8 January 2016
Until March 20 the Pinacothèque de Paris will be hosting the exhibition A Visual Journey, a selection of photographic works by Karl Lagerfeld, described by the prestigious The Business of Fashion as a hero of multitasking, a modern-day version of the universal Renaissance man. Photographer, fashion designer and publisher, Lagerfeld is a truly versatile artist and A Visual Journey explores his boundless interests: from landscapes to fashion, from mythology to architecture, from self-portraits to portraits of models, especially his favorites Baptiste Giabiconi and Bianca Balti, made using Polaroid film, daguerreotypes, platinotypes, Fresson prints and digital cameras. It is hard to discern a guiding thread of inspiration, to see any sign of hardening into a style. “I like the ephemeral: fashion is my profession. But the ephemeral quality of a photo is on a different plane from that of fashion. The unrepeatability of the moment adds a nostalgic quality,” declares Lagerfeld. And Eric Pfrunder, image director of Chanel and co-curator of the exhibition, reveals that Lagerfeld takes at the most five shots of each subject, and usually chooses the first: “No accidents, no surprises.” A lack of the unexpected that becomes clear as you walk through the exhibition and that makes you want to go back to the beginning again in search of a clue: but the mystery is all in the icon, the silvery ponytail, the slender body, the dark glasses.
Karl Lagerfeld, A Visual Journey
Pinacothèque de Paris
Curated by Eric Pfrunder and Gerhard Steidl
Paris
October 16, 2015 > March 20, 2016
Karl Lagerfeld, Heidi Mount, Vermont, 2009. © 2015 Karl Lagerfeld.
Karl Lagerfeld, Jessica Stam, Harper’s Bazaar, États-Unis, 2007. © 2015 Karl Lagerfeld.
Karl Lagerfeld, Le Voyage d’Ulysse, 2013. © 2015 Karl Lagerfeld.
Karl Lagerfeld, Le Voyage d’Ulysse, 2013. © 2015 Karl Lagerfeld.
Karl Lagerfeld, Kendall Jenner, Harper’s Bazaar, États-Unis, 2015. © 2015 Karl Lagerfeld.
Karl Lagerfeld, Un portrait de Dorian Gray, 2005. © 2015 Karl Lagerfeld.
Karl Lagerfeld, Candice Swanepoel, Harper’s Bazaar, Corée, 2011. © 2015 Karl Lagerfeld.
Karl Lagerfeld, Candice Swanepoel, Harper’s Bazaar, Corée, 2011. © 2015 Karl Lagerfeld.
Karl Lagerfeld, Daphnis et Chloé, 2013. © 2015 Karl Lagerfeld.
Karl Lagerfeld, Anna Ewers, Numéro, 2015. © 2015 Karl Lagerfeld.
Karl Lagerfeld, Anna Ewers, Numéro, 2015. © 2015 Karl Lagerfeld.