“My great subject was women. To follow them as closely as possible so that they could express themselves and assert their truth. I track down a mystery, I seek an emotion.” Peter Lindbergh
From October 17, 2024, to May 4, 2025, La Galerie Dior pays tribute to one of the greatest photographers of his time, Peter Lindbergh (1944-2019), with a unique exhibition – conceived with the exceptional support of the Peter Lindbergh Foundation – of approximately one hundred of his shots of Dior models, taken between 1988 and 2018. Throughout the rooms, this fabulous odyssey weaves a captivating dialogue with the House’s creations, from Christian Dior to Maria Grazia Chiuri, including Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano and Raf Simons.
Born in Leszno, Poland, in 1944, Peter Lindbergh grew up in the German industrial city of Duisburg. After studying art in Krefeld, he opened his own studio in 1973, before moving to Paris, where he began contributing to leading magazines. Championing a naturalistic approach unveiling beauty without artifice, Peter Lindbergh launched the era of the supermodel with images that have become iconic. His free vision of fashion features numerous references to the history of art spanning Aristide Maillol, Pina Bausch and Fritz Lang.
Unfolding through ten spaces, the display devoted to his oeuvre boasts photographs from legendary series, notably those for Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar , as well as previously unseen contact sheets and work prints. It also showcases an initiative dreamed up exclusively for the House: an extraordinary shoot carried out on the streets of New York in October 2018, the pictures of which have never been shown to the public before.
For this project, Dior had specially orchestrated an unprecedented convoy across the Atlantic, comprising more than 80 precious archival pieces. Influenced by the American documentary photography of the ’30s and ’40s, Peter Lindbergh chose the art of street photography to capture the spontaneity of the moment. “Haute couture was traditionally associated with an idea of perfection and extreme mastery; my wish was to transport 70 years of Dior creations into unexpected territory. The contrast with the streets of New York provided the perfect backdrop for revealing unsuspected emotions,” confided Peter Lindbergh. The silhouettes devised by Christian Dior and his successors, such as Maria Grazia Chiuri, take shape “in the movement of life” , in the words of the founding-couturier – who was fascinated by the energy of New York – affirming the modernity of the Dior style more than ever.
This marvelous retrospective of Peter Lindbergh’s work for Dior shines a light on deep affinities: both the House and the photographer were committed to celebrating the singular allure of women
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