Great photographers such as Erwin Blumenfeld, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Jean-Philippe Charbonnier, Jean Chevalier, Henry Clarke, Robert Doisneau, Martin Dutkovitch, Nat Farbman, Milton Green, Gordon Parks, Irving Penn, Willy Rizzo, Emile Savitry, Maurice Zalewski pay homage "Bettina" in Milan from 16 September.
Born in 1925 and raised in Normandy, Bettina dreamed of becoming a fashion designer and in 1944 she moved to Paris, where she met Jacques Costet, a young stylist who had just opened a small atelier to present some of her sketches. Costet, fascinated by her beauty, ends the meeting by asking her to wear one of her dresses. From that moment on, she began an extraordinary career as a muse and model: “gloves, hats, veils – it was that era: I liked posing, it was an instinct and a pleasure” (Fashion memoir, Thames and Hudson, 1998).
After Costet, Bettina worked for a short time with Lucien Lelong and in 1947 joined Jacques Fath, becoming his muse. Admired by Bettina, Fath designs a collection of dresses that "only she can wear naturally and elegantly", creating a new style. Thus was born the "Bettina" phenomenon and her name became synonymous with modernity and style.
Contested by the most important fashion magazines, she is in a short time "the most photographed Frenchwoman in France" (Paris Match). On the street, on the beach, in the most luxurious residences, among the paintings in an atelier, in the simple frame of a white backdrop, the most successful photographers create images that have made the history of fashion photography.
In 1952 she met Hubert de Givenchy and helped him open his maison in the dual role of model and public relations manager. Givenchy dedicates the "Bettina" blouse to her, immortalized by the famous drawing by René Gruau. In these years he traveled a lot in Europe but also in the United States, Brazil, Argentina and made friends with intellectuals, actors, directors and writers: Georges Simenon, Jean Genet, Jacques Prévert, Greta Garbo, Elizabeth Taylor, Gregory Peck, the Bogarts, Ava Gardner, John Huston, Irving Shaw, Charlie Chaplin, Truman Capote and Gary Cooper. She continues to pose for fashion magazines with dresses by Christian Dior, Madame Grès,
Balenciaga, Balmain and reached the peak of his career in 1955, the year in which he decided to leave the fashion scene.
Despite her retirement, Bettina continues to work in fashion, in 1963 she is "charming ambassador" of Elle magazine, to be photographed with "the most beautiful dresses in Paris" in Africa, from the Valley of the Temples, to the Sinai desert, to the foot of Kilimanjaro.
In 1967 she returned to the catwalk for the Coco Chanel collection inspired by her, later she was couture director for Emanuel Ungaro and public relations manager for Valentino. In 2010 she was named Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the then French minister Frédéric Mitterrand.
Bettina loves fashion, she follows it and precedes it, her figure and personality is still present and influential today among contemporary stylists and photographers: Azzedine Alaia, Yohji Yamomoto, Pierre et Gilles, Mario Testino.
The exhibition traces his career through over one hundred images signed by the greatest photographers of those years: Erwin Blumenfeld, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Jean-Philippe Charbonnier, Jean Chevalier, Henry Clarke, Robert Doisneau, Martin Dutkovitch, Nat Nat Farbman, Milton Green, Gordon Parks, Irving Penn, Willy Rizzo, Emile Savitry, Maurice Zalewski.
Exhibition from 16 September to 2 November 2014
Carla Sozzani Gallery
Corso Como 10 – 20154 Milan, Italy
www.galleriacarlasozzani.org
press@galleriacarlasozzani.org
