A Century of Fashion Photography, 1911–2011
Getty Museum, Los Angeles
June 26–October 21, 2018
This exhibition surveys the rich and varied history of modern fashion photography. It explores ways in which photographers, whose careers have been closely associated with the industry, have shaped evolving notions of style and beauty. Drawn from the Getty Museum’s permanent collection and supplemented by loans from private and public sources, Icons of Style features more than 160 photographs presented alongside a selection of costumes, illustrations, magazine covers, videos, and advertisements. To learn more about the artists and works on display, Coachella Magazine interviewed Paul Martineau, curator of the exhibition.
Coachella Magazine: How did the Icons of Style come about?
Paul Martineau: I reviewed the museum’s holdings of fashion photographs in 2010, when I was conducting research for the Herb Ritts: L.A. Style exhibition and publication project. I was intrigued by what I found and began working to strengthen the collection of fashion photographs, to create a foundation on which we could build a groundbreaking exhibition. Over the next eight years we added 70 photographs by 25 makers to the permanent collection.
CM: What is your role as a curator and do you have a favorite piece in the exhibit?
Martineau: As the person who conceived the exhibition and its accompanying publication, I had to develop an organizational structure for both, deciding which artists, photographs, ephemera, and information to include or exclude in order to create an edifying and visually compelling result. One of my favorite photographs is Black Evening Dress in Flight, New York by Hiro.
CM: 100 years of fashion photography — how do you tie a ribbon around all that?
Martineau: This project has been the most challenging of my career. I began by scouring the internet and all the books I could get my hands on. Then I visited commercial galleries, archives, and public and private collections in Berlin, Boston, Chicago, Hamburg, London, Los Angeles, New York, and Paris, to identify potential loan objects. After compiling more than 600 images, I began the slow process of editing them down to the 160 photographs that are included in the show.
CM: What have you learned or enjoyed most about fashion photography over the course of curating the exhibit? Did it change your perception about the work?
Martineau: When I began thinking about the shape of this exhibition, I realized that it was the perfect opportunity to celebrate the work of a larger, more diverse group of fashion photographers. This allowed me to place works by Gleb Derujinsky and Kourken Pakchanian (both unknown to me before I began this project) next to those by Richard Avedon, William Klein, and Irving Penn. I was excited to find great fashion photographs by practitioners who have been underrepresented in previous exhibitions and books.
While updating and re-evaluating the history, fashion photography was the primary focus. The exhibition highlights key figures (fashion magazine editors, models, and couturiers) and moments in fashion history, such as Dior’s new look (1947), the invention of the Monokini (1964), the Battle of Versailles (1973), and the first time an African-American model graced the cover of American Vogue (1974). It also included film clips, fashion illustrations, advertisements, and eight costumed mannequins.
CM: Can you tell us about some of the photographs featured in the exhibition? Was there a particular image you wished to display but couldn’t?
Martineau: Every photograph selected has a different story to tell. Here’s an example:
Bathing Suits by Izod, Paris (1930) by George Hoyningen-Huene. Although it appears as if these athletic, sun-tanned models are overlooking an expanse of sea and sky, they are actually posed on the roof of the artist’s studio in Paris. The “sea” and the “sky” are both made of brick–the parapet and the wall of the adjacent building. An overturned wooden box serves as the base for the models’ interlocking and somewhat pyramidal pose.
I was keen to include Erwin Blumenfeld’s iconic photograph of Lisa Fonssagrives on the Eiffel Tower, but by the time I located a vintage print, it was too late to bring in on loan.
CM: When people think of fine art, paintings and sculpture often come to mind. Why do you feel this is the moment for fashion photography to take the spotlight?
Martineau: Thanks to the World Wide Web, fashion photography is more popular than ever.
CM: What conversations would you like the audience to have?
Martineau: I always create my exhibitions with two very different types of visitors in mind: Those who know nothing about the subject matter at hand and those who are familiar with it. Striking a balance between those two poles becomes a game of sorts for me. How do I tell a story that is clear to the uninitiated and surprising to the experts?
HOURS: 10am-5:30pm | Fri-Sat 10am-9pm
CLOSED: Mondays
ADMISSION: Free
PARKING: $15; $10 after 3 pm.
WEB: getty.edu/visit/