illustration by rene gruau for miss dior marketing campaign
Report by yasmin coke
You may not know his name, but you will probably be familiar with illustrator René Gruau’s work. His erotic drawing of a blind-folded woman with crimson lips, created for the erstwhile beauty brand Rouge Baiser, has practically become part of pop culture. As for his graphic, sensual illustrations that graced the pages of Harper’s Bazaar, coined the mood of the Moulin Rouge’s theatrical posters and bottled the heady glamour and aspiration of Christian Dior’s illustrated perfume campaigns throughout the late 1940s – these have been emulated by legions of illustrators since.
On Wednesday, Somerset House pays homage to Gruau’s body of work for Christian Dior with the opening of its latest exhibition, Dior Illustrated. This collaboration spanned over 50 years working with the Paris fashion house and provided Dior with its elegant, post war mnemonic.
“His sketches capture the silhouette and spirit of Dior and a new era of fashion and femininity,” says Galliano, who has designed a dress inspired by Gruau. It will sit alongside more than 40 of the Italian illustrator’s original drawings for Dior Parfums, sketches, magazine and poster adverts, “they capture the energy, the sophistication and daring of Dior.”
Making sense of his legacy, the exhibition will also feature illustrations by some of the hottest names in contemporary illustration [Jasper Goodall, Daisy Fletcher, Erin Petson and Richard Kilroy], who have all created works inspired by Gruau, exclusively for the exhibition.
Somerset House, Embankment Galleries. November 10- January 9
Daily 10.00-18.00, £6, www.somersethouse.org.uk
