ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

ICP Exhibition 'Yves Saint Laurent and Photography' Surveys the Designer's Polished Image

exhibition · 2026-05-20

The International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York is showcasing 'Yves Saint Laurent and Photography,' curated by Simon Baker in collaboration with the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris and the Fondation Pierre Bergé–Yves Saint Laurent. This exhibition will run until September 28, 2026, and includes approximately 300 archival pieces along with a variety of fashion photographs, featuring notable works by Richard Avedon, William Klein, Franco Rubartelli, Helmut Newton, and Guy Bourdin. Among the highlights are Newton's 1969 portrait and Jeanloup Sieff's 1971 nude for Pour Homme. Additionally, a series of interviews by Loïc Prigent is part of the exhibition. Yves Saint Laurent, who was born in Algeria in 1936, became Dior's artistic director at the age of 21, established his own fashion house with Pierre Bergé, retired in 2002, and passed away in 2008. The exhibition also references Olivier Meyrou's documentary 'Celebration,' which was screened once in 2007.

Key facts

  • 'Yves Saint Laurent and Photography' is on view at the International Center of Photography in New York through September 28, 2026.
  • The exhibition was curated by Simon Baker with the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris and the Fondation Pierre Bergé–Yves Saint Laurent.
  • It includes an archival section of about 300 items and a chronological section of dozens of fashion photographs and portraits.
  • Saint Laurent was born in 1936 in Oran, Algeria, joined Christian Dior in 1955 and became artistic director at 21.
  • He founded his own maison with Pierre Bergé, whom he met in 1958, and retired in 2002; he died in 2008.
  • Jeanloup Sieff's 1971 nude portrait of Saint Laurent was used to advertise the fragrance Pour Homme.
  • Barbara Rix-Sieff, Sieff's widow, describes that nude portrait as 'a Mona Lisa.'
  • Olivier Meyrou's documentary 'Celebration' was screened once in 2007 before Bergé sued over unauthorized images, halting release for over a decade.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • International Center of Photography
  • Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris
  • Fondation Pierre Bergé–Yves Saint Laurent
  • CFDA
  • Harper's Bazaar
  • ELLE
  • Vogue Paris
  • Vogue
  • The New Yorker
  • WIRED Japan
  • Film Forum
  • FIFA
  • Stade de France
  • Christian Dior
  • Kering
  • The Irving Penn Foundation
  • LIFE magazine
  • Brooklyn Rail
  • Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent
  • Dior
  • Elle
  • Paris-Match
  • Life
  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Costume Institute
  • The Boston Globe
  • LOEWE
  • Thom McAn
  • C.F.D.A. Fashion Awards
  • FIFA World Cup
  • International Center of Photography (ICP)
  • Phaidon
  • Rencontres d'Arles
  • Marc Jacobs
  • Louis Vuitton
  • PetaPixel
  • Helmut Newton Foundation
  • Fondazione Gian Paolo Barbieri
  • Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute
  • Brooklyn Museum
  • LACMA
  • Yves Saint Laurent Foundation
  • The New York Times

Locations

  • New York
  • United States
  • Lower East Side
  • Paris
  • France
  • Oran
  • Algeria
  • Seventh Avenue
  • Ludlow St.
  • Fifth Ave.
  • Berlin
  • Arles
  • 5 Avenue Marceau, Paris
  • Los Angeles
  • New York City

Sources

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