POSITION

TIME

LOCATION

40.718207° N, 73.989089° W

07.16.26, 9:00AM EST

NEW YORK, USA

FRAMING A LEGEND

FRAMING A LEGEND

How photography built the myth of Yves Saint Laurent.

How photography the myth of Yves Saint Laurent.

Arthur Elgort, Wedding dress worn by Mounia Orosemane, accompanied by a page girl and page boy, Fall/Winter 1981 haute couture collection. Published in Vogue Paris, September 1981 © Arthur Elgort © Yves Saint Laurent

An exhibition dedicated to the relationship between Yves Saint Laurent and photography has opened at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York City. The exhibition marks an intersection between couture and visual sociology, tracing the designer's four-decade legacy. Rather than presenting photography as a secondary tool for documentation, the show highlights his pioneering approach to the medium and demonstrates how photography helped define the identity of both the founder and his emblematic brand.

Presented in collaboration with the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris and the Fondation Pierre Bergé–Yves Saint Laurent, the showcase features over 300 objects, including photographs and archival materials from the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris. The exhibition details and illustrates how Saint Laurent used photography not merely for promotion, but as a crucial tool for shaping identity, influence, and cultural discourse.


The showcase includes photographs of Saint Laurent himself alongside documentation of his work from 1957 to 2004. Curated by guest curator and photography historian Simon Baker, alongside Nastasia Alberti (Deputy Head of Collections and Head Archivist, Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris) and Clémentine Cuinet (Head of Photographic Collections, Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris), Yves Saint Laurent and Photography considers how imagery shapes our view of the world.

Dominique Issermann, Evening dress from the Fall/Winter 1984 haute couture collection. Published in Vogue, November 1984 © Dominique Issermann © Yves Saint Laurent

"THIS SLEEK IMAGE IS THE FINAL RESULT, BUT LOOK AT THE CHAOTIC, VIBRANT LIFE REQUIRED TO BUILD IT. THAT IS WHAT ARCHIVES DO BEST."

FORM

CLÉMENTINE + NASTASIA

MEG O'CONNELL

Yves Saint Laurent began archiving his work incredibly early in his career. It feels like he was intentionally crafting his own legacy from the very beginning. Do you feel that was a deliberate, calculated move on his part?

C+N

We feel it was definitely a deliberate move; he absolutely knew what he was doing. Specifically, his partner Pierre Bergé was highly aware of it, which is what we tried to show in the exhibition. It is evident that Saint Laurent was very conscious of his legacy and thought about it early on, especially compared to other designers of that era.


Personally, we don't know how much of that instinct came directly from Yves himself, or how much came from Pierre Bergé putting it into his head early on that they would be together forever. When they started the house, that mentality was already there, so it's hard to separate who was the driving force behind it. The communication department of the house also played a major role in keeping everything preserved.

01 Ensemble worn by Edia Vairelli, Haute Couture Spring/Summer 1982 collection, 5 Avenue Marceau, Paris, January 1982. Polaroid by fashion house staff © All rights reserved © Yves Saint Laurent

02 Tailored suit worn by Anna Karin, Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 1991 collection, 5 Avenue Marceau, Paris, July 1991. Polaroid by fashion house staff © All rights reserved © Yves Saint Laurent

Saint Laurent’s approach to documentation started at the beginning of his career following the path of his mentor Christian Dior who famously allowed his “The New Look” collection be photographed in 1947. After being appointed artistic director of the House of Dior at just 21 years old in 1957, Saint Laurent became one of the most widely photographed fashion designers of his generation. Upon launching his own label in 1962 with Bergé, he fully embraced the medium, hiring an in-house photographer to capture both the finished collections and the raw, backstage labor of the atelier.

MEG O'CONNELL

The exhibition plays with the idea that photography didn't just record Saint Laurent's clothes, but actually constructed the myth and identity of 'Yves Saint Laurent.' Are there specific images in the show that you feel perfectly capture that shift from simple garment documentation to true artistic authorship?

