On 29 January 1962, the great and the good gathered at 30 bis rue Spontini in Paris to witness the presentation of Yves Saint Laurent’s first collection; the event earned him his place, at the age of just 26, among the great fashion designers of the 20th century. Marking the 60th anniversary of this event, the Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent has arranged a citywide exhibition, taking place at the Musée Yves Saint Laurent as well as five other museums in Paris, which explores the designer’s deep bonds with French art, literature and museum collections. The Musée d’Orsay explores his love of Marcel Proust, the Louvre presents his clothes alongside the lavish decorative arts in the Galerie d’Apollon from which he took inspiration, and the Pompidou looks at his links with a range of avant-garde movements, while there are also displays at the Musée Picasso, the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris, and the Musée Yves Saint Laurent. Find out more from the Musée Yves Saint Laurent’s website.
Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary here

Veste hommage à Pablo Picasso (1979), Yves Saint Laurent. Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris. Photo: Nicolas Mathéus; © Yves Saint Laurent

Portrait of Nusch Eluard (1937), Pablo Picasso. Photo: © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée national Picasso-Paris)/Adrien Didierjean; © Succession Picasso – Gestion droits d’auteur

Ensemble inspirés de Pierre Bonnard (2001), Yves Saint Laurent. Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris. Photo: Nicolas Mathéus; © Yves Saint Laurent

The Garden The Garden (c. 1937), Pierre Bonnard. Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris. Photo: © RMN-Grand Palais/Agence Bulloz

Portrait of Yves Saint Laurent (1971), Jeanloup Sieff. Photo: Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI, Dist. RMN- Grand Palais / image Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI; © Estate of Jeanloup Sieff
Unlimited access from just $16 every 3 months
Subscribe to get unlimited and exclusive access to the top art stories, interviews and exhibition reviews.
What would Jane Austen say?