MANIFESTO

#65

MUSE TWENTY FANZINE

SAINT LAURENT BY
VANESSA BEECROFT

2023.02.15

Saint Laurent invites Vanessa Beecroft to photograph the Spring 23 collection: a selection of 14 polaroids is on display at Rive Droite stores in Paris and Los Angeles. 

Vanessa Beecroft shapes performance art, the representation of the female body, and sociopolitical discussions about art: for over twenty-five years her exhibitions highlight the tensions between opposing characteristics while finding a common balance. Nudity and clothing, constraint and freedom, collective and individual, human strength and weakness. Beecroft uses each of her passions, including photography, to represent different perspectives on the body, while combining influences from the Renaissance era with innovative and contemporary representation. Experimentation is her weapon: defining rules belonging to a world absolutely personal, expands the mind toward philosophies that question the meaning of our existence as human beings. The artist’s work takes place through performances focused on an aesthetic that takes inspiration from the world of painting and classical sculpture, also highlighting a strong fashion image. The latter is defined by herself as “an ally” which contributes in the elaboration of her visual language, so much so that it has involved her in multiple projects with fashion brands since the 1990s. 

Saint Laurent by Vanessa Beecroft.

“There are various different types of power. The power I’m interested in is the power to influence opinion and culture, at the cost of bringing about revolution.”

– Vanessa Beecroft

Already in 2018, the artist collaborated with Saint Laurent, realizing a photographic project depicting a group of models dressed in black under the Eiffel Tower, on the occasion of SELF02 during Art Basel in Miami. Anthony Vaccarello again invites Vanessa Beecroft for an exclusive exhibition at the Rive Droite boutiques in Paris and Los Angeles. A series of 14 polaroids shows the Maison’s Spring-Summer 2023 collection through the photographer’s personal and modern lens. The shots focus on significant details: a portrait with maxi sunglasses, shimmering sandals, plunging necklines, a quilted bag hidden by the sleeve of a coat, and Vaccarello’s transparent, monochromatic layering captured in close-up. Beecrof’s contemporary eye proposes her aesthetic to the viewer, presenting at the same time that of the Maison: the polaroids pay attention to the female body while keeping the brand’s signature elegance intact and explore the contrast between nudity and clothing through refined sensuality. The artist does not love to be photographed, because her self-portrait is the models: in each photographs there is something about herself, a distinctive mark that shows her unmistakable character.

 

 

For further information ysl.com.

Saint laurent by Vanessa Beecroft.
Saint laurent by Vanessa Beecroft.

Dior Cruise

A BEAUTIFUL CONFUSION

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Maria Grazia Chiuri chooses her Rome as the setting for the Dior Cruise 2026. The city’s most hidden places bring to life the narrative of a collection that weaves together diverse characters and personalities.

LOUIS VUITTON

A THEATRICAL PLAY

2025.05.23

Louis Vuitton Cruise 2026 at the Palais des Papes in Avignon

 

Nicolas Ghesquière stages a new journey for the Maison, set against a backdrop beautifully defined by history and art, tradition and modernity—where clothing discovers its intrinsic performative nature.

DIOR FALL 2025

The space we inhabit

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Under a canopy of cherry blossom in Kyoto, Dior showed its Fall 2025 collection at the storied Tō-ji Temple, and it was a poetic interplay of heritage and craftsmanship.

LORO PIANA

A NEW CHAPTER

2025.03.14

Luxury, style, and performance: Loro Piana debuts its Spring/Summer 2025 eyewear collection.

NEWS

ALAÏA BY SEKLAOUI

2025.02.19

Maison Alaïa presents its fourth Dialogue, Alaïa by Seklaoui, an exclusive vision of the world behind the creative process of one of the most coveted fashion houses in the world.