Viktor&Rolf Fashion Artist 25 Years

VIKTOR&ROLF FASHION ARTISTS 25 YEARS

V I KTO R & R O L F FA SHI O N ARTI STS 25 YEARS

by T H I E R RY- MA X I M E L OR IOT

iii

vii Foreword

1

Fashion Artists: an interview with Viktor & Rolf

by Thierry-Maxime Loriot

17

Viktor Horsting: Proust questionnaire

19

Rolf Snoeren: Proust questionnaire

20 24 27 31 34 37 44 50 55 57 60 67 72 75 80 87 90 95 98 101 102 107 108 114 120 125 126 129 132 137 138 141 144 149 152 157 158 161 163 166 172 177 182 187

(previous) Anton Corbjin Viktor & Rolf, Amsterdam, 2018 Wayne Taylor Wearable Art, installation view of the exhibition Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Artists at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 2016

Action Dolls 190 L’Apparence du Vide 192 Atomic Bomb 196 Bedtime Story Bells Black Hole Blacklight Blue Screen: Long Live the Immaterial!

Bonbon Boulevard of Broken Dreams Costumes Cutting Edge Couture Dolls First Couture Flowerbomb Flowers The Fashion Show Glamour Factory L’Hiver de l’Amour Hyères Inez and Vinoodh Launch Madonna Music NO On Strike One Woman Show Performance of Sculptures Perfumes Pierrot Princess Mabel Red Carpet Dressing Le Regard Noir Róisín Murphy Russian Doll Shalom Shirt Symphony Silver Surreal Satin Vagabonds Van Gogh Girls Wearable Art White Zen Garden

Notes Collections List of works

Foreword TONY ELLW O O D D I RECTOR NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA, MELBOURNE

Art plays an intrinsic role in the personal and creative lives of Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren, who together create some of the most provocative haute couture of the twenty-first century. It was the art world that first embraced Viktor & Rolf’s designs early in their career and now, as they celebrate their twenty-fifth anniversary, their work is more than ever at home in the contemporary museum.

In this publication, Viktor & Rolf speak of the potential for fashion to be much more than it is often perceived or allowed to be.

While working within the fashion industry, Viktor & Rolf are also challenging it from within. They use the term ‘fashion artists’ to show how radical, exciting, challenging and experimental fashion can be if designers have the freedom and opportunity to express their creative vision.

The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) was delighted to provide Viktor & Rolf with this creative space when we developed this exhibition for presentation in Melbourne, Australia, in late 2016. The Kunsthal Rotterdam has rightly decided to present the astonishing creations of Viktor & Rolf in their home country in celebration of their 25th year, adding additional works to broaden the exhibition’s scope. I commend Emily Ansenk, Director of Kunsthal Rotterdam, and her colleagues for the enthusiasm with which they have embraced the exhibition concept, and thank her for giving Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Artists a new life in the Netherlands.

The exhibition was curated by Thierry-Maxime Loriot, a great friend of the NGV who brings to his projects a wealth of creativity, experience and understanding of contemporary fashion. I also acknowledge the team at the the NGV, for assisting with this renewed exhibition in Rotterdam.

It was a great privilege for us to work so closely with Viktor & Rolf on the original development of this project, and I sincerely thank them for their dedication to it. I congratulate them on twenty-five extraordinary years of creativity, and look forward to many more.

vii

E MI LY ANS ENK D I R ECTOR KUNSTHAL ROTTERDAM

The Kunsthal Rotterdam is proud to present this catalogue in combination with the fashion exhibition Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Artists 25 Years. Envisioned and designed by the acclaimed fashion curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot, the exhibition celebrates the twenty-fifth work anniversary of the world-famous Dutch designer duo Viktor Horsting (b. 1969) and Rolf Snoeren (b. 1969). In this catalogue and the exhibition at the Kunsthal, over forty creations present a comprehensive view of their fascinating work. Included are their first major successes, several special collaborations, the porcelain dolls dressed in haute couture and their iconic creations, which challenge the imagination and transcend the word fashion. These are works of art that feature in major museum collections and have been exhibited, from the outset, in the arena of art, from galleries to museums. Their shows continue to considered performance art, and the duo were the first to succeed in stretching the boundaries between art and fashion.

From their earliest beginnings, Viktor & Rolf have managed, with their progressive and provocative approach, to relate in a different way to the world of fashion, with its written and unwritten rules. They have been called rebels and geniuses for twenty-five years now, and their fashion, to hear them tell it, is a form of self-expression, not so much the ‘look of the season’. In this publication, Viktor & Rolf speak openly with curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot about the start of their joint success, which has been achieved with perseverance, maximum ambition and a generous dose of creativity. In the early days the duo did everything themselves; later they built their label in collaboration with a loyal team of professionals. Throughout it all

the Netherlands has remained their base, the world of international fashion their stage.

For twenty-five years, the symbiotic collaboration between Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren has led to uncompromising beauty and exceptional collections. The results of this collaboration cannot be traced back to what each has contributed. In their own words: ‘We often play with the idea of two people being one, or both of us being of one mind, and we play with our image to express that.’ Their recent portrait by photographer Anton Corbijn, taken especially for the Viktor & Rolf exhibition, is equally revealing.

Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Artists 25 Years will be the third major fashion exhibition on which the Kunsthal team and Thierry-Maxime Loriot have collaborated. After the showing of the very successful exhibition The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier we embarked on a new and exciting enterprise together in 2016 by initiating and producing the international touring exhibition Peter Lindbergh: A Different Vision on Fashion Photography.

I wish to express profound thanks to Tony Ellwood, director of the National Gallery of Victoria, as well as Don Heron and the NGV team, who were responsible for the idea and the concept of this exhibition, which was held at that institution in 2017. It is thanks to their generosity and collegiality that we were able to host this exhibition in the Netherlands as well. For this I am eternally grateful.

In addition I wish to sincerely thank the institutions and individuals who have lent exhibition pieces for their cooperation, which they have generously extended without exception: the Centraal Museum Utrecht and the Groninger Museum are museums that have supported and exhibited Viktor & Rolf from the very beginning. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen is a dedicated partner of the exhibition, with thanks to the Han Nefkens Foundation. The Dutch National Ballet, the Zuiderzee Museum, the ING Collection, the Collection of the Royal House of the Netherlands and Madonna, with special thanks to Sara Zambreno and Guy Oseary. A special mention of thanks is owed Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau, for her personal commitment.

The exhibition and this publication have been made possible by the efforts of many. I wish to thank our partners whose financial contributions helped bring this beautiful project to life: the City of Rotterdam, ING Bank, BankGiro Lottery, VandenEnde Foundation, Nationale Nederlanden,

Hans Boodt Mannequins, Rotterdam Partners and our international partners who have given their unconditional support to this collaboration.

My thanks go to Thierry-Maxime Loriot, for his creative and always energetic collaboration with the Kunsthal team, the infectious pleasure with which he works and which he manages to communicate to everyone around him, his generosity and sense of humour, and above all our warm friendship, which takes us from one beautiful project to the next. And last but not least I wish to sincerely thank Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren and their team of committed associates, especially Nina Hartmann as Head of Marketing and Communications and Martin Dusseldorp as Premier d’Atelier, for the trust they have placed in the Kunsthal to put this exhibition in the Netherlands as well.

Viktor & Rolf remain the shining example for many Dutch fashion designers, in the way they operate in the international arena and have made a significant contribution to the heritage of the Netherlands. On to the next 25 years!

Wayne Taylor Cutting Edge Couture, installation view of the exhibition Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Artists at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 2016

194

(opposite) Viktor & Rolf, The Netherlands, 1970’s

195

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First published in 2016 by the Council of Trustees of the National Gallery of Victoria 180 St Kilda Road Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia www.ngv.vic.gov.au © National Gallery of Victoria 2016 First published for the exhibition Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Artists held at NGV International, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, 21 October 2016 – 26 February 2017, developed in collaboration with Viktor&Rolf and guest curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot.

Curators: Thierry-Maxime Loriot and Miranda Wallace Publications Manager: Jasmin Chua Graphic Designer: Dirk Hiscock Editor: Mark Gomes Proofreader: Patricia Cortese Pre-press: Justine Frost and Anne Marie De Boni Printer: 1010 Printing Asia Limited Text stock: 170gsm Lumi Matt Art 2nd extended edition published for the exhibition Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Artists 25 Years held at Kunsthal Rotterdam, 27 May – 30 September 2018, based on the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne exhibition, developed in collaboration with Viktor&Rolf and guest curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot.

Curator: Thierry-Maxime Loriot Text: Thierry-Maxime Loriot Cover Design and Update: Paprika, Montreal www.paprika.com Editor: Mélissa Veilleux Printing: Ofset Yapimevi, Instanbul Paper: Sappi Magno Satin, 170 gms Production: Stella Nelissen, nai010 publishers Publisher: Eelco van Welie, nai010 publishers The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the NGV or the publisher.

All reasonable efforts have been made to obtain permission to use copyright material reproduced in this publication. In cases where this has not been possible, owners are invited to notify nai010 publishers at info@nai010.com.

Kunsthal Rotterdam Westzeedijk 341 3015 AA Rotterdam T +31 (010) 440 0300 www.kunsthal.nl

© 2018 nai010 publishers, Rotterdam.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

For works of visual artists affiliated with a CISAC-organization the copyrights have been settled with Pictoright in Amsterdam. © 2018, c/o Pictoright Amsterdam nai010 publishers is an internationally orientated publisher specialized in developing, producing and distributing books in the fields of architecture, urbanism, art and design. www.nai010.com. nai010 books are available internationally at selected bookstores and from the following distribution partners: North, Central and South America - Artbook | D.A.P., New York, USA, dap@dapinc.com Rest of the world - Idea Books, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, idea@ideabooks.nl For general questions, please contact nai010 publishers directly at sales@nai010.com or visit our website www.nai010.com for further information.

ISBN 978-94-6208-438-4

Image and copyright credits Philip Riches, pp. x, 6, 16, 18, 130, 137, 173; John-Paul Pietrus, pp. 5, 115; Inez and Vinoodh, pp. 10, 45, 46–7, 56, 74, 88, 103, 104, 105, 132, 134, 135, 139, 145, 146–147; Josh Olins / Trunk Archive, pp. 13, 66; Wendelien Daan, Courtesy of the artist, pp. 155, 106; Annie Leibovitz, pp. 42–3; Herb Ritts / Trunk Archive, p. 26; Team Peter Stigter, pp. 29, 35, 36, 51, 54, 81, 84–5, 89, 94, 127, 128, 136, 150–1, 159, 160, 162, 167, 170, 174–5, 176, 178, 179, 186, 197, 198, 199; Alexi Lubomirski, p. 30; David LaChapelle, pp. 32–3, 184–5; Arthur Elgort / Condé Nast, New York, pp. 38–9; Kate Garner, p. 40; Anuschka Blommers and Niels Schumm, pp. 48, 52, 53, 73, 78–9; Angela Sterling, p. 61; Lesley Leslie-Spinks, pp. 62–3, 64–5; Andreas Gursky, Courtesy: Sprüth Magers Berlin London / VG Bild-Kunst.

Licensed by Viscopy, 2016, pp. 68–9; Gregory Derkenne / Tristan Godefroy, Paris, p. 71; Nick Knight / Trunk Archive, pp. 77, 96–7; Cindy Sherman, Courtesy of the artist and Metro Pictures, p. 86; Julius Preite, courtesy Twentieth Century Fox Television. All rights reserved, p. 91; Robert Wyatt, pp. 92–3; Uli Weber, p. 116; Alain Benainous/Getty Images, p. 118; Tom Munro, p. 119; Claudia Knoepfel and Stefan Indlekofer, p. 121; Mario Sorrenti / Art Partner, New York, pp. 122–3; Laura Marie Cieplik, p. 131; Jeroen van der Meyde, p. 138; Tim Walker, p. 140; Kathy Lo, pp. 142, 143; Jonathan de Villiers, p. 148; Bardo Fabiani, p. 153; Marijke Aerden, pp. 21, 22–23, 164, 165, 168, 169; Alix Malka, p. 183; Paolo Roversi, pp. 188–9; Ellen von Unwerth, p. 14; Anton Corbijn, pp. ii–iii; Wayne Taylor, pp. iv, ix, 154, 156; Pierre Dal Corso, p. 58; Emma Summerton/TRUNK Archives, p. 59; Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, pp. 82–83; Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images, pp. 112–113; Madonna, p. 109; Viktor & Rolf, pp. 108, 110, 111; National Gallery of Victoria, p. 111. (cover) © David LaChapelle Studio (inside covers) Design sketches by Viktor & Rolf Courtesy Viktor&Rolf, Amsterdam (p. vi) François Berthoud Cutting Edge Couture 2010 Viktor & Rolf, Cutting Edge Couture ready-to-wear collection, spring–summer 2010 © François Berthoud Curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot curated the globally successful exhibitions The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk; Love is Love, Bliss For All à la Jean Paul Gaultier; Peter Lindbergh.

A Different Vision on Fashion Photography and Viktor&Rolf Fashion Artists. He is also Consulting Curator for Fashion & Textiles at the National Gallery of Victoria, NGV Melbourne (Australia) and at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Canada.

9 789462 084384

Throughout their illustrious 25-year career, Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren — working together as Viktor & Rolf — have carved a contradictory identity that pushes the boundaries between art and fashion, often contrasting romance and rebellion, exuberance and control, classicism and conceptualism. Exploring their concept of “wearable art”, Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Artists 25 Years features some of the Dutch design duo’s most show-stopping and innovative works.

It includes an exclusive interview by curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot with the fashion artists, a fascinating glossary of Viktor & Rolf and a rich iconography with images by leading contemporary artists and photographers such as Cindy Sherman, Andreas Gursky, Herb Ritts, Anton Corbijn, Mert & Marcus, Annie Leibovitz, David LaChapelle, Tim Walker, Nick Knight and Inez & Vinoodh among others, showing pieces created and worn by artists like Madonna, Róisín Murphy and Björk, and from Rufus Wainwright to Tilda Swinton.