Latest exhibition: Shapes and Forms at Musée Yves Saint Laurent in Paris

The most recent show at the Musée Yves Saint Laurent celebrates the designer’s geometric and graphic creations in an exhibition called “Shapes and Forms.”

From his earliest days, even before creating his couture house, YSL imagined new shapes in womenswear. One of his most famous was also one of his earliest, the trapeze dress he designed in 1958 for the house of Dior after taking over from the eponymous designer when he died in 1957. The A-line shape differed from the figures the house was built on, namely, The New Look, which emphasized the waist. Far from accentuating curves, this new silhouette was held up by the shoulders instead of a corseted core, allowing the fabric to drape and swing around the body.

MONDRIAN SUIT Worn by Mounia Orosemane Spring–summer 1980 haute couture collection © Yves Saint Laurent © All rights reserved

Throughout his 40 years at his house, Yves was deeply inspired by art and incorporated it into much of his work. The most famous is probably his Mondrian dresses from his autumn/winter 1965 collection, featuring coloured squares placed across a loosely fitted cream-coloured shift dress defined by black lines in an homage to the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian. The pop art movement of the 1960s mirrored much of Yves' interests in bold colours and solid lines and his use of geometric construction to create optical illusions. The 80s saw some of his most graphic works with distinct shapes reminiscent of the cubism of Picasso and the Fauvism of Matisse, with intense black monochromatic forms as hats.

RESEARCH SKETCH SAINT LAURENT rive gauche Autumn–winter 1988 collection © Yves Saint Laurent

These works are juxtaposed with pieces by artist Claudia Wieser, whose bio explains “developed an artistic practice dominated by an attention to geometry and space.” From the exhibition notes, “With the exhibition YVES SAINT LAURENT – SHAPES & FORMS, the couturier’s modern and enduring vision is echoed once again. Through a fascinating spatial arrangement, the artist Claudia Wieser engages with textile pieces and graphic art from the museum’s collections”.

HAIR COMB AND BRACELETS Collection SAINT LAURENT rive gauche Spring–summer 1980 haute couture collection Spring–summer 1982 and autumn–winter 1984 © Yves Saint Laurent © Thibaut Voisin

The show is on until January 14, 2024, so don’t miss it if you are in Paris!