Karl Lagerfeld, Friend of the Arts, 1933-2019
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Not only was he the creative director behind Chanel’s runaway success for decades, or the one behind Fendi, among other colossal brands, but Karl Lagerfeld was an important and passionate collector. A patrons of the arts, the designer, who died on Tuesday aKarl Lagerfeld, Friend of the Arts, 1933-2019
Not only was he the creative director behind Chanel’s runaway success for decades, or the one behind Fendi, among other colossal brands, but Karl Lagerfeld was an important and passionate collector. A patrons of the arts, the designer, who died on Tuesday at 85, was also friends with many artists on whose talent he often relied.Quick flashback: Metropolitan Museum, New York, December 4, 2018. Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Pharrell Williams…they all came to be part of the event. A crowd of A-listers gathered for Chanel’s Metiers d’Art Collection 2019 fashion show, curated by the unfailingly relevant Karl Lagerfeld. For the occasion, the maestro summoned forth Egyptian elements placed before the Temple of Dendur as decorative features. However, it was Cyril Kongo’s paintings, as redesigned by Karl Lagerfeld, that stole the show behind the Nefertitis on the podium.“Karl, as he was known, will leave his mark in history. Not only on our era,” Kongo said on Tuesday. “Amongst his various talents, he loved artists, was inspired and surrounded by them. I had a crazy chance to work with him, to be the last one too.” Lagerfeld knew how to bridge the gap between artistic talents, fashion, music, and the “je ne sais quoi” of a timeless spirit. An immense collector of books and of 18 th century furniture, he was crazy about artists, youth and creativity. “He bought 12 paintings of mine and kept them all,” recalled Kongo. “I thought he would take details from them, but no. Some of them were used in their entirety for bags and dress prints, while others were used as patterns for invitations. Two of my paintings were literally printed on dresses, and then reworked by Chanel’s artisans, according to Karl’s instructions.” It’s quite a collection. A few weeks before he died, the fashion Kaiser was again doing something that had never been done before.Reportedly born on September 10, , 1933 (he never revealed his birthday), the most famous fashion designer was the son of a German entrepreneur and a lingerie saleswoman from Berlin. After growing up in Hamburg, this bright and very secretive boy left Germany for Paris before he was 18. After graduating from high school in the French capital, he lived there the rest of his life. As a young apprentice, he learned about fashion with Pierre Balmain in the 1950s, and later became friends with Yves Saint Laurent. But over the next 40 years, he and YSL fought against each other, for personal as well as professional reasons. In 1964, Lagerfeld went to Chloe, to work with Gabielle Aghion, the maison’s founder. He also made his debut in advertising, with a certain…Helmut Newton. But he found the match of his life with Chanel, which hired him in 1982 to be the brand’s creative director. Tireless, he designed more than 10 collections a year for the brand. He later also designed for Fendi, and for his own brand, Karl Lagerfeld.An incredible myth, Lagerfeld — a creative genius as well as a pop icon — had become a symbol, his own logo. “My name is Logofeld,” he said in one of the many crazy interviews he gave (this one to Le Figaro). But he will be missed not only as a creative and public figure. A friend of the Wertheimers, the family owner of Chanel – who are also important Modern and Contemporary art collectors – Lagerfeld was an aesthete. He collected in nearly every category that was beautiful and had value: from Memphis furniture (sold in 1991 at Sotheby’s), to Darmstadt style in his Hamburg house, or 18th century in his Paris hotel particulier; to jewelry, street art or art and photo books. Said to have accumulated more than 300,000 books, he also had a great collection of Ruhlmann and Dunand Art Deco. More than owning these objects, the designer admired them. That is also why he loved artists and creators. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px 'Times New Roman'} https://www.blouinartinfo.com/ Founder: Louise Blouin Read more