C+N

Absolutely. Yves was acutely aware of the power of his image. When people think of Saint Laurent today, specific mental images instantly come to mind before they even think of the physical clothing. 


Key pieces in the exhibition include Helmut Newton’s Le Smoking (1975), a photograph of a woman in a Parisian alleyway that so thoroughly defines the female tuxedo that the image itself is often remembered before the physical garment. Equally legendary is Richard Avedon’s Dovima with Elephants (1955); though Yves Saint Laurent designed the dress during his tenure at Dior, the photograph's cultural impact transcends fashion history. Finally, the YSL Pour Homme Fragrance Campaign (1971) features the famous portrait of Saint Laurent posing completely naked to launch his men’s perfume. By stripping away all clothing, the campaign proved that a brand's artistic image can become an icon entirely independent of a garment.

MEG O'CONNELL

Does the exhibition frame his willingness to push boundaries as a savvy business gamble, a pure artistic instinct, or a mix of both?

C+N

It is absolutely a mix of both. One of the main goals of the exhibition is to explore how commercial strategy and artistic instinct seamlessly coexisted.


To build a global brand and a lasting persona, you need both sides. If you only have marketing and commercial publicity without genuine art, the brand lacks soul and won't endure. Conversely, his artistic instinct shone through in his choice of collaborators; he always knew exactly which photographers to work with at any given point in history.


Even late in his career, he chose to work with Juergen Teller, whose raw, stark style was radically different from traditional glamour. Yves possessed an innate instinct for understanding what would captivate the public, what would beautifully shock

Yves Saint Laurent and Photography, International Center of Photography Museum, 2026.

Saint Laurent viewed the medium as a way to take risks in shaping his identity and to push the boundaries of what was deemed socially acceptable, specifically regarding gender roles and expectations. Throughout his career, he maintained close relationships and collaborated with legendary photographers, including Richard Avedon, Cecil Beaton, Guy Bourdin, Robert Doisneau, Horst P. Horst, William Klein, Annie Leibovitz, Steven Meisel, Duane Michals, Helmut Newton, Irving Penn, David Seidner, and Andy Warhol.


The layout of the exhibition represents the duality of the Yves Saint Laurent archive. By splitting the presentation into two distinct sections the curation highlights the juxtaposition of cultural output and the process of creation. 

CYANA DJOHER

Do you think the museum would even exist today if they hadn't had this archival instinct so early on? And what role does marketing and communication play in the overall layout and execution of the current exhibition?

C+N

We think the museum would still exist because creating it was a profound wish shared by both Pierre and Yves. However, without that early instinct, it would have been much harder. In the 1980s, they officially started putting textiles aside to preserve the collections, meaning we inherited a massive inventory.


We are quite lucky. When you look at other fashion houses today, they often have to buy back their archival pieces at auctions because preservation wasn't planned from the beginning. For Saint Laurent, this space was always destined to be a museum.


Because the communication department kept everything generated by the fashion house, we were gifted a remarkably rich collection right out of the gate. Before this, we had only worked with fine artists, never at a fashion designer's museum, so we don't know how common it is to keep every single scrap of history—we suspect it’s quite rare.


This diligence gave us a rich foundation that goes far beyond textiles. Often, fashion museums are forced to focus strictly on garments and accessories. We have all of that, but we also have the surrounding history: personal letters, administrative notes, and photography.

SOUKITA

Because he loved photography so much, was it easy to trace a clear 'paper trail' or narrative through the items he left behind to build the story you are telling today?

C+N

Yes, the paper trail is incredibly vast. But again, it's a collaborative effort between historical archives and modern curation. We are constantly fostering relationships with the original photographers' studios and estates to secure donations and fill in any historical gaps.


Even at our exhibition openings, people will come up to us and say, 'I worked with Yves! I have a collection of original photos and personal letters from the Opium launch event.' That is how a living collection continues to build, piece by piece.”


