Madame Grès as Sculpture

Madame Grès at the Musée Bourdelle, March 25- July 24, 2011.

Madame Grès, the modernist couturier (1903-1993) who treated jersey as stone to sculpt volume play masks the complexity of dressmaking into unexpected simplicity.

Show curator Olivier Saillard chose for Grès’ first retrospective, ‘Madame Grès, La Couture à L’Oeuvre’ at Musée Bourdelle, to exhibit 80 key pieces, sketches and photographs among the museum’s sculptures.

Grès, originally named Germaine Krebs wrestled with the duality, like many fashion designers, between art and craft. Originally drawn to sculpting, Grès channeled that passion introducing new forms in fashion.

Musée Bourdelle also supports the exhibition with a gorgeous mini-site sharing the history and significance of Madame Grès.

Images via TRENDLAND.

Madame Grés jersey creations are considered sculptures as the curator chose to display the designs.

A Grès design displayed among the historical artifacts at Musée Bourdelle.

Madame Grès the original minimalist.

The simplicity of Madame Grès hides the extreme complexity as she sculpts with fabric.

The genius of Madame Grès remains a cultural reference today.

About Geoffry

Hey, thanks for reading! I'm a designer, artist, educator and creative enthusiast working in the fashion industry for 20+ years writing about design, art and sometimes politics. You can send me a note or a question about a recent post using the links below.

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