05/28/2014
The Design Museum in London has an exhibition moving through the life of Paul Smith, creator, collector, cyclist, (interrupted a potential career of a professional cyclist as a teenager after a serious bicycle crash), a lover of life and beautiful things.
It commemorates 40 years of work and 67 years of the artist's life.
“The secret to success? Love for life, daily awakening with positive thoughts and exchanging them with my wife, who is responsible for my success”- this is how Paul Smith describes himself and his life.
He dedicates this exhibition to his wife, who is also a fashion designer, who opened his doors to art with ideas and tips.
It is not a retrospective of Smith's work but a look at his life, interests, inspirations, love. The first show-room in a hotel room in Paris, where only six shirts, two sweaters and two suits were exhibited and in which only one person appeared, who fortunately was also a customer, that's where it all goes…
The first fashion show was held at a friend's apartment, he wrote invitations himself and served champagne from a local grocery store.
The current studio at Covent Garden.
A desk full of interesting little things and objects that he never sits on because he can't find a place to work.
Great collection of photos, the first camera he gets at the age of 11 from his father, and from whom he never separates,
Then there are the graphics, the pictures ... Banksy, David Hockney, Andy Warhol ...
... quotes, statements, thoughts, creations, passion for flea markets and antiques, all packed in one place where it provides a clear representation of a genius, a simple man with many ideas and interests, a family man, a husband, friends of famous, famous people and ordinary people. David Bailey was a great friend of his.
Here ideas come from different inputs from a plate of spaghetti through architecture, photography, various objects, dolls, robots….
He designed the Pink shirt - Maglia Rosa worn by the winner of Giro d Italia 2013, a bicycle grand tour race through Italy.
