Jean Paul Gaultier, whose early work in the 1970s earned him the nickname “enfant terrible” of fashion, is unquestionably one of the most important fashion designers in recent decades. This is the first exhibition devoted to Gaultier, who draws inspiration from dance, pop-rock, cinema, television, photography, and world cultures. The exhibition highlights Gaultier’s eclectic and vibrant sources of inspiration through a selection of approximately 140 haute couture dresses and ready-to-wear pieces made between the early 1970s and 2010. Dallas is the first of only two U.S. cities on the international tour. Group Tickets are on sale now. Be the first to see these incredible works of art in this multimedia presentationdirect from the runway. 

November 13, 2011 – February 12, 2012
Dallas Museum of Art
1717 North Harwood, Dallas, TX 75201

For tickets, visit the Dallas Museum of Arts website

- DALLAS - 

The Blanton’s French drawings are less familiar perhaps, than its Italian Renaissance and Baroque holdings, but they are equally impressive. This exhibition of approximately 60 works dating from 1500 to 1900 examines the subjects of the drawings, as well as their material and social history as objects. Included are fine examples by Jean-Baptiste Greuze, François Boucher, Jean-Honore Fragonard, Théodore Rousseau, Jean Forain, and Théodore-Alexandre Steinlen. The exhibition, which is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalog, will travel to The Frick Art and Historical Center in Pittsburgh, the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, and the Grey Art Gallery at New York University.

September 18, 2011at 1:00 PM - December 31, 2011 at 5:00 PM
Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin
MLK at Congress, Austin, TX 78701

For additional information, visit the Blanton Museum of Art website

- AUSTIN -

Experience the elegance of a typical day in a Paris town house during the 1700s. Life & Luxury: The Art of Living in Eighteenth-Century Paris re-imagines—through art and material culture—the lifestyle of elite 18th-century Parisians. This sumptuous exhibition offers a glimpse into the conventional activities in the cycle of a single day: dressing, writing, collecting, eating, and evening entertainment.

Life & Luxury brings together some 160 objects, roughly half of them loans from 26 museums and private collections around the world. The beautiful works on view include paintings, furniture, sculpture, clocks and watches, textiles and dress, metalwork, architectural fittings, lighting and hearth fixtures, scientific and musical instruments, drawings, books, and maps.

The exhibition begins in the morning with the bedroom, then moves to daily correspondence and business affairs. The activity of collecting—particularly art—is explored in a section that evokes a private Parisian galerie. Tapestries, silver, and still-lifes consider elements of dining, and the next section focuses on two types of leisure occupations: music-making and game-playing. Life & Luxury closes with nighttime and the importance of private prayer.

September 18 to December 11
Beck Building, Second Floor
5601 Main Street

For additional information, visit the Museum of Fine Arts Website

- HOUSTON -

It is Bernar Venet’s belief that the function of artist is to explore and discover “lands that are unknown.” In this regard Venet has been interested in the function of line because it is the basis of drawing. Originally Venet would trace straight and curved lines on white canvas with black paint. A few years later his work evolved and he was creating lines made of wood that he painted black and hung on walls. It was extremely important to Venet how the lines and curves were arranged when they were put on display. For him they were installations and they were set in place according to the space with which he had to work. Eventually Venet had an idea to liberate lines from mathematics and to make lines that did not resemble any known image. With his monumental sculptures Venet forges spatial perspectives, angles, and forms that surprise, challenge, and ultimately expand the perception of the viewer.

4033 State Highway 6 South
Sugar Land, Texas 77479

For additional information, visit the City of Sugar Land website

- SUGARLAND -