Bill Cunningham at New York Fashion Week © Noam Galai, July 15, 2015. Image courtesy of Getty Images Entertainment
Expositions du 27/5/2016 au 21/8/2016 Terminé
SCAD 84 rue de la procession 75015 Paris
Previously unseen images taken by legendary photojournalist at 1973 fashion show “The Battle of Versailles”.SCAD 84 rue de la procession 75015 Paris
ATLANTA, Georgia — SCAD FASH, the fashion and film museum of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), is proud to present “Grand Divertissement à Versailles, Vintage Photographs by Bill Cunningham,” an exhibition featuring exclusive images taken by the legendary New York Times photographer at the epochal 1973 fashion show “The Battle of Versailles.” The exhibition will run through August 21, 2016.
Cover of the original program from
Grand Divertissement à Versailles
at the
Theatre Royal du Chateau de Versailles, November 1973. Courtesy Nancy North
and Steven Kasher Gallery
Despite immense public interest in “The Battle of Versailles” – including two documentary films and a best-selling book The Battle of Versailles: The Night American Fashion Stumbled into the Spotlight and Changed History – Cunningham’s photographs have never before been shown publicly. To preserve the sanctity of the work, the photographs will not be disseminated even for the purposes of promoting the exhibition itself.
“The Battle of Versailles” saw the five best French designers of the time (Marc Bohan of Christian Dior, Pierre Cardin, Hubert de Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent and Emanuel Ungaro) present collections alongside five best American designers (Bill Blass, Stephen Burrows, Halston, Anne Klein and Oscar de la Renta) to raise funds for the restoration of King Louis XIV’s palace in Versailles, France. Before a 700-person audience of the world’s social and artistic elite — including Princess Grace, Liza Minnelli, Josephine Baker and Andy Warhol — “The Battle of Versailles” established American fashion houses as an innovative counterpoint to the traditionalism of French design.
Cover of the original program from
Grand Divertissement à Versailles
at the
Theatre Royal du Chateau de Versailles, November 1973. Courtesy Nancy North
and Steven Kasher Gallery
Bill Cunningham’s perspective on the epochal occasion is an artwork unto itself. As staff photographer and writer for The New York Times, the iconic Cunningham has remained at the vanguard of fashion journalism for over half a century.
“Grand Divertissement à Versailles, Vintage Photographs by Bill Cunningham” exhibits 66 historic images and an original program on loan to SCAD FASH from the private collection of Nancy North, a model who walked in the famed fashion show itself. The images illustrate the moment American design houses became the international arbiters of style, and celebrate the glamour and excitement of the day.
“Grand Divertissement à Versailles, Vintage Photographs by Bill Cunningham” is curated by Alexandra Sachs, executive director of SCAD FASH and Atlanta exhibitions.