Split into two parts, the exhibition opens with a collection of portraits that trace the evolution of Saint Laurent's work alongside images of the designer himself. The second part retraces his career through more than 200 archival objects from the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris, revealing the central role photography played for both the brand and the man behind it.

MEG O'CONNELL

The exhibition beautifully mixes polished, high-fashion editorial imagery with raw, backstage photography and archival documents. Was this stark contrast always the plan, or did that narrative structure develop naturally during the curation process?

C+N

That dual narrative was always the original vision. The idea from the start was to create two distinct sections: one dedicated to the grand, polished fashion portraits of Yves Saint Laurent, and another raw section exploring the inner life of the fashion house through archives.


Initially, we envisioned the second room almost like a 'cabinet of curiosities.' We wanted visitors to experience something incredibly sleek and stylized in the first room, and then walk into a second room intensely packed with diverse objects. It shows the viewer: 'This sleek image is the final result, but look at the chaotic, vibrant life required to build it.' That is what archives do best.


The only major adjustment we made for the International Center of Photography (ICP) iteration was gearing the narrative more toward America, New York, and Saint Laurent's specific relationship with the city. But the foundational duality was always there.

CYANA DJOHER

Looking back chronologically, do these exhibitions help retrace shifts, continuities, or disruptions in his personality across the different eras of his life?

C+N

Yes, immensely. When you organize an exhibition chronologically, you are forced to confront his personal evolution. In the early archival imagery, you see how incredibly shy, sweet, and quiet he was—always remaining in the shadows.


Then you hit the 1970s, and you visually witness him completely breaking out of his shell. He becomes daring, playful, and provocative. His hair changes, he is frequently half-naked, and he is deeply immersed in the party scene. Seeing it laid out sequentially confirms the narratives we hold in our heads and gives a beautifully clear shape to his life story.

SOUKITA

Whenever I think of Saint Laurent, I immediately think of Morocco. Since this exhibition introduces his identity to a North American audience, do you think it highlights how culturally progressive he was for his time in bringing non-Western aesthetics to the forefront?

C+N

We try to show his global inspirations, though we have to be careful with the word 'progressive' in a modern context. Yves grew up in Algeria, so those North African colors and lights were woven into his DNA. When he discovered Morocco later in life, he famously said it felt like returning home because it reminded him so much of his childhood in Algeria. That deep connection lasted until the end of his life.


Regarding his garments, he frequently used his collections as a way to travel. He famously remarked that if he couldn't physically visit a country, he would use intense research, poetry, theater, and literature to construct an entire aesthetic universe around it. He did this with Russia, Spain, and various Asian cultures. While he was incredibly famous for bringing these global influences to European haute couture, there were other, lesser-known designers doing similar cross-cultural work at the time. He was simply the most visible and masterful storyteller.

SOUKITA

Because he loved photography so much, was it easy to trace a clear 'paper trail' or narrative through the items he left behind to build the story you are telling today?

C+N

Yes, the paper trail is incredibly vast. But again, it's a collaborative effort between historical archives and modern curation. We are constantly fostering relationships with the original photographers' studios and estates to secure donations and fill in any historical gaps.


Even at our exhibition openings, people will come up to us and say, 'I worked with Yves! I have a collection of original photos and personal letters from the Opium launch event.' That is how a living collection continues to build, piece by piece.”


Split into two parts, the exhibition opens with a collection of portraits that trace the evolution of Saint Laurent's work alongside images of the designer himself. The second part retraces his career through more than 200 archival objects from the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris, revealing the central role photography played for both the brand and the man behind it.

MEG O'CONNELL

The exhibition beautifully mixes polished, high-fashion editorial imagery with raw, backstage photography and archival documents. Was this stark contrast always the plan, or did that narrative structure develop naturally during the curation process?

C+N

That dual narrative was always the original vision. The idea from the start was to create two distinct sections: one dedicated to the grand, polished fashion portraits of Yves Saint Laurent, and another raw section exploring the inner life of the fashion house through archives.


Initially, we envisioned the second room almost like a 'cabinet of curiosities.' We wanted visitors to experience something incredibly sleek and stylized in the first room, and then walk into a second room intensely packed with diverse objects. It shows the viewer: 'This sleek image is the final result, but look at the chaotic, vibrant life required to build it.' That is what archives do best.


The only major adjustment we made for the International Center of Photography (ICP) iteration was gearing the narrative more toward America, New York, and Saint Laurent's specific relationship with the city. But the foundational duality was always there.

CYANA DJOHER

Looking back chronologically, do these exhibitions help retrace shifts, continuities, or disruptions in his personality across the different eras of his life?

C+N

Yes, immensely. When you organize an exhibition chronologically, you are forced to confront his personal evolution. In the early archival imagery, you see how incredibly shy, sweet, and quiet he was—always remaining in the shadows.


Then you hit the 1970s, and you visually witness him completely breaking out of his shell. He becomes daring, playful, and provocative. His hair changes, he is frequently half-naked, and he is deeply immersed in the party scene. Seeing it laid out sequentially confirms the narratives we hold in our heads and gives a beautifully clear shape to his life story.

A key point of inquiry within the collection remains Yves Saint Laurent’s relationship with non-Western cultures, specifically North Africa. Born in Algeria, Saint Laurent famously had a lifelong love affair with Morocco, a connection that deeply influenced his aesthetic. Through highly stylized editorial photography, he mapped a series of "imagined worlds." By constructing elaborate narrative universes rooted in historical texts, poetry, and theater, he was able to negotiate his own displaced identity, creating these global visions even when geopolitical realities prevented physical travel.

Jean-Claude Sauer,Cocktail dresses known as “Homage to Pop Art,” Fall/Winter 1966 hautecouture collection. Published inLIFEmagazine, September 1966© All rights reserved© Jean-Claude Sauer

SOUKITA

Whenever I think of Saint Laurent, I immediately think of Morocco. Since this exhibition introduces his identity to a North American audience, do you think it highlights how culturally progressive he was for his time in bringing non-Western aesthetics to the forefront?

C+N

We try to show his global inspirations, though we have to be careful with the word 'progressive' in a modern context. Yves grew up in Algeria, so those North African colors and lights were woven into his DNA. When he discovered Morocco later in life, he famously said it felt like returning home because it reminded him so much of his childhood in Algeria. That deep connection lasted until the end of his life.

Regarding his garments, he frequently used his collections as a way to travel. He famously remarked that if he couldn't physically visit a country, he would use intense research, poetry, theater, and literature to construct an entire aesthetic universe around it. He did this with Russia, Spain, and various Asian cultures. While he was incredibly famous for bringing these global influences to European haute couture, there were other, lesser-known designers doing similar cross-cultural work at the time. He was simply the most visible and masterful storyteller.

The Yves Saint Laurent and Photography exhibition at the ICP illustrates how Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé utilized photography and archiving to document the designer's career, address cultural shifts, and establish a global legacy. The collection contextualizes fashion photography as a reflection of social history rather than strictly commercial marketing. Iconic imagery, such as Helmut Newton’s androgynous Le Smoking and Saint Laurent’s nude fragrance campaign, documents the brand's engagement with changing mid-century gender norms. 


Ultimately, this combination of editorial and archival material provides a case study in the relationship between commercial imagery and cultural memory. Running until September 28, 2026, the exhibition is located at the ICP at 84 Ludlow St, New York, NY 10002.

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MEG O'CONNELL (@MEGCORAOCONNELL)

SOUKITA (@BYSOUKITA)

CYANA DJOHER (@NOTCYANA)

MUSÉE YVES SAINT LAURENT PARIS (@MUSEEYSLPARIS)