The MoMu celebrates fashion painters and the expertise of makeup and hairstyling artists through the work of James Ensor in an exhibition that challenges the canons of beauty.

Issy Wood, Cindy Sherman, Genieve Figgis, Harley Weir, Inge Grognard, Martin Margiela, Christian Lacroix, Walter van Beirendonck, Cyndia Harvey, Thomas de Kluyver, Bruce Gilden… The MoMu in Antwerp invites us to discover a beautiful anthology of artists from the worlds of art, beauty, and fashion. The exhibition revives the radical, sarcastic, and audacious vision of James Ensor (1860–1949), a pioneer of modern art. “It extends his ideas on masquerade, (false) coquetry, seduction, deception, artifice, and transience to the present day,” explain the trio of curators Kaat Debo, Elisa de Wyngaert, and Romy Cockx. Attention is thus focused on fashion painters by exploring the know-how and creativity of makeup artists and hairdressers who constantly question the ideals of beauty.

STANDARDS OF PERFECTION

Aging remains one of the central fears of the human condition, continually burdened by the weight of societal norms and aesthetic conventions. From satire to realism, James Ensor consistently used makeup, masks, costumes, and accessories in his depictions to better expose "the hypocrisy, deceit, opportunism, and perfidious malice of those he criticizes." He explored the canons of the grotesque in contrast to the so-called "normative" body. Many stylists have questioned this "perfect appearance," later experimenting with "the subversive potential of makeup, prosthetics, and image manipulation." The curators are showcasing, among others, the work of makeup artist Inge Grognard, special effects designer Geoff Portass, and stylist Walter van Beirendonck. All
Three re-examine "the tropes of cosmetic surgery in favor of latex prostheses." Cindy Sherman's approach, which often makes the grotesque her credo, remains just as relevant in her photos for Comme des Garçons.

FROM AGING TO REJUVENATING

The exhibition continues this exploration of the quest for eternal and youthful beauty. Today, rejuvenation has become a leitmotif, and the fight against aging a key concept. Inge Grognard's work also addresses this aspect. Having collaborated with Martin Margiela, the Antwerp Six, Raf Simons, Demna (Balenciaga), and Glenn Martens (Y/Project, Diesel), she manipulates skin, traces, marks, and imprints. It's a creative process she always experiments with on herself to maintain a handcrafted approach. Within this context, MoMu and the Beauty Papers platform present the work of several artists around three video installations exploring Ensor's themes, one of which is by Danish photographer and director Casper Sejersen (Acumen no. 38). Christian Lacroix's approach is equally captivating, particularly with his wedding dresses that close his fashion shows. The French couturier has always drawn inspiration from Miss Havisham, a character in Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations (1861), which recounts the decline in desirability of aging women. For his Spring/Summer 2004 collection, he questions the assimilations between
"Age, shame, and fading beauty" with her hairstylist Cyndia Harvey. The model's aging hair wig demonstrates this time that self-confidence only grows with age.

TO BE AND TO APPEAR BEYOND TIME

This interesting exhibition at MoMu explores the evolution of trends across eras, consumer culture, identity analysis, technological transitions, and advances toward inclusivity in the beauty industry. It also examines color as a product (foundation, blush) that corresponds to the user's skin, rather than to social status or sociocultural, physiological, and other meanings.
economic. “Makeup and beauty, which have become a multi-billion dollar industry, confront human beings with the evanescence of their physical appearance, their imagined imperfections, and their existential fears,” the trio of curators reiterates, adding: “But, like painting,
Makeup is also a form of personal expression, artistic experimentation, joy, and freedom.

"MASQUERADE, MAKEUP & INSOR" MOMU
NATIONALESTRAAT 28, ANTWERP (BELGIUM)
UNTIL FEBRUARY 2, 2025
MOMU.BE