Hubert Barrère

Illusion : la Mètis et l’Artifice

Hubert Barrère, artist, embroiderer, corset-maker and Artistic Director of the House of Lesage, presents the exhibition Illusion, la mètis et l’artifice at the villa Noailles.

This exhibition features seven busts, bringing together an exceptional corsetry savoir-faire and textile sculpture in sumptuous materials at the crossroads of art, fashion and craftsmanship. The visitor is immersed in a semi-darkness conducive to meditation, in a mystical, museumesque ambiance.
Hubert Barrère gives soul to the different fabrics that are retranscribed and rendered sublime by the embroiderers. Sequins, beads and feathers materialise in malachite or as scales, evoking the texture of an exotic skin.

This Ancient Greece enthusiast focuses on the figure of Athena. Thanks to the embroideries by the Lesage ateliers, the interpretation of the symbols associated with the goddess of artists and artisans is a moving reminder of the heritage value of these savoir-faire.

Hubert Barrère
A graduate of the École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, Hubert Barrère worked with - among others - Thierry Mugler and the embroiderer Vermont between