947 Fashion and Textiles Collections. The colourful and lively exhibition design is by BGC Studio.

More Info

Musée des Arts Décoratifs
107 Rue de Rivoli
75001 Paris

Contact: P : +33 (0)1 44 55 57 50
madparis.fr

Tate Modern, London, Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection, Paris, K21 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf, and Moderna Museet, Stockholm, have joined forces to present a major retrospective of the work of Mike Kelley, a key figure on the Californian scene during the decades 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.

This artist who defies categorization is among the most influential of the late twentieth century. His work formulates a critique of American society and its aberrations, oscillating between trashiness and a pop aesthetic, juggling between high culture, popular culture, and counter-culture. Appropriating and combining every technique: performance, music, drawing, painting, sculpture, installation, photography, and video, Mike Kelley invented and blazed his own artistic trail, one which has inspired several generations of artists. Disturbing rather than provocative, he takes on symbols, icons, and elements of individual and collective memory which he filters through his own practice, with a perspective that is at times unhinged, touching, irreverent, and melancholic.

The exhibition presents some of his most famous works, such as the Kandor cities (sculptures inspired by the Superman comic strip), which make up a spectacular installation, but also more intimate and fragile works which critique social, cultural, and family conditioning.

Bourse de Commerce
2 Rue de Viarmes
75001 Paris

General Inquiries: P : +33 (0)1 55 04 60 60
info.boursedecommerce@pinaultcollection.com
www.pinaultcollection.com

The musée des Arts décoratifs pays tribute to Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen, now recognized as one of the most avant-garde figures of her generation. Organized as an immersive and sensory exploration into the designer’s universe, this retrospective merging fashion, contemporary art, design and science, revolves around eight themes that identify the very essence of van Herpen’s body of work.

Musée des Arts Décoratifs
107 Rue de Rivoli
75001 Paris
P : +33 (0)1 44 55 57 50

Booking: reservation@madparis.fr
madparis.fr