Jean Paul Gaultier – From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk is the title of a Montreal Museum of Fine Arts exhibition currently visiting at Munich’s Kunsthalle. Over 420.000 people have seen the show in Paris, France. The show in Munich is the eleventh leg of the exhibitions tour and the last chance to see the many costumes, gowns and other creations chosen for From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk of the Enfant Terrible of Haute Couture in Europe.
140 creations, dating from the early 1970s up to now are being shown at the exhibition. In addition to his haute couture and prêt-à-porter designs, the show includes costumes for theatre, dance, and cinema. Gaultier repeatedly worked together with film directors like Pedro Almodóvar, Luc Besson or Peter Greenaway and created stage outfits for popstars, like the famous bustier worn by Madonna in 1990 that caused a stir on her Blonde Ambition tour. Apart from the Queen of Pop, many other stars like Kylie Minogue have lent their Gaultier creations to be included in the exhibition. With Jean Paul Gaultier, the Kunsthalle Munich celebrates its first fashion presentation, its 30th anniversary and its 100th exhibition.
Gaultier’s close cooperation with artists like Pierre et Gilles, Peter Lindbergh, Cindy Sherman and Andy Warhol is presented in a wide range of artistic and documentary film material, videos and photographs. The show is not a mere fashion retrospective but a poetic contemporary installation: with the strong social message we find in Gaultier’s work, the exhibition embraces various arts and reflects his spirit in an opulent extravaganza, say the people from Kunsthalle.
“Gaultier likes to say it’s his biggest fashion show ever,” said Nathalie Bondil, director of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, who heads the project. “... after hugely successful runs on three continents, it’s not over yet. More than a million and a half people discovered Jean Paul Gaultier’s haute couture in this exhibition, which featured never-before-seen animated mannequins, and above all, heard his unifying, humanist message.”
You can visit the show from September 18th 2015 until Valentine’s Day 2016 on February 14th at the Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung, Theatinerstrasse 8. The exhibition will next move to the Dongdeamun Design Plaza in Seoul, South Korea for its final leg.
Jean Paul Gaultier at Kunsthalle Munich – Teaser Video
