Madame Grès: Couture at Work at the Musée Bourdelle in Paris is a collection of 80 pieces by the late designer who was famous for her sculptural and artistic creations. The show is organized by Curator and Director of the Musée Galliera Olivier Saillard and is showing at the Musée Bourdelle while the Galliera undergoes renovations.
What makes this show interesting is not only that it shows the work of a great designer but also the work of an exceptional curator. Through its exhibition design, the show is able to bring attention to a growing movement for a re-consideration of costume and fashion as art forms. Traditionally, costume is functional and ephemeral and as a result is not always considered a creditable art form. Yet with the popularity of fashion and the need for museums to raise visitor ship, more and more institutions are organizing costume exhibitions. (see NYT:Museums Are Finding Room for Couturiers)
This recent focus on costume and fashion allows us to consider new ways to hang exhibitions. Madame Grès: Couture at Work does this by showing costume in new environments, surrounded by other more familiar art forms such as photography and sculpture to tell the story.
Suzy Menkes gives the show a good review. She ends by writing: “What do we learn from the show? That fashion can be an art form only with rigorous craftsmanship. Or as Mr. Saillard says of Madame Grès: ‘The apparent simplicity of her work conceals extremely complex skills.’”
Madame Grès: Couture at Work will be on view through July 24. For more: NYT: Madame Grès as Sculptor and the NYT slideshow.
