I could not but become involved in this project and its link to the rest of the Gallery by supporting the Octagon Room where the great Frenchman Claude and the great Englishman Turner cross paths.
- Pierre Bergé
I have always believed that art is not only part of culture, but of life itself, that it should be made accessible to the greatest number and that museums deserve to be helped and encouraged. Museums play a social role and it is their responsibility to educate the public even if they sometimes shock or baffle. In this way, a permanent dialog is established between art and those who admire it. A museum is a living place. Creation too, even that of dead or unknown artists. Why England? Why the National Gallery? Because for me frontiers do not exist, above all in creation, and I am glad to pay tribute to a country which has always offered me a warm welcome and recognized my work.
- Yves Saint Laurent
Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent supported the renovation of two rooms in the North Galleries. The Grand Gallery where French paintings of the 17th Century are on exhibit is now called the Yves Saint Laurent Room. The Octagon Room which contains two works each by Turner and Claude Lorrain is now called the Pierre Bergé Room.
Born in 1947, Paolo Roversi begins his carrer as a reporter and discovers fashion and paris in 1973. His large format Polaroid technique creates magic and unique images.
Raised on the Place de la Concorde in 1836, the obelisk was endowed with a new capstone on 14 May 1998 to mark the year of Franco-Egyptian relations. The bronze and 23.5-carat gold pyramidion has a height of 3.6 meters.
Exclusive support for the renovation and refurbishment of the historical collections of the museums of modern art, Pompidou Center
It is with immense pleasure that I see my name associated with the renovation of the Pompidou Center. Art has held an important place in my life and work. I have been inspired by many painters: Goya, Picasso, Braque, Matisse, Mondrian, Van Gogh.
I have always believed that art is not just a part of culture, but of life itself - that it must be shown to greatest number of people possible and that museums deserve to be helped and encouraged. Museums play a social role and are responsible for educating the public, even if they sometimes shock and disorient. Such is forged a permanent dialog between art and those who admire it. A museum is a living enitity, as is artistic creation. I am therefore proud to participate in the re-opening of the National Museum of Modern Art at the Centre Pompidou which houses the major works of our century. Works which I have so often admired and which have so often guided my work.
- Yves Saint Laurent
The House of Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent offered 10 million francs (1.5 million euros) to the National Museum of Modern Art for the renovation of the permanent exhibit halls and for improvements in the presentation of the modern collections (level 5). This exceptional commitment, over a ten-year period, will allow the center to highlight its collections and present them in a more legible context. The museum gained 4,500 square meters, bringing its surface area to 14,000 square meters. It now stretches across levels 4 and 5, and offers a selection of 1,400 works instead of the previous 800 works. The contemporary collections occupy all of level 4, whose halls have been restructured. Level 5 houses the modern collections. These halls have been renovated and optimized by architect Jean-François Bodin, allowing the museum to fully play its role in presenting contemporary creation and artistic activity in the 20th Century.
“Monnnaie de Paris” (French Mint) designs a four-coin non-circulating legal tender commemorative set, celebrating Yves Saint Laurent.
Eroticism and art have always crossed paths. Greek vases. Pompeii's sculptures. Japanese prints. The Fontainebleau School. Watteau. African art. Closer to us, Courbet with “La Création du Monde” and “Le Sommeil,” Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec. Many other examples can be given. How could Picasso be left out of this list? A Spaniard, from a country of sex, death and blood, he was almost compelled to violently touch the subject of eroticism. We can say -- mutatis mutandis -- the same thing about fashion which has dressed and undressed, hidden and unveiled, through time. But do we really need a reason to support a Picasso exhibit? Neither Yves Saint Laurent, nor I believe so. On the contrary, we consider it an honor to be able to participate, humbly, in this great adventure.
- Pierre Bergé
Exhibit conceived by the Réunion des musées nationaux and the Picasso Museum, in conjunction with the National Gallery of the Jeu de Paume, Montreal's museum of fine arts where it was presented from 14 June to 16 September 2001and Barcelona's Picasso Museum where it was presented from 25 october 2001 to 25 January 2002.
Rather than a a prize, the Rosa d'oro (Golden Rose) is the recognition of a contribution to beauty and knowledge, according to Jorge Luis Borges' precepts who started the award in 1984. From hand to hand, this cultural chain has included the photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson (1986), the musician Pierre Boulez (1992), the architect I.M. Pei (1996) and the sculptor Eduardo Chillida (1998) who suggested Yves Saint Laurent.
“It is all the more heart-warming to me because it is not a fashion award but in a wider cultural context,” Saint Laurent said.
In 2002, Yves Saint Laurent will hand the Rosa d'Oro to David Hockney.
