Celebrating Le French Festival 2016 at Galeri PETRONAS

Kuala Lumpur, 1 June 2016 – “Fashion fades, style is eternal.” So foretold Yves Saint Laurent.

The mastery of the legendary fashion icon is now retold via a quintessential collection of photographs captured by lauded photographer Pierre Boulat, unveiled today at GALERI PETRONAS in Kuala Lumpur.

Titled “Yves Saint Laurent, La Naissance d’une Légende” (The Birth of a Legend), the exhibition features 49 black & white photographs, offering an insight into the celebrated designer’s life after leaving his role as head designer at Christian Dior.  The unique photographs portray Yves Saint Laurent at work, the preparations he put into his designs, adjusting the final details of his show backstage, drawing sessions or quietly working on his own. The photographs give visitors the chance to feel his excitement, anxiety, as well as the quality and originality of his creative practice.

Photographer Pierre Boulat was a regular collaborator of Life magazine and Paris Match. Boulat followed the lives of Yves Saint Laurent and his long-time partner Pierre Bergé, taking their pictures on and off for some 30 years. The photographer maintained a very close relationship with the designer and his partner throughout the years, which gave him unlimited access not only backstage, but also within the intimacy of the designer’s Paris home.

Datin Dr. Azura Ahmad Tajuddin, President of PETRONITA and the wife of PETRONAS President and Group CEO, Datuk Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin, officially opened the exhibition today. Also present to share a few words at the event was YAM Tengku Zatashah Sultan Idris Shah, President Alliance Française de Kuala Lumpur, along with attendees Madame Florence Mayol-Dupont, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of France in Malaysia and Puan Zahariah Abd Rahman, Senior General Manager Group Strategic Communications, PETRONAS.

Speaking at the opening reception, Datin Dr Azura said, "Style, sophistication and fashion are synonymous with the French culture, and through the decades prevail as a source of inspiration for the world over. Today’s exhibition is a unique and rare insight into an important milestone of the fashion culture. Yves Saint Laurent’s entry into the fashion world signifies a transformation of the modern women’s spirit that unifies strength and femininity. More notably, his work has bridged the fine line between art and fashion.

“The innovative spirit and pursuit of excellence displayed by both Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Boulat resonate with PETRONAS’ own relentless spirit of innovation and excellence. Platforms such as GALERI PETRONAS provide an avenue to engage with society and promote a deeper understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures and lives through the universal language of art."

Also there to welcome guests at the exhibition opening, YAM Tengku Zatashah Sultan Idris Shah expressed her pleasure to be presenting such an event under Le French Festival 2016. “Fashion is synonymous with French culture, and one of our aims this year with a larger scale festival was to be able to present more facets of the French lifestyle beyond films and concerts. We hope this exhibition will be well-visited by the public for the duration of its display,” she said.

This exclusive exhibition is part of the lineup of sub-events under the annual Le French Festival 2016 as jointly organized by Alliance Française de Kuala Lumpur and the Embassy of France in Malaysia.

Visitors will be able to view the collection for free at GALERI PETRONAS during opening hours 10am–8pm. The exhibition runs from 1-25 June 2016.For more information on the exhibition, browse over to lefrenchfestival.com.my and www.galeripetronas.com.my

Issued by

Media Relations

Group Strategic Communications

PETRONAS