David LaChapelle Retrospective (Paris, France)

I'm just briefly interrupting my London posting with a quick review on the David LaChapelle retrospective I decided to go to, before I left Paris for this trip. Like most people, I was relatively familiar with LaChapelle's work and had heard from some, that this exhibit was rather disappointing, while others raved about it. Then again, most people either hate or love his work... some think his outrageous photographs are only there to provoke, while others believe his take on today's society, consumerism and obsession with celebrity is brilliant. Curious as always, I decided to plonk down 10 EUR to go see this, before it closes (it remains open until the end of the month). Apologies if the images are blurry by the way. But all original photos can be viewed on various pages online, so I figured this should hopefully be enough to give a general idea of how items were displayed.

I'm going to be honest and say that the one main reason for going has to be the building his works are housed in. The Monnaie de Paris is a grand impressive structure, situated along the Left Bank of the Seine and usually reserved for showcasing old coins and medals. The stark contrast between LaChapelle's loud grotesque pieces and the majestic interior of the museum was quite striking.

This exhibit was supposedly the largest retrospective ever to have been presented in France (which probably isn't saying much) and promised to show works previously not seen in Europe. The first two pieces that greeted me in the foyer were very well-known though: on the left was the (in)famous 'Pieta with Courtney Love', while the right wall showed 'Kanye West: Passion of the Christ'. Both more impressive in their full-sized proportions (over 6 foot high) than they ever could be in a book or magazine.

The main area, which resembled a ballroom if it weren't for the giant 3D installations, was probably the major attraction. You could easily spend at least 10 minutes taking in the details of 'Decadence: The Insufficiency of All Things Attainable' featuring mostly nude models and Paris Hilton, surrounded by luxury items, food and a few exotic animals. The opposite walls featured more 3D pieces, this time damaged American cars stacked on top of each other. The only 2D artwork was the negative of a 10 dollar bill. All of this according to the artist himself is "inspired by the idea of negative money. I'm taking this as a chance and an opportunity to say something."

LaChapelle's somewhat anti-capitalist stance continued in the following room, where the first of his 'Deluge' series was displayed like an oversized mural, depicting human's growing attachment to consumer goods and the decline of values such as kindness or empathy. The adjoining room continued this theme with 'Museum' (which criticizes art ownership) and 'Cathedral' (loss of spiritual value). The last room dedicated to this series showed a few images from 'Awakened' - normal people floating in water or air, as a symbol of rebirth.

Another 3D installation followed: 'Holy War' showed scenes of men dying in anguish (under the word 'Holy') and Jesus surrounded by children and lambs (under the word 'War'). It was at least 3 meters long and punctuated by flashing LED bulbs. More works with Jesus followed in the next room belonging to the 'Jesus is My Homeboy' series.

The next few rooms displayed a few pieces from the 'Destruction and Disaster' series, most of them depicting homes destroyed by natural forces, while my favorite all-time classic had Alexander McQueen and Isabella Blow burning down a house.

I'm not quite sure why 'Recollections in America' followed at this point. It seemed a bit odd wedged into this area, then again, I'm not sure where I would have put it. All images were real-life photos taken in the seventies, which LaChapelle photoshopped to include slightly disturbing objects or scenes, such as families filling a baby bottle with beer or older folks at a party holding rifles.

The most popular photographs followed in the last two rooms - all of them presenting works that both celebrate and subvert celebrity. The theme ranged anywhere from celebrities' narcissistic nature, their excesses and exhibitionism to their obsession with plastic surgery and the invasion of privacy.

I thoroughly enjoyed what I saw and liked the fact that everything was categorized by subject matter or series. The 3D pieces alone were worth seeing in person and you get a much better overview viewing all photographs side by side. The bigger scale of the images allowed you to notice details that you might not otherwise see on a computer screen or on paper. My one big gripe is that there were nowhere near 200 artworks on display as advertised by the press and the exhibition itself. I would say the number was well under a 100 (somewhere around 60-70). I didn't expect the full range of LaChapelle's work to be presented - it would have been too much and would have watered down the essence of what he was trying to say with each series. However it does come across as pointless when the written description that precedes a series in each room references photographs that are nowhere to be found, especially if these were pretty groundbreaking in the photographer's career - there wasn't a single photo of Marilyn Manson, Eminem or even Britney Spears in sight.

If you're a fan, you should definitely check it out anyway. If you're not, you might want to browse one of his books first (such as this one), before handing out that much money for an exhibit you might only spend 20 minutes in. LaChapelle retrospectives are constantly on display throughout the world, so keep your eye out. In any case, the pieces are thought-provoking and well worth looking at.

Address: Monnaie de Paris, 11 Quai de Conti, 75006 Paris

Opening Hrs: Tue-Thu: 10:30-19:30, Mon/Fri: 10:30-22:00

Monnaie de Paris Homepage, David LaChapelle Homepage