In a word, the new David Seidner exhibit at the Pierre Berge- Yves St. Laurent Foundation is sublime and stunning. All right, two words, so I over embellished a little, but rightly so.
David Seidner was an incredibly talented and prolific American photographer who tragically died of AIDS nine years ago at the peek of his career. His experimental style always had class and exquisite taste. He was widely known as a fashion photographer’s fashion photographer, doing campaigns for the most prestigious design houses including Bill Blass, Ungaro, Christian Dior, John Galliano, and Lanvin. In the early 80’s when Yves St. Laurent hired him, he was the youngest photographer to ever to do ad campaign for the designer. Beneath the glamorous fashion photos of beautiful women in designer gowns, was a serious artist and portrait maker who had a super precise eye for the minutest details, truly turning photos into art.
I’ve been to the space for a number of shows that I have enjoyed and they are usually showcases for St. Laurent’s clothes with lavish backdrops and elaborate themes like smoking, Morocco, and society dame Nan Kempner.
The space has been totally stripped of any ornamentation and decoration and transformed into two stark, minimalist rooms. When you walk up the steps of the opulent 18th century hotel particulier, you enter a dramatic, pitch-black room with the only light coming from behind the photos. On the right wall is an early series of black and white works in a fragmented style from the late 70’s and early 80’s inspired by composer John Cage. Not only I was impressed how sophisticated they were for someone barely 21 years old, but also with how he got John Cage, Gilbert & George, Lucinda Childs, and Richard Serra to pose for him being an unknown, very young photographer.
The other side of the room was face portraits of painters
Louise Bourgeois, Jasper Johns, Joan Mitchell, Brice Marden and Jenny Holzer among others. They are exquisitely printed on a grainy, bumpy thick paper, which gives them a painterly quality. Another wonderful detail that adds to the already dramatic setting is each photo is individually recessed into wall.
After losing myself in the darkness of the black room I stepped up to the next part of the exhibit, which was a jolting fluorescent white room with a series of nudes. One part was a startling collection of naked full body self portraits where David, posing like a Greek god, seems to be covered either in black paint or some kind of black body makeup. A fabulous relief of color from the austere black and white photos came in the form a wall filled with glorious blurred photos of orchids.
An unexpected surprise were the last rooms, which have never been open to the public before (I was there for the opening so they may have been open just for that night). Retaining the original 18th century style of the house, hunter green brocade screens and stools and cream colored walls were the perfect backdrop for the regal series of aristocratic portraits David had done for the New York Times Magazine.
This is the first must-see show of the fall and you might be hard pressed to find another show as good.
David Seidner
Foundation Pierre Berge- Yves St. Laurent
5 Ave. Marceau, 16th arr.
Metro: Alma Marceau
01 44 31 64 31
Open 11AM-6PM except Sunday
www.fondation-pb-ysl.net
I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour
includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.
I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com
the show sounds amazing - can hardly wait to see it!
Posted by: elizabeth Topper | October 07, 2008 at 04:05 AM