Art + Fashion

Collaborations and Connections Between Icons

E.P. Cutler, Julien Tomasello

• Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9781452138695
• eBook ISBN: 9781452146270
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Fashion Design

A volume of magnificent proportions, Art + Fashion is as exciting and elegant as the creative partnerships it celebrates. Spanning numerous eras, men and women's fashion, and a wide range of art mediums, these 25 collaborative projects reveal the astonishing work that results when luminaries from the art world (such as Pollock, Haring, and Hirst) come together with icons of the fashion world (including Saint Laurent, Westwood, McQueen). From 20th-century legends such as Elsa Schiaparelli and her famous lobster dress painted by Salvador Dalí to 21st-century trailblazers such as Cindy Sherman and her self-portraits in vintage Chanel, these electric and provocative pairings—represented in lavish visuals and thoughtful essays reflecting on the history of each project—brim with the energy and possibility of powerful forces uniting.

COLLABORATIONS

JACKSON POLLOCK

CECIL BEATON

The March 1, 1951 vogue featured a four-page spread of photographs by Cecil Beaton. The “Spring Ball Gowns” were modeled by Irene and Sophie in front of Jackson Pollock’s works from 1950: Lavender Mist (Number 1), Number 27, Number 28, and Autumn Rhythm (Number 30), then on display at the Betty Parsons Gallery. The American-made but Paris-inspired gowns were available for order at New York’s top department stores: Henri Bendel, Milgrim, Lord & Taylor, and the Salon Moderne at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Featuring artists in fashion magazines was by no means a new phenomenon. Profiles and artist studio visits have long been segments in fashion publications. Harper’s Bazaar had name-dropped Jackson Pollock (1912–1956) in its April 1944 issue, with a double-page spread dedicated to American painters. However, Brit Cecil Beaton (1904–1980) ventured further, using Jackson Pollock’s work in a fashion spread, not an artist profile. Numerous art critics saw Beaton’s actions as drastically overstepping. This Vogue editorial caused a commotion that continues to this day because Cecil Beaton visually compared the dusky blue of the Bianchini silk dress to the drips of color found in Jackson Pollock’s Lavender Mist, the perky pink of Henri Bendel’s silk paper taffeta day dress and the warm browns in Pollock’s Autumn Rhythm. The bold line in the sand between the disciplines of art and fashion was blurred. From the debate, one would think riots ensued. How dare Beaton compare high art with fashion, a lower art—if an art at all! The models obstructed Pollock’s “genius” work!⁸ Pollock’s art matters more than Vogue fashions! Vociferous objection!

Yet, for those not mired in the hundreds of pages of dense, often snarky art theory and criticism, the spread illustrates a beautiful cultural confluence. The same societal realities that birthed modernism produced indulgent post–WWII New Looks. What’s more, with this fashion spread, women in search of the perfect frock were educated not just on the new trends but also on high society’s new obsession: Jackson Pollock and his “dazzling and curious” creations. As Vogue wrote, Pollock’s works had been purchased by “the most astute private collectors and museum directors in the country,” among them people affiliated with the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and Yale University, as well as Pollock’s first agent, Peggy Guggenheim.⁹

JACKSON POLLOCK

Vogue viewed Jackson Pollock in a positive light when Pollock’s paintings were barely selling—the Betty Parsons Gallery only sold one Pollock, Lavender Mist, during the exhibition—and critics were finding new ways to disparage his work. Venice-based critic Bruno Alfieri had mused a year earlier that Jackson Pollock’s work represented “absolutely nothing” other than perhaps “chaos, absolute lack of harmony; complete lack of structural organization; total absence of technique; once again, chaos.”¹⁰

While it seems unlikely that Pollock was contacted for permission regarding the shoot beforehand, he was happy to be in Vogue, writing to his friend that “the issue of Vogue has three pages of my paintings (with models of course). Will send a copy.”¹¹

So, what’s all the fuss about?

THE NEW SOFT LOOK FEATURING A PAINTING BY JACKSON POLLOCK | CECIL BEATON FOR VOGUE, 1951

THE NEW SOFT LOOK FEATURING PAINTINGS BY JACKSON POLLOCK | CECIL BEATON FOR VOGUE, 1951

ALEX PRAGER

BOTTEGA VENETA

Don’t underestimate the power of shoes. In 1974, William Eggleston photographed bedraggled wingtips under a bed. Art critic Hilton Kramer was less than impressed, smirking that if he ever wanted to see that, he’d go home and look at his own. Yet, twenty-five years later, the stark, poignant simplicity of Eggleston’s work inspired then-directionless Alex Prager (b. ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Dedication
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Quotes
• Collaborations
• Epilogue: Zevs
• Bibliography
• Endnotes
• Art Credits
• Index
• About the Authors
• Chronicle Ebooks