Two weeks ago I talked about an interesting sculpture I
recently came across in front of one of the buildings at the Montreal Museum of
Fine Arts. Today I’d like to tell you about one of the exhibits inside the
museum. Love is Love is an exhibit of
wedding gowns by French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier. You may not be
familiar with Gaultier, but you probably know some of his work. He’s the guy
who created that famous—or was it infamous?—conical bra for Madonna.
This exhibit is a bit gender-bending; the title
references the 2015 legalization of gay marriage in the U.S. Some might feel
uncomfortable with that, but truthfully, it wasn’t until I started reading
about the exhibit afterwards that I became aware of the political nature of the
collection. For me it was all about the beauty of each garment.
The gowns, thirty-six in all, were created over the
last twenty-six years. As someone who has spent many years designing
needlework, I was totally blown away by this exhibit. The lace! The beadwork! The crystals! The bling! Wow! One was more stunning than the next. This is haute couture at
its haute-iest.
The centerpiece of the show is a “cake” of mannequins,
three with computer-animated faces projected onto them. They speak at regular
intervals. One is of Gaultier himself, greeting the public as they enter the
exhibit.
The room is drenched in light, something you usually
don’t experience in museums because over time, constant exposure to light will
fade and damage fabrics and paintings. The brightness of the room enables viewers
to really see the fine detail and workmanship in each garment. The dresses in
the exhibit were created for a few minutes exposure on a fashion catwalk, but
each took as many as nearly 500 hours to create.
The exhibit runs through Oct. 9th. If you
happen to find yourself in Montreal, you should make a point of seeing it. My
photos don’t come close to capturing the true beauty of the dresses.
