It is rare for a museum to devote an entire exhibition to a private collection. Generally, museums borrow work of art here or there, and discreetly indicate the name of the generous lender unless that person wishes to remain anonymous. With the exhibition at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Le Locle, Switzerland, Carla Sozzani, a prominent figure in contemporary elegance, welcomes us into her intimate surroundings. Her photography collection, which spans the twentieth and the twenty-first centuries, is most remarkable. From among two hundred prints, over seventy photographs have been selected by Fabrice Hergott, Director of the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.
Here we find some of the biggest names in photography: Richard Avedon, Horst P. Horst, William Klein, Man Ray, László Moholy-Nagy, Don McCullin, Daido Moriyama, Helmut Newton, Irving Penn, Paolo Roversi, Alfred Stieglitz, as well as numerous women photographers, such as Berenice Abbott, Lillian Bassman, Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Dominique Issermann, Sheila Metzner, Sarah Moon, Leni Refienstahl, and Francesca Woodman.The woman is at the heart of this collection, as both subject and object. Photography has informed Carla Sozzani’s career from the very start, and her collection has grown over the course of her encounters. Playing a key role in the world of fashion since the 1970s, Carla Sozzani collaborated with numerous photographers as editor-in-chief for special issues of Vogue Italia, then again when she founded Italian ELLE. Known for her discerning eye and her sense of aesthetics, she was instrumental in the development of a number of artists. In 1990, she founded Galleria Carla Sozzani in Milan, where she exhibits mainly photography. The following year she opened 10 Corso Como, the very first concept store which has since migrated to Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing, and soon New York.
The photographs featured in the present exhibition are like different scenes from the scenario Carla Sozzani has constructed over the years. These scenes show a world in black and white, where a certain idea of beauty predominates. The whole could be summed up as a series of fleeting, enigmatic moments charged with emotions, as memories that leave behind an imprint. As one contemplates this vast collection, it is impossible to elude the grasp of these female figures that slip away even as they offer themselves to our gaze. This wealth of images exudes harmony, but one also discerns a passion for the mysterious and the peculiar.
Nathalie Herschdorfer
Nathalie Herschdorfer is a writer and historian of photography.
Between Art and Fashion: Photographs from the Carla Sozzani Collection
June 18 to October 2017
Musée des Beaux-Arts Le Locle
Marie-Anne-Calame 6
2400 Le Locle
Suisse
