JOY BLOG

2 Nov 2014

Jean Paul Gaultier opens at the National Gallery of Victoria

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk

National Gallery of Victoria, 17 October 2014 to 8 February 2015

Photo provided by the National Gallery of Victoria:
William Baker
Kylie Minogue
Virgins (or Madonnas) collection, Immaculata gown
Jean Paul Gaultier Haute couture, spring-summer 2007
net lace dress with large patterned embroidery and white linen cut-outs
© William Baker

“I am honoured and flattered that my exhibition will travel to Australia and I am thrilled to be returning to a country that I have visited only once, many years ago. Preparing this exhibition I have realised how strong my ties to Australia are – Nicole Kidman was my first couture client; I have dressed Cate Blanchett on numerous occasions; Kylie is a dear friend and I have had the pleasure of working closely with her on her tours. I have also been working for many years with models Gemma Ward, Catherine McNeil, Jarrod Scott, and the list goes on. The people are what make this country great and you Australians certainly excel!”

– Jean Paul Gaultier

This spectacular overview of Gaultier’s extensive oeuvre will include exclusive material not exhibited in previous venues of the tour, such as pieces from his recent haute couture and ready-to-wear collections and stage costumes worn by Australian actresses Nicole Kidman at the Oscars and Cate Blanchett at the Golden Globes.

More than a million visitors have already flocked to see the exhibition on its worldwide tour that includes Montreal, New York and London. For the Melbourne exhibition, a section on Gaultier’s Australian muses is being specially developed and will include brilliantly executed pieces created for Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Andrej Pejić and Gemma Ward.

Minister for the Arts Heidi Victoria MP said, “The National Gallery of Victoria is the only Australian venue and, indeed, the only venue in the region, to stage this extraordinary exhibition celebrating the creative talent of one of the world’s most influential fashion designers. The exhibition promises to be show-stopping and I look forward to welcoming it to Melbourne.”

The exhibition is organised around seven themes tracing the influences, passions and obsessions of Jean Paul Gaultier; from the streets of Paris and London to his impact on world cinema. A major feature of the exhibition is the 32 custom mannequins utilising high-definition audio-visual projections.

A dozen celebrities lent their faces and voices to realise this project, among them Gaultier himself but also muses Ève Salvail and Smashing Pumpkins/Hole bass player Melissa Auf der Maur. Many of the mannequins wear remarkable wigs and headdresses created by renowned hairstylist Odile Gilbert and her Atelier 68 team. The production and staging of this dynamic audiovisual element is the work of Denis Marleau and Stéphanie Jasmin of UBU/Compagnie de création of Montreal. Jolicoeur International of Quebec realised all the custom-made mannequins with different skin tones and positions. Accessories, sketches, stage costumes and excerpts and footage from films, runway shows, concerts and dance performances will help illustrate the intriguing story of this unrivalled fashion designer.