Saint Laurent Celebrates The Erotic Work of Bob Carlos Clarke
Saint Laurent Rive Droit's latest exhibition in Paris and Los Angeles showcases the work of Irish photographer Bob Carlos Clarke.
Saint Laurent Rive Droit's latest exhibition in Paris and Los Angeles showcases the work of Irish photographer Bob Carlos Clarke.
Saint Laurent has always seeped with sex appeal. Since the days of Yves, the maison has expertly aroused carnal desires with its proclivity for the provocative. How you may ask? By working with some of the most influential image-makers of all time. To launch their iconic Opium perfume in 1977 Helmut Newton shot Jerry Hall sprawled out in a seductive scene. When Tom Ford was the maison's creative director he followed suit with his own Opium campaign shot by Steven Meisel featuring model Sophie Dahl wearing nothing at all. Plus, who could forget the headline-making A/W 17 campaign by Inez and Vinoodh that left little to the imagination?
With this history in mind, it makes sense then that the master of the mini-skirt himself, current creative director Anthony Vaccarello would be celebrating the work of photographer Bob Carlos Clarke with Saint Laurent Rive Droit's latest exhibition. A nod to the rive gauche line introduced in the 70s, Saint Laurent Rive Droit was established as a creative and cultural destination meant to create a more engaging shopping experience. Curated by Vaccarello, the two store locations (one in Paris and the other in Los Angeles) serve as a retail space and art gallery stocking exclusive limited-edition merch and rolling out inspiring exhibitions.
This time around visitors at either location will have the chance to explore the work of Bob Carlos Clarke. Like Helmut Newton, the Irish photographer's work is rooted in his provocative black-and-white images of women. With overt sexuality defining much of his oeuvre, some of his most famed images include models donned in rubber and latex. Drawing heavily on fetishism, it's overarching themes of lust and power that make Clarke's work so captivating.
Still, there is a humorous quality to much of Clarke's images. Whether its Jerry Hall mounting an alligator or model's awkwardly stacked on top of each other, lightheartedness often truncates the erotic nature of his images. With Clarke unfortunately taking his life in 2006, we can only begin to imagine what sort of tantalising imagery the master photographer would dream up for Saint Laurent today.
From now until 4 May you can experience the work of Bob Carlos Clarke at Saint Laurent Rive Droite in Paris and Los Angeles.
