Built by the Sun King, Louis XIV, during the latter half of the 17th century, the magnificent palace and gardens of the Château de Versailles are a World Cultural Heritage Site, and it was there that internationally renowned fashion designer and photographer Karl Lagerfeld chose to photograph.
In 1987, Karl Lagerfeld decided to go behind the lens of the camera himself in order to create the advertising campaigns for CHANEL. His photographs, published in prestigious fashion magazines, were shown worldwide. This exhibition underlines his photographic talent that extends well beyond his chosen universe. His approach is guided by instinct and love at first sight: spontaneity and chance play a key role.
Why Versailles? For Karl Lagerfeld, this unique place is conducive to creativity as “a concrete example of fairy tales, a world that existed but that speaks to our imagination.” Here, as photographer, he offers an offbeat and personal vision of the Chateau, a cinematic vision in which light and shadow, perspective and mist describes a world as a forbidden fairy tale, a solemn universe sometimes even alluding to the dramatic.
The exhibition consists of works chosen from among those first shown, to wide acclaim, at the Château de Versailles in 2008 and also happens to be their first appearance in Japan. Karl Lagerfeld wanted to present these works without protective glass or frames, but simply hung on the walls so that the public could appreciate the effect of the material, the paper grain… These prints, which are subjected to this specific treatment, highlight the importance attached by the photographer to contrasts. This ancient form of screen printing gives the photographs a truly original appearance.
“Paper is the material I prefer the most. It is also, for me, the starting point of all creativity.
In the case of the photo, it is the culmination of the final result.” (Karl Lagerfeld).
