Arts + travel

Master Photographer Horst P. Horst at V&A

1st October 2014 Fashion icons, Presidents, Hollywood stars, and avant-garde artists were all captured on film by Horst (1906-1999) – one of the leading photographers of the 20th century. A fascinating retrospective of his work – that spanned six decades – is celebrated at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Horst’s stylish photos, plus haute couture garments by Parisian couturiers Chanel, Lavin, Molyneux and Vionnet, magazines, film footage, previously unpublished vintage prints, and ninety-four Vogue covers are all on display.

Horst’s illustrious career straddled the opulence of pre-war Parisian haute couture and the rise of ready-to-wear in New York. He photographed – among many others – Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli, President Harry Truman, Marlene Dietrich, Noël Coward, Merle Oberon, and his photos of Lisa Fonssagrives helped to launch her glittering modelling career.

Born in Weissenfels, Germany, Horst fled Europe just prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1943, he enlisted into the American Army and became a U.S. citizen. He also explored new photography dimensions with nude studies, travel photographs from the Middle East, and patterns created from natural forms, plus work for House and Garden magazine. The scope of his work is imaginatively diverse, and he creatively traversed the worlds of art, fashion, design, theatre and high society – all with superb style. Horst: Photographer of Style continues through 4 January 2015. www.vam.ac.uk JG

Photos: Top image: Muriel Maxwell, American Vogue 1939 Condé Nast/Horst Estate Middle image: Roy Stevens/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images Bottom photo: Condé Nast/Horst Estate

Safilo Celebrates Anniversary and Peggy Guggenheim

20th September 2014 The launch of a new limited edition of the legendary glasses worn by Peggy Guggenheim celebrates the 80th anniversary of Safilo. Edward Melcarth, an American artist and friend, originally designed the sunglasses for Guggenheim. She traversed Venice’s Grand Canal in her private gondola, wearing the eccentric sunglasses surrounded by her beloved dogs. Peggy Guggenheim was the last private gondola owner in Venice, and onlookers were astonished as they watched the charismatic mistress of modernism float along the canal that she loved.

Guggenheim was a renowned collector of 20th century art and gave enormous support to artists that included Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock. Her early childhood was marred by the death of her father on the Titanic, in which he perished. She grew up to live an unconventional, bohemian life filled with artists and travel. In the late 1940’s she bought the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni on The Grand Canal, and made Venice her home for the rest of her life. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is located in her former residence. Safilo had already drawn inspiration from Guggenheim’s sunglasses in 1994, when it first produced and distributed its Peggy Guggenheim model. Like the pervious version, the sunglasses are on sale exclusively at the museum.

Behind the project is the bond that links the Safilo Group to Venice, where the first eyeglasses were born, and capital of the Veneto, the Region where Safilo was established in 1934. Safilo is further celebrating its 80th anniversary by joining the Intrapresae Collezione Guggenheim, a group of leading Italian and international companies that support the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, promoting the education potential of art, with the conviction that art can inspire business to embrace change and to face global challenges. A gala event to celebrate Safilo’s 80th anniversary was held in the Peggy Guggenheim Collection museum’s delightful gardens. www.safilo.com www.guggenheim.org/venice

Top photo: Peggy Guggenheim with her Lhasa Apsos terriers on the terrace of Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, Venice 1960’s Photo credits: Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, photo Archivio CameraphotoEpoche, gift Cassa de Risparmio di Venezia, 2005

The Golden Age of Couture

1st September 2014 A celebration of 1950s Paris fashion is the theme for an outstanding exhibition at the elegant Palais Galliera Museum. The world was post-war, and Christian Dior led the way with his cinched waist silhouettes and full skirts that contrasted with previous austerity. The 1950s were a decisive period for French haute couture, which suffered badly in the wake of the 1929 stock marked crash and the war.

The decade after the war, names synonymous with luxury, originality and beauty elevated French fashion to new heights. In addition to Dior, Coco Chanel, Jacques Heim, Schiaparelli, Carven, Balenciaga, Jacques Fath, Pierre Balmain, Lanvin-Castillo, and Hubert de Givenchy found dazzling success with prestige stores and eager customers. Petticoats, pointed shoes, bright-coloured floral and striped prints, wasp-waist suits and straight skirts, strapless sheath dresses, cocktail dresses: such was the couture of the 50s.

These remarkable designs illustrate the attention to detail; the passion for sumptuous fabrics that the designers loved; and emphasis on an ultra-feminine form. Echoes of this decade now infiltrate the fashion themes of today. Les Années 50 continues until 02 November 2014. Further information at www.palaisgalliera.paris.fr JG

Photos: Top image: Chanel 1955 photo by Henry Clarke/Galliera/Roger-Viollet Centre image: Collection Palais Galliera Bottom image: Eric Emo/Galliera/Roger-Viollet

The King of Trains in Paris Exhibition

19th August 2014 A marvelous vintage steam engine is not a usual sight on Boulevard Saint Germain – but certainly an intriguing one! The gleaming green engine that captures the attention of passers by and motorists is part of a superb exhibition – Il Ètait Un Fois L’Orient Express. The trains are displayed in the outdoor space at L’Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris.

Carriage interiors can be visited, and a nostalgic look at train travel during The Golden Age reflects the amazing grandeur, service, elegance and pampering passengers enjoyed in another era. The “wagon-lits” as they are called in French, are beautifully appointed with fine wood panelling, and carved René Lalique glass insets. Gourmet dining is further enhanced with lovely cutlery and china.

Inside L’Institut du Monde Arabe, visitors can trace the long and fascinating history of The Orient Express – the inaugural voyage was in 1883 between Paris and Constantinople – with letters, photos, film clips and other memorabilia. The allure, mystery, romance and luxury of The Orient Express is indicative of a different way of life and living…and yet can still be enjoyed today! More information at www.imarabe.org www.orient-express.eu JG