Books | Gagosian Quarterly

Books, Page 2 of 8

Genieve Figgis, Eternal Garden, 2022, acrylic on canvas, 39 ⅜ × 47 ¼ inches (100 × 120 cm)

Picture Books: Genieve Figgis and Lydia Millet

The fourth book published by Picture Books, an imprint organized by Emma Cline and Gagosian, is Lydia Millet’s novella Lyrebird. Accompanying the text is a painting by Genieve Figgis, inspired by the story’s lush setting. In celebration of this publication, Figgis and Millet spoke to each other about the process, the role of humor in their work, and the genesis of their contributions.

Karl Lagefeld in front of a blue background. Photo: Roe Ethridge

The Art of Biography: Paradise Now: The Extraordinary Life of Karl Lagerfeld

William Middleton’s forthcoming biography of Karl Lagerfeld, Paradise Now, comes as a major follow-up to his lauded history of Dominique and John de Menil, Double Vision, from 2018. Here, curator Michael Cary speaks with Middleton about the challenges, strategies, and revelations that went into telling the story of this larger-than-life visionary in the world of fashion and the culture at large.

Languorous undulations (in the temple of my familiar)

Alexandria Smith and Akwaeke Emezi take up themes of queerness, hybridity, and embodied memory in their respective visual and literary works. Here, Emezi responds to Smith’s painting Languorous undulations (in the temple of my familiar) (2022) with an eponymous piece of flash fiction.

Fashion and Art: Madonna’s Sex and Saint Laurent Rive Droite

This year’s edition of Art Basel Miami Beach brought Saint Laurent to America for a special exhibition curated by creative director Anthony Vaccarello celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the publication of Madonna’s groundbreaking book, Sex (1992). Staged on the Miami beachfront, the ephemeral exhibition was presented on the occasion of the reissue of Sex by Rive Droite and Callaway, New York, and featured large-format prints of Steven Meisel’s iconic photographs from the book, as well as unpublished images from the original photo shoots. Rennie McDougall reflects on the momentous impact of the publication, tracing Madonna’s ongoing influence on and provocation of popular culture.