PIERRE CARDIN’S MUSES AT THE GRIMALDI FORUM IN MONACO

April 15–16

Pierre Cardin used to be inspired by two muses. The actress Jeanne Moreau greatly contributed to the launch of the great couturier’s career in the 1960s while Sylvana Lorenz’s body was the mold for his most astonishing creations. During an auction, the latter acquired a superb collection of unique models specially designed for Jeanne Moreau: a sequined pagoda tunic, a woolen coat lined with mink, a velvet and satin evening dress, a black vinyl raincoat...

These pieces of clothing are the subject of a very theatrical exposition orchestrated by Bernard Barbero, stage manager at the Nice Opera. It is magically highlighted by Caroline Denis’ watercolours, inspired by Pierre Cardin’s fantastic estate — the Bubble Palace in Theoule-sur-Mer. A series of gouaches by Phil de Rodrigue is a cartoonist’s honouring of the legendary couturier.

First presented at the Depardieu gallery in Nice, renowned for its inventive spirit and avant-garde artists, this original exhibition is a great complement to the Monaco Book Fair on April 15–16. Its centrepiece, “the ves- tal robe” in deep red, was designed for Sylvana Lorenz, a crowned high priestess of the Cardin cult for three decades. The couturier’s second muse later wrote a biography “Madame Cardin. At the court of the last fashion emperor” recounting how she almost married the man who, according to her, “invented everything there was” in the world of haute couture. A wedding that, to her great regret, never happened.

Grimaldi Forum, 10 Avenue Princess Grace, Espace Diaghilev