Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Displays Thierry Mugler Exhibit

FASHION

MONTREAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS PRESENTS THIERRY MUGLER EXHIBIT

WORDS

by KRISTOPHER FRASER

PHOTOS

COURTESY of MONTREAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

For years the museum company has been dying to get the opportunity to do a chance of designer Thierry Mugler’s work. The acclaimed fashion designer known for his extravagant runway shows, celebrity clientele, and dancing the line between fashion and costume, has been one of the most sought after designers to feature in museums, but until this year, he has held out on giving any museum the honor. Enter Thierry-Maxime Loriot, the curator of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, who managed to accomplish what so many wish they could have, curating a 150-piece exhibit, titled Thierry Mugler: Couturissime, of the designer’s finest works.

“I thought it was impossible to have an exhibition done on his work, because he’s known to have refused to do any exhibitions of his work for years,” Loriot said. “He’s refused museums around the world around the world for years. He approached us to create something together, so we made this exhibition. I’m quite please to be able to show this installation of one of the last living geniuses of fashion.”

It was actually Mugler himself who wanted Loriot to curate this exhibit for him at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The designer saw what the curator did with the exhibits on Peter Lindbergh, Viktor & Rolf, and Jean Paul Gaultier and was very impressed. Mugler spoke to Gaultier about working with Loriot, and Gaultier gave the curator a glowing recommendation. Mugler had long been worried about having an exhibit that looked to general, or where viewers would wonder if the artist was dead or alive, but he had full faith in Loriot’s ability to execute this exhibit as he desired.

Patrice Stable. Photo: © Patrice Stable. Tenue: Thierry Mugler, collection Les Insectes, haute couture printemps-été 1997.

“I thought it was impossible to have an exhibition done on his work, because he’s known to have refused to do any exhibitions of his work for years.”

–Thierry Loriot–

Loriot credits Mugler as the reason people are actually able to pronounce his first name correctly in English speaking countries, so he’s been familiar with the designer since he was a young man. Loriot met Mugler a few years ago, and was impressed to finally meet a man who he saw as a revolutionary of the fashion industry. “He really shows how you can stage your daily life with fashion,” Loriot said. “It’s more about styling fashion in a way. You can get inspiration from everywhere, and he basically created his own universe.”

Loriot’s true moment where he fell in love with the brand though was when he saw the archives and realized it was possible to make an exhibition. He had no clue what was preserved, existing, and available, and if you don’t have the tools to tell a story, then there is no project. The curator was able to find 150 pieces that were either in suitable condition or easily restored to create this marvelous exhibit of the designer’s work. “People keep asking me what’s my favorite piece, and I say all 150 of them, what I like the most is the man behind the creation!” Loriot said. “He really pushed the boundaries of fashion and invented his own vocabulary for his garments.”

Interestingly enough, the exhibit follows no chronological order, as Loriot doesn’t do chronological exhibits. Rather, the exhibit was sectioned off in themes like transhumanism and animalism. Loriot is not only a great showman, but also a one-man show. He curated the entire exhibit by himself. He’s used to working this way, making sure everything his truly his own vision for an exhibit, and with the backing of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts the process is very easy given that they are using to producing large, extravagant shows. It is a very fitting concept for a designer who became renowned for his opulent runway shows.

Lady Gaga dans le vidéoclip de la chanson « Telephone » (album The Fame Monster, 2010), réalisé par Jonas Åkerlund. Tenue : Thierry Mugler, collection Anniversaire des 20 ans, prêt-à-porter automne-hiver 1995-1996.

Helmut Newton, Jerry Hall et Thierry Mugler, Paris, 1996. Photo : © The Helmut Newton Estate.

In addition to the ready-to-wear and couture pieces, the exhibit also features a lot of photography, and costume pieces from theatrical productions that Mugler worked on, including The Tragedy of Lady Macbeth. It also features pieces he specifically designed for celebrities, like Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. Loriot describes the exhibit as very transgenerational. The exhibit was built like an opera set, as Mugler is also known for designing grand opera sets around the world.

Despite the extensive size of the exhibit, Loriot says it was actually quite easy to curate. “I made my list of items I wanted for the exhibit, and Mugler made his, and our lists actually ended up matching, so it made it very easy to collaborate,” he said. “Once they brought everything out of the archives we just had to see what had to be restored and repaired.”

Loriot says the greatest challenge of the exhibit was finding the balance between having dresses look ready for a museum versus ready for a catwalk show, because a museum exhibit dress needs to look like it was worn on a human body at least once already. Above all else, it also needs to look like it can create a conversation.

To date, the response to the exhibit has been incredible, and it’s been discussed around the globe. It has been one of the most record breaking exhibits in terms of attendance since the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit. Critics were very impressed at the fact that this exhibit even came to fruition at all, because the Thierry Mugler archives were something no one had access to for so long. “I’ve been very touched and honored to be able to work on this project,” Loriot said.

Thierry Mugler: Couturissime will be on display at Montreal Museum of Fine Art until September 8. The Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday – Sunday.

David LaChapelle, Danie Alexander ; London Sunday Times, mai 1998. Photo: © David LaChapelle. Tenue: Thierry Mugler, collection Jeu de Paume, haute couture printemps-été 1998.

Christian Gautier, costumes pour les Mugler Follies, 2013. Photo: Christian Gautier / © Manfred Mugler. Tenues: Thierry Mugler.

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