Monday, March 16, 2009

NO YSL OK


Art collectors are often accused of trying to influence the make-up of exhibitions. A recent transparent example was the attempt by Yves Saint Laurent’s partner Pierre Bergé to change the installation of Warhol’s Wide World in Paris. Bergé didn’t like the way the portraits of YSL were to be hung alongside fashionistas Giorgio Armani and Sonia Rykiel. YSL belonged, as far as Bergé was concerned, in the section devoted to portraits of artists. The curator held the line, and Bergé withdrew the paintings five days before the opening at the Grand Palais on 18 March.
Image: Yves Saint Laurent with the Warhol portrait.