As models clad in Dries Van Noten Spring/Summer 2015 walked down the runway today, one observer, Pamela Golbin, looked on with particular investment—and understanding. The curator spent years working on the Musée des Arts Decoratifs' current exhibit with the art-sensitive designer, after all.
This is Golbin’s 21st year with the museum, but this did not prevent her from accessing something completely novel with this exhibit—the extension of its run and success of its book stand as testament to its unusual perspective. OC sat with Golbin behind the museum in the Tuileries, below the exhibit’s floral signage, to talk about the experience of working with Van Noten and the conception of its book counterpart.
Shop Pamela's book, Dries Van Noten here
See the Dries Van Noten: Inspirations exhibit in Paris through November 2
R. BENOIT: This is a jarringly intimate exhibit, from the space itself to how it makes you feel. Why do you think that is?
PAMELA GOLBIN: Dries is not someone who... how can I say it... is extremely open—he is very discreet. We started our conversation over two years ago. I invited him to come and see our textile collection. What became clear very quickly was that neither him nor I wanted a retrospective. It’s just not him, and it’s not his work. So it was very much about his thematic vocabulary, his signature style.
For someone who’s so discreet, it was incredible to see how open he was about sharing his creative process, and this is an exhibition about the creative process. It became a portrait—it is a self-portrait of Dries, and by definition a portrait has an intimacy to it.
Because we were treating something that was so personal to him, it was important to make the space human and really as if you were walking through his home. It is about him, his love, his passion, and his creative process, so it had to be intimate. I think that’s what comes out in the exhibition and why it’s been so successful. It is a very clear and very intimate point of view.
How did you access that intimacy?
There was a lot of push and pull—a lot of pushing—to get that, and once he opened up he’s someone who just lets it all out once he starts. So there’s a lot of trust, and I think what’s incredible about this project has been the trust that he had in me, and our institution, and also in the public, because for someone who stays pretty much reserved and outside of the fashion world, to finally speak and speak in such a way, was about trust and intimacy.
Was the book at the back of your mind as you worked on the exhibit, or did the two happen separately?
The book was essential to the process. Dries always works on several different things and they feed off each other. It was very important to him to find the right artistic director, and we worked with Joseph Logan.
I feel like part of the book’s success is owed to its amazing cover!
So the cover is actually, [laughs] that’s so Dries, because we showed him a fabric from the 19th century—it dates back from 1889, it won the gold prize at the universal exhibition, and in looking at
This is Golbin’s 21st year with the museum, but this did not prevent her from accessing something completely novel with this exhibit—the extension of its run and success of its book stand as testament to its unusual perspective. OC sat with Golbin behind the museum in the Tuileries, below the exhibit’s floral signage, to talk about the experience of working with Van Noten and the conception of its book counterpart.
Shop Pamela's book, Dries Van Noten here
See the Dries Van Noten: Inspirations exhibit in Paris through November 2
R. BENOIT: This is a jarringly intimate exhibit, from the space itself to how it makes you feel. Why do you think that is?
PAMELA GOLBIN: Dries is not someone who... how can I say it... is extremely open—he is very discreet. We started our conversation over two years ago. I invited him to come and see our textile collection. What became clear very quickly was that neither him nor I wanted a retrospective. It’s just not him, and it’s not his work. So it was very much about his thematic vocabulary, his signature style.
For someone who’s so discreet, it was incredible to see how open he was about sharing his creative process, and this is an exhibition about the creative process. It became a portrait—it is a self-portrait of Dries, and by definition a portrait has an intimacy to it.
Because we were treating something that was so personal to him, it was important to make the space human and really as if you were walking through his home. It is about him, his love, his passion, and his creative process, so it had to be intimate. I think that’s what comes out in the exhibition and why it’s been so successful. It is a very clear and very intimate point of view.
How did you access that intimacy?
There was a lot of push and pull—a lot of pushing—to get that, and once he opened up he’s someone who just lets it all out once he starts. So there’s a lot of trust, and I think what’s incredible about this project has been the trust that he had in me, and our institution, and also in the public, because for someone who stays pretty much reserved and outside of the fashion world, to finally speak and speak in such a way, was about trust and intimacy.
Was the book at the back of your mind as you worked on the exhibit, or did the two happen separately?
The book was essential to the process. Dries always works on several different things and they feed off each other. It was very important to him to find the right artistic director, and we worked with Joseph Logan.
I feel like part of the book’s success is owed to its amazing cover!
So the cover is actually, [laughs] that’s so Dries, because we showed him a fabric from the 19th century—it dates back from 1889, it won the gold prize at the universal exhibition, and in looking at