Is Boston poised to supersede NYC as the reigning hub of fashion fine art exhibits? Possibly. The home of the Kennedy family, an abysmal Sox season and clam chowder just took its first step towards high fashion last Wednesday with the preview of the Mario Testino "In Your Face" and "British Royal Portraits" exhibits at the Museum of Fine Arts. Always skeptical of the place of true couture fashion in Boston, I was very much surprised by the avant-garde content of the collection along with the slew of bold-faced names that showed up to the opening gala later that night.
Mario Testino, along with Patrick Demarchelier, Bruce Weber, Steven Meisel and a handful of others, is revered in the fashion industry as the cream of the crop in terms of editorial fashion photography. He considers Kate Moss his leading lady and muse, and refers to Anna Wintour, editor extraordinaire of Vogue, simply as Anna. This exhibit proves exactly why. His photos embody luxury, quality, joie de vivre and sex.
"In Your Face" consists of 122 portraits, lined on hip-height ledges in the basement of the MFA. A true testament to Testino's popularity and influence, several images are recognizable, even to those who aren't entirely obsessed with fashion. Take, for example, Tom Brady's fall cover for "V Man" where he's barking with a dog beside him. Or Princess Diana's photo shoot for Vanity Fair, five months before her death in 1997. Or any of Lady Gaga's "Vogue" covers. Then, there are his blatantly sexual Gucci ads, along with a gaggle of other bare bums, breasts and limbs from the tautest bodies in the world, languidly lounging on beaches, yachts and in studios. And then there's the occasional celebrity portrait from various events, comprising some of his personal work. Candid pictures of Oprah, GwynethPaltrow, Tom Ford and Robbie Williams balance the explosion of colors and complex staging with stark black and white composition that shows his strength in capturing people in real life, not just people in fashion editorials.
The theatricality transitions from full throttle to nearly zero upon entering the petite "British Royal Portraits" gallery. The small space reflects the intimacy of the portraits hanging on the wall of a family that is known for compulsively controlling its public image. Later in the press conference, Mr. Testino spoke about an especially eerie photograph of the late Princess Diana.
"She had something special, something other-worldly," he remarked.
The press gathered in an auditorium after the gallery tours to hear a Q&A between Testino and the museum's director, Malcolm Rogers. For a man who somehow produces some of the most raw images of the most guarded people in the world, Testino spoke with warmth, humor and honesty. Considering my greater interest in fashion than photography, I was especially intrigued by his relationship with Wintour. Wintour actually helped internally curate the collection, suggesting to Testino that he pull three images that she found unfitting.
Testino also spoke about the idealized version of beauty that he and top industry insiders adhere to.
"Magazines need to be aspirational," he said, stressing the fact that even top models can come into a shoot looking drab. He seemed very aware of the gravity of his role in the industry and its quest for often unachievable standards of beauty. Perhaps he is trained to be in the limelight, but Testino was full of advice.
"You've gotta be you - we are often in awe of other people, but you have to do you," he advised. He seems to practice what he preaches, so I shall be taking those words quite seriously.
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Elizabeth Landers is a senior majoring in political science. She can be reached at Elizabeth.Landers@tufts.edu.
