BY ELSPETH BENNETT

(Jacquemus Spring 2024 "Les Sculptures". Photo: Courtesy of Jacquemus)

On Monday the 29th of January 2024, The Fondation Maeght was the chosen venue for the Jacquemus SS24 collection ‘Les Sculptures’. As both the setting and the title suggest, art provides an important inspiration for the collection. However, the extent to which Jacquemus has played on the significance of The Fondation Maeght and the carefully curated selection of artworks on display in order to fully immerse his SS24 collection within the gallery deserves further exploration to realise its real beauty and ingenuity.

The role of The Fondation Maeght

The Fondation Maeght, which owns one of the largest collections of paintings, sculptures, drawings and graphic arts of the 20th century in Europe, is a gallery that is also renowned for its unique and innovative convergence of art, architecture and nature. The Fondation was created in collaboration with architect Josep Lluís Sert and world-leading painters and sculptors who created works specifically for the gallery that are integrated into both The Fondation’s building, and into its natural surroundings. This idea of continuous harmony between mediums is one that cleverly transcends into the clothes and accessories within the SS24 collection.

The function of The Fondation Maeght also serves to build on the narrative of the art gallery within “Les Sculptures”. The collection is just as inspired by the gallery visitor as it is by the artworks that the gallery holds. Whether it’s in the smart tailoring or the trompe-l’oeil layered jumpers, far from creating clothes that are purely works of art, the collection features a range of wearable and elevated pieces that adhere to typical bourgeois codes of dressing. In an interview about the show, Jacquemus indicated his desire to “explore the space between the paradigms of artist and the ‘bourgeois’” of the art world. Therefore, The Fondation Maeght, founded by the Maeght family, again plays a pertinent role in allowing Jacquemus to enter into this discussion within the collection.

*Les Femmes de Venise (1956) by Alberto Giacometti*

The perfect cohesion between art and fashion

Now onto the role of the specific artworks themselves. Jacquemus is said to have carefully chosen which artworks from The Fondation Maeght collection were to be displayed for the show in order to create the perfect balance between the art and the SS24 collection.

As the models first appear on the catwalk, Les Femmes de Venise (1956) by Alberto Giacometti provides the initial backdrop. Having each silhouette offset by a crowd of elongated figures serves to immediately emphasise the sculptural characteristics of every look – all of which are playing with the proportions of the body.

Further artworks by Pierre Bonnard, Pierre Soulages, Vassily Kandinsky and Joan Miro – just to name a few – continue to adorn the setting for the runway, with elements from each piece reflected in various looks. For example, the striking monochromatic red looks could be seen to reference the splashes of red paint in the works of Joan Miro, while the striking black and white looks are evocative of the bold abstract works by Pierre Soulages.

The result: the innovative Jacquemus silhouettes intertwine with the innovative Fondation Maeght itself, whilst equally managing to avoid overpowering the architecture and artworks.

The collection is as much about the art that surrounds it as it is about the clothes themselves. That is the art of Jacquemus SS24.

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