The Spring 2023 exhibition of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art features the work of Karl Lagerfeld (1933–2019). The exhibit showcases the German born designer's work for Balmain, Patou, Chloé, Fendi, Chanel, as well as his own Karl Lagerfeld label through approximately 180 pieces on display.
I recently made a trip up to the Met to see this exhibit. While the man was sometimes controversial, Lagrefeld was a gifted and prolific designer and I did admire his artistry. Many of pieces on display are accompanied by his sketches, an interesting way to highlight a critical component of his creative process and collaborative relationships. The show opens with videos by French filmmaker Loïc Prigent, documenting the late designer’s creative practices from 1997 to 2019, to galleries highlighting his work at Balmain as a design assistant, and his tenure as artistic director for Patou. One room I found particularly fascinating was the one with videos of the seamstresses who turned Lagerfeld’s sketches into physical garments.
The exhibition is constructed in the framework of William Hogarth’s The Analysis of Beauty, which offers theories on art through the central concept of the “line of beauty” specifically, the “serpentine line,” or an S-shaped curve that exists within an object to represents “liveliness and movement” in contrast to the straight lines which signify "stillness and inactivity." This ideology was a source of inspiration for Lagerfeld and it informed his creative process as well as the aesthetics of his work. It is also manifested through this exhibit with the serpentine line representing Lagerfeld's historicist, romantic and decorative designs and the straight line signifying his modernist, classicist and minimalist side. This was quite a compelling way to illustrate the striking duality that was often present in his work.Getting to see the garments up close really makes one appreciate the labor, exquisite craftsmanship and artistry that goes into them. I've always like his work for Chanel and Chloé the most and this exhibit cemented that. Karl Lagerfeld A Line Of Beauty is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York through July 18. The museum offers a virtual line system for the exhibition.
I hope you will enjoy this peek inside. I took as many photos as I could to share. Check out some of the other exhibitions I've featured here like China Through The Looking Glass and Yves Saint Laurent The Perfection Of Style.
7 comments
This is an exhibition I would enjoy seeing!
Karl was a talented designer.
Thank you for allowing me to take this digital peak.
Absolutely stunning
Must have been quite a stunning experience.
Oh very good collection
Just a beautiful exhibit....thanks for all the awesome pictures, Rowena. I love the pieces. I've seen the Chanel documentary many times that Loic did....Lagerfeld was, indeed, a genius. Whether one likes him or not, one cannot deny that he was one of the truly talented ones.
Hey Rowena,
Thank you so much for sharing this breathtaking experience with us! Fashion exhibitions are my favorite and I would love to have the chance to see more, sometimes we see a bit in Barcelona but I haven't been in one recently.
I just love the way the MET always put something interesting in the conversation, and even tho Karl Lagerfeld is a quite controversial figure, no one can deny that he had an eye and that his work changed many aspects of fashion forever.
Love to see that there are many pieces from a lot of eras, those from haute couture section with the embroideries are really fascinating and breathtaking!
Wish I could visit the MET next time in NYC, haven't been there tho and I bet it is quite an experience.
PS: The photos are marvelous too!
Pablo
www.HeyFungi.com
Wow fabulous post absolutely fashionable.
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