David Downton / Midnight in Paris
FIG is delighted to make available new couture drawings created by the hand of legendary fashion artist David Downton. Rare and beautiful these works on paper represent Downton at his best; conjuring imagery that are simultaneously both contemporary and nostalgic.
In the words of Christina Lacroix Downton’s drawings are, ‘ as light as air and as powerful as water’. Created for Luxure magazine (issue 42), the select group of works record the Spring/Summer 2020 couture shows presented in Pairs, at the beginning of the year.
This body of work titled ‘Midnight in Paris’ lowers a veil over the couture shows as Downton has been experiencing them over the last 24 years before the current pandemic closed down so much that we hold dear.
The collections of Maison Valentino are represented alongside those of Alexis Mabille, Schiaparelli, Stephane Rolland and Jean Paul Gaultier. Downton’s mastery of his craft is evident in the supreme confidence of his reductive line, his discerning palette and the distillation of a moment that for many defines the essence of glamour and couture.
If an artist’s influence and reputation can be measured by their many imitators and copyists Downton remains head and shoulders above the rest, the undisputed leader of the pack and artist to watch, follow and collect.