Thierry Mugler at the Kunsthal Rotterdam Oct 13- March 8th Photo: © Alan Strutt

Alan Strutt, Yasmin Le Bon, Palladium, London, 1997 ; Evening Standard Magazine, October 1997. Photo: © Alan Strutt. Outfit : Thierry Mugler, La Chimère collection, “La Chimère” gown, haute couture fall/winter 1997–1998.
This fall the Kunsthal Rotterdam proudly presents the first retrospective on French creator Thierry Mugler. https://www.kunsthal.nl/en/plan-your-visit/exhibitions/thierrymugler/. This major exhibition will reveal the multiple universes of this undeniably artistic figure – visionary couturier, director, photographer and perfumer – in a retrospective of his work, especially his ready-to-wear and haute couture creations. Initiated, produced and circulated by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, in collaboration with the Clarins Group and the Maison Mugler, the exhibition’s world premiere will launch in Montreal in March 2019. As collaboration partner, the Kunsthal Rotterdam will be the second stop and the first venue in Europe to show this spectacular retrospective.

“I have always been fascinated by the most beautiful animal on Earth: the human being. I have used all of the tools at my disposal to sublimate this creature: fashion, shows, perfumes, photography, video… I am not a person who dwells in the past, but the MMFA, through Nathalie Bondil, was the first to propose to me to stage my creations and imagine together a free, global and reinvented artistic vision. How could I refuse?” said creator Manfred Thierry Mugler.

SPECTACULAR AND IMMERSIVE

The exhibition ‘Thierry Mugler: Couturissime’ brings together more than 150 outfits, most of them on display for the first time, created between 1977 and 2014, as well as many never-before seen accessories and stage costumes, clips and videos, archival documents and sketches. A hundred works by the greatest contemporary fashion photographers such as Guy Bourdin, Jean-Paul Goude, David LaChapelle, Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts, Dominique Issermann round out the exhibition. Many of the immersive galleries have been designed by artists such as Michel Lemieux and Philipp Fürhofer, and special effects studio Rodeo FX. London-based designer Tord Boontje has also created Swarovski crystal chandeliers for one of the galleries. The mannequins were custom-made by Hans Boodt Mannequins, Rotterdam.

SINGULAR IMAGINATION

‘Thierry Mugler: Couturissime’ traces the path of an exceptional creator who revolutionized fashion with morphological and futuristic cuts, and glamorous, sculptural and elegant silhouettes; strict lines and super-heroine shoulders; and a corseted waist dressing a sublime, sensual and powerful woman in constant metamorphosis. The exhibition offers a dive into his singular imagination, to encounter by turns his perfectionism, Hollywood-style prestige, dreams, exotic creatures, eroticism, and science fiction. It will explain his audacious choices, such as using innovative materials in high fashion such as metal, fake fur, vinyl and latex.

Emily Ansenk, Director Kunsthal added: “We are very proud to be able to present yet another fashion icon to the Dutch public this autumn. The Kunsthal has established a strong tradition in programming world renowned fashion exhibitions in the Netherlands – from Jean Paul Gaultier and Peter Lindbergh to Viktor &Rolf – and we consider it a great honour to be the first venue in Europe to show this special retrospective of Thierry Mugler. We are looking forward to a renewed collaboration with Nathalie Bondil, Thierry-Maxime Loriot and all partners involved.”

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Diane Pernet

A LEGENDARY FIGURE IN FASHION and a pioneer of blogging, Diane is a respected journalist, critic, curator and talent-hunter based in Paris. During her prolific career, she designed her own successful brand in New York, costume designer, photographer, and filmmaker.

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