The Film World of Jean Paul Gaultier, Barbican

Complementing an exhibition of the work of the celebrated French couturier, The Fashion World of Jean-Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, the Barbican will be hosting a season of films curated by the man himself. He will personally open the season with a talk on his continuing relationship with cinema. The selection of films includes both films he has worked on as a costume designer and films that have inspired him. 
The films are as a flamboyant and intricate as Gaultier’s own designs, ranging from Peter Greenaway’s visually lavish The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989) to Elia Kazan’s iconic A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), whose Marlin Brando character has inspired generations of menswear. There will also be a few works by Pedro Almodovar, a long-time collaborator: Kika (1983), Bad Education (2004) and The Skin I Live In (2011). These provide an interesting glimpse into the wider cultural context of Gaultier’s, at times, high-camp aesthetic. 
The designer has picked two Fellini films: La Strada (1954) and Satyricon (1969), the latter of which is allegedly his favourite film. Less predictable but distinctly fashion-orientated choices include Jacques Becker’s Falbalas (1945), a Parisian melodrama about a love affair with a fashion designer, and Stephen Frears’ My Beautiful Launderette (1985), a Thatcher-era comedy-drama set against a background of racial tension. 
Overall, the season promises a wide range of styles and genres, mixing effortlessly cool classics with pure exuberant enjoyment. The relationship between fashion and film is longstanding and Jean Paul Gaultier is one of its key matchmakers. There’s no better way to get inside the universe behind his creations than through a series of visually arresting films he himself has curated.  
Jean Paul Gaultier will be in conversation with the International Herald Tribune fashion editor Suzy Menkes on April 15th. Book now!