On October 25, “The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk“—which has spent two years traveling the world, from Montreal to Rotterdam—arrives at the Brooklyn Museum. The iconoclastic designer took us behind the scenes of his spellbinding show. Just don’t call it a retrospective! brooklynmuseum.org
Does the exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum differ in any way from how it ran at other museums?
In Brooklyn, there’s a new section dedicated to my muses. I’ll show the Americans, Leslie Winer, Linda Evangelista or Karlie Kloss nowadays, who inspired me.
Where did these works come from?
Most are from our archive, but there are also loans. Some are even from my friends who kept the pieces long after they wore them.
When you were putting together this retrospective, what considerations did you give the most weight?
The fact is, it’s not a retrospective but a new creation. A retrospective happens when you’re no longer around. I decided I wanted to be a couturier on seeing the film Falbalas by Jacques Becker, and I’ve always thought that clothes need to be shown on models, that they need to be in movement. I didn’t want a monument; rather, I wanted an exhibition that was living and breathing.
What are your favorite pieces?
It’s difficult to choose—they are all my children.
Going Dutch
The American tour of paintings from the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis in the Hague makes its final stop at the Frick, following time in Japan. Starting October 22, 15 Dutch masterpieces will be on view, including Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. frick.org
Magical Magritte
From September 28 until January 12, MoMA will host “Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926–1938,” an exhibit of the Belgian artist’s most beloved creations—paintings, photographs and commercial works—from his Surrealist years. moma.org
