PHOTO: Karl Lagerfeld at the MEP

This show mixes Karl Lagerfeld’s glossy editorial work with more personal snaps: of parties and people, architecture and landscapes. Talk about the German work ethic! The Kaiser’s head is so crowded with fantasies that designing for Chanel, Fendi, and his own line – as well as personally photographing their ad campaigns, giving makeovers to dying newspapers and Coke bottles, and moonlighting in the world of fast fashion – isn’t enough to satisfy his creative drive. The designer claims that peering through a camera is essential to his creativity, providing necessary critical detachment, and the show promises private observations from a more personal Karl.  Of course, it’s easy to scoff at the idea of Lagerfeld having either a private life or an informed idea of the world outside his armored Hummer. But remember that photos included date all the way back to when he started taking pictures in 1987 – only five years into his tenure at Chanel – and long before the chemo-calibre slim-down and the frenzy of bling decade television appearances made him a mega-watt international star.
15 Sep-31 Oct.
Maison Européenne de la Photographie, 7 rue de Fourcy, 4th. www.mep-fr.org