Blue jeans, a fashion favorite, have reached universal iconic status crossing all boundaries – socioeconomic, generational and geographical – becoming a must-have item in any closet. In contemporary memory, denim has gone from barnyard work wear to 1950s rebel chic to hip disco style to accepted apparel in the workplace of the young and cool, making the ubiquitous blue jean seemingly America’s gift to the world.
Now a groundbreaking exhibition, “The Master of Blue Jeans” opening on January 20, 2011 at New York’s Didier Aaron, Inc. introduces Americans to a newly discovered painter active in the seventeenth-century Italy who depicted the use of denim in clothing among the poor. This small, but noteworthy exhibition offers a glimpse into two usually mutually exclusive activities – scholarship and fun centering on the origins of this sturdy fabric that dates back to 1655.
Historians have longed claimed sources for denim to come from Genoa, Italy or Nimes, France, but there is no tangible evidence to confirm since the durable fabric was worn until completely tattered and, more to the point, the working poor were not subjects who were documented. The word “denim” comes from “serge de Nîmes,” made in Nîmes, France and cotton fustian from Genoa, Italy, so both cities claim to have manufactured this centuries old fabric.
“The Master of Blue Jeans” originated at the Galerie Canesso in Paris, is an exhibition originally organized by Gerline Gruber curator at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna (Ms. Gruber came up with the snazzy title) identified ten paintings of this unknown artist that were formerly attributed to Michael Sweerts, Diego Velázquez, Georges de La Tour to the generic Neapolitan School. Referring to the paintings, seven of which are on view, Ms. Gruber noted they share a common hand whose signature inclusion of a blue cloth with a white thread weave typifies the famous Genoese material.
Although I found the painting “The Beggar Boy with a Piece of Pie,” a young boy in a jean jacket with turned up collar (so biker chic) and large brown hat (shades of the adventurous Indiana Jones) startling modern it does not belie the solemnity and seriousness of the lives of these subjects whose station in life is shown with dignity. The artist whose origins are unknown is considered an original among his peers who only painted the upper classes in their utmost finery.
French fashion designer Francois Girbaud whose label specializes in denim help curate the exhibition. To place “The Master of Blue Jeans” in context, a second exhibit from the Galerie Canesso “A Selection of Paintings,” featuring Michael Sweerts, Pietro Bellotti, and Giascomo Ceruti are also on view. This highly unusual show is on only through February 4, 2011. http://www.didieraaron.com/, (212) 988-5248.
All images courtesy of Galerie Canesso/Paris, France
