Legendary Artists and the Clothes They Wore
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Whether it’s Cecil Beaton’s flamboyant, classically tailored suits, Frida Kahlo’s love of bright color, or Cindy Sherman’s penchant for minimalism, an artist’s attire often reflects the creative and spiritual essence of his or her work. In Legendary Artists and the Clothes They Wore, fashion authority Terry Newman presents more than forty fully illustrated profiles of masters whose enduring art bears an idiosyncratic stamp—and whose unique way of dress does the same through a signature look, hairstyle, or accessory—and explores the relationship between the two in detail.
In that context, this colorful volume also examines the nonlinear sensibility that has always been the name of the game in what is considered modern style. It examines the dialogue between art and fashion as well as noteworthy artist and designer relationships, such as Yves Saint Laurent’s Mondrian Collection, primary-colored shift dresses inspired by the painter’s work, and Louis Vuitton’s numerous groundbreaking collaborations with major artists, a concept initiated by designer Marc Jacobs that not only has launched some of the fashion industry’s most successful bags, made the art of contemporary masters available to the world at large, and been copied widely ever since.
Numerous compelling features—anecdotes about the artists and their work; portraits of the artists in their studios; archival photographs; select pairings of fine art and runway imagery; quotations by artists, art critics, and designers—make this a rich, engaging study for fashion and art lovers alike.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this thoroughly entertaining survey, fashion writer Newman (Legendary Authors and the Clothes They Wore) explores the signature looks of 36 visual and performance artists, both to parse their influence on fashion and to glean insights about their selves and work. Each section contains photos of the artist, sometimes accompanied by pictures of their work and of couture influenced by their style. Some entries will be familiar even to casual art devotees Picasso wearing his Breton tee, or Frida Kahlo's iconic look involving the Mexican huipul ("square necked tunics embroidered with tapestry, beads, flowers, and gems") along with "starchy lace Juchiteca headdresses" and colorful floor-length skirts. But that's just the beginning. Yayoi Kusama's hair, Grayson Perry's bonnets, and Julian Schnabel's pajama sets are all there, and so are Vanessa Beecroft's collaborations with Kanye West's fashion line, Vogue's use of Jackson Pollock paintings as backdrops for shoots, and Uniqlo's clothes featuring Keith Haring's designs. The best sections focus on lives well lived and sartorial armor well worn: the segment on Jean-Michel Basquiat, a painter whose aesthetic has remained influential decades after his death, highlights that he painted T-shirts and sweats to sell on the street for rent money while painting his own canvases wearing Armani. Breezy, conversational prose and an appealing, colorful layout make the work easy to dive into. This stylish guide will delight art lovers and fashion aficionados alike. Illus.
