Tag Archives: 1984

Modern Art Monday Presents: Celia in Hollywood, May 1984 By David Hockney

celia in hollywood hockney photo by gail worley
Photo By Gail

The British textile and fashion designer Celia Birtwell has been a close friend and confidant of David Hockney‘s since the 1960s. Sharing northern roots and a similar sense of humor, the two found that they had much in common from their first meeting, and together they were at the heart of Bohemian London. Hockney has always been fascinated by the changing nature of Celia’s face and she remains, to this day, one of his favorite models.

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Eye On Design: Orange Shirred Velvet Corset Dress By John Paul Gaultier

Orange Shirred Velvet Corset Dress
Photos By Gail

John Paul Gaultier was among the createurs who helped make French fashion so exciting in the 1980s. The way he played with conventions of sex and gender, in particular, has had a profound influence on fashion. For example, rather than using corsetry to reinforce conventional ideals of beauty, Gaultier has always emphasized that many body types, genders and ages can be attractive. This Orange Shirred Velvet Corset Dress, featuring Gaultier’s signature cone bra top (made famous by Madonna) is from his 1984 Fall collection. Continue reading Eye On Design: Orange Shirred Velvet Corset Dress By John Paul Gaultier

Modern Art Monday Presents: Kathe Burkhart, Fuck You: From The Liz Taylor Series

Kathe Burkhart Fuck You
Photo By Gail

Kathe Burkhart is an artist and writer who uses images and text to, in her words, “articulate a radical female subject.” She considers this confrontational, sensual work, entitled Fuck You: From The Liz Taylor Series (After Bert Stern) (1984),  to be the first fully realized canvas in this series, which has been ongoing since 1982. The large-scale, richly saturated paintings combine appropriated portraits of actress Elizabeth Taylor (here, in a shot of her as Cleopatra taken by Bert Stern for Vogue magazine in 1962) with profane language, shattering both female stereotypes and conventions of representation. Taylor was a controversial feminist figure throughout her career, conveying equal parts bravura, sexual power, and vulnerability. Burkhart — collapsing the genres of portraiture and self-portraiture —  treated  the actress as a figure for her own life in the diary-like narrative series.

Photographed at The Art Institute Chicago.

Eye On Design: Thierry Mugler, Madonna Evening Ensemble

Thierry Mugler Madonna Evening Ensemble
All Photos By Gail

This ensemble by Thierry Mugler, entitled Madonna, served as the finale to his tenth-anniversary collection, which was staged at Le Zenith, and indoor in Paris. The model Pat Cleveland wore it as she was lowered from the ceiling of the auditorium in a cloud of dry ice, as if descending from heaven.

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The Smiths Release Debut Album

The Smiths Debut Album Cover

On this Date in 1984: The Smiths released their self-titled debut album. The album – which features a cropped shot of actor Joe Dallesandro on its cover – reached as high as Number 2 on the UK album charts, where it stayed for 33 weeks. This record is amazing and it’s still one of my favorite albums of all time. The Smiths rule.