Yves Saint Laurent, Birth of a Legend

Alliance française de Singapour and Voilah! French festival Singapore are delighted to welcome the South East Asia travelling exhibition Yves Saint Laurent, Birth of a Legend.

The exhibition feature 49 photographs about the creative work, anxiety and happiness of Yves Saint Laurent at work and in the relationship with his intimates during the preparation of his first collection in 1962.

«Yves Saint Laurent met many photographers, but we have been very few to photograph him since his debut at Dior. In 1961, he was preparing to launch his fashion house with Pierre Bergé. The latest collection of Dior had revealed all to the fashion editor of Life magazine, Sally Kirkland: “The young Yves Mathieu Saint Laurent is the new fashion genius.” She gave us, Nadine Puissesseau the journalist and I, five weeks to shoot the preparation for his first collection. An event. Pending the final installation in the house of the Rue Spontini, Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent were preparing the collection in the former workshops of designer Mangin. A top floor accessed by backstairs. If everything was done in a hurry, nothing was improvised, everything was thought. Between two moves, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé had all developed in the greatest secrecy, mirrors to the door handle.
They had the courtesy to forget us during all this time and in the end, we were arriving without even saying hello, not to disturb. This young 26 years old man fascinated us. Every morning, we would see model with a new dress, sublime. We exclaimed, but Yves Saint Laurent did not finch: it was normal. In thirty years I have had many opportunities to photograph both of them. The report from 1961 was going on. I had the rare privilege of working in the shadow and the mind of a genius whose legend has continued to grow. Thereafter, meetings spaced, but regular, with Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent have been one of the thread of my life.»

© Pierre Boulat

Thursday 28 April – Saturday  21 May 2016

The gallery is opened:
Monday to Friday: 12pm – 8pm
Saturday: 12pm – 6pm

in partnership with :