In the ordinary imagination, Paris rhymes with the 60s and the new wave, but at the same time eccentric 80s played a fundamental role in shaping the French cultural landscape: museum de Artistic and decorative arts of Pariswhich marks this decade with a new show Années 80. Fashion, design, graphics in France. Between furniture, fashion silhouettes, posters, photographs, record covers and fanzines 700 works on display: a journey into an era of multifaceted influences deeply marked in the artistic field by postmodernism.
L’Francois Mitterrand’s election The President of the Republic in 1981 marks a turning point for France. Funds allocated to the Ministry of Culture are doubled and some of the most iconic museum centers in Paris are reopened, including the Musée d’Orsay and the Louvre Pyramid. Therefore, starting from political and cultural contextthe exhibition explores the innovations that have taken place in the field design and above all fashion, through the most symbolic images of the time. 80s soaked in one eclectic spiritwhich arises from the meeting of manifold influences, etc. architecture and furniture a new generation of designers becomes a manifestation of freedom of expression: new geometry Olivier Gagniersurreal and avant-garde decor of the duo formed by Elisabeth Garust and Mattia Bonetti”non-design” Philippe Starckfunctional simplicity Martin Szekely.
Even in fashion, this is a fertile time for creativity and experimentation, so new styles are born, sometimes directly opposite, which give life to an interesting and complex scenario. On the one hand, the minimalist and avant-garde trend of Japanese designers, led by Martin Margiela and from Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçons apply destructuralism fashion, creating new cuts and proportions, playing with layering and volume, reinventing the rules of sartorial style with folded looks and silhouettes that emphasize the physiognomy without repeating the shape. With another, superstar designers such as Jean Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler. for the first time they make the show a spectacular event by codifying sensual femininity and “foreign”. Here bare skin comes out cut off unexpectedly rigid materials become plastic and follow the lines of the body, shapes are outlined and highlighted. There are also new approaches to historical revisionism: if the designer likes mugler As well as Claude Montana make classic silhouettes a starting point and source of inspiration, lack of interpretation with a touch of irony submission from Gauthier, Chantal Thomass or Vivienne Westwood. Meanwhile, the latter becomes the representative punk movement in fashion, exposing the subculture of rebellion to the general public and creating an image that is destined to remain in history, Azzedine Alaya and Mark Audiber Create silhouette sculpturalbye Issey Miyake invents one architectural fashion. The fashion scene is more multifaceted than ever.
If the product changes, then the way it is communicated and promoted also changes. Jean-Paul Goude, Jean-Baptiste Mondino and Etienne Robial Experiment with there advertising, graphics and audiovisual materials paving the way for new visions. Paris is celebrating: in the 80s, the atmosphere of freedom reigns in its streets, and music opens up new rhythms in clubs that have become legendary, such as Le Palace and Les Bains Douches. from new wave to post-punk through hip-hop. Appearance is becoming important, and subcultures are flourishing more than ever, with young people adopting new styles and playing with their appearance in a constant search for a sense of belonging. The night is teeming with bizarre creatures and vivid visions.
In a harmonious collision of shapes and colorskaleidoscopic staging designer’s idea ToDryen Rovero it reflects the passionate climate full of contrasts of the 1980s, celebrating his innovative drive, experimentation and spontaneous approach, which will then leave an indelible mark in the coming decades.
Exhibition Années 80. Fashion, design, graphics in France will be in progress October 13 to April 16, 2023 at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris.
Source: Elle