The Flowers of Yves Saint Laurent

Yves Saint Laurent loved flowers, all the flowers he had in the flat he shared with Pierre Bergé, in his second homes, in Marrakech in the Majorelle Garden and in his couture house in Paris.

Floral design

Nature was an infinite source of inspiration for the couturier. A passion shared with many artists and writers, including Marcel Proust, one of his favourite authors.

The exhibition highlights the influence of In Search of Lost Time on Yves Saint Laurent's work. The writer's world is as apparent in the designer's interiors as it is in his fashion shows. While the former likes to describe women as flowers, the latter drapes them in flowers.

The thirty or so textile silhouettes and drawings presented in the exhibition designed by Olivier Saillard and Gaël Mamine of the Marrakech Museum highlight this symbiosis between Yves Saint Laurent's work, nature and literature.

Here we discover iconic pieces and the skills that Yves Saint Laurent used to bring his flowery creations to life. From the first embroideries on the spring-summer 1962 dress to the unforgettable silk gazar bridal dress worn by Laetitia Casta in 1999, one of Saint Laurent's masterpieces, and the magnificent prints in the spring-summer 2001 collection in reference to the paintings of Pierre Bonnard, the floral sophistication that the designer developed throughout his career is revealed.

For the love of flowers

The exhibition at the Musée Yves Saint Laurent, conceived as a veritable dialogue of all the senses, a natural dialogue between the arts and periods, is punctuated by the works of American artist Sam Falls**. Travelling the world, he collects plants and preserves the memory of floral landscapes by printing pigments directly onto canvas. The motifs and colours of this re-created nature interact with those on the haute couture pieces.

Want to discover other cultural treasures? Browse the museums and exhibitions in Paris Region.