Yves Saint Laurent — Rétrospective — Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris — Exhibition — Slash Paris

Past: March 11 → August 29, 2010

My primary concern has always been respect for my craft, which is not exactly an art, but which depends on an artist for its existence.

This exhibition presents a sweeping panorama of Yves Saint Laurent’s forty years of creativity. It is organised thematically, offering a selection of 307 haute couture and ready-towear garments, together with photographs, drawings and films.

The presentation of the creations is meticulously staged, from Saint Laurent’s beginnings with Dior in 1958 — the famous “Trapeze” collection — to the splendour of his evening dresses.

The development of the Saint Laurent style and the fundamentals of his oeuvre are presented in a historical context illustrated with photographs and films.

The sheer richness of his artistic and cultural sources of inspiration is revealed in spectacular tableaux : the first couturier to have opted for true streetwear, Saint Laurent also dressed the most sublime of women.

The exhibition closes with an apotheosis of colours and garments revealing the present-day relevance of the Saint Laurent oeuvre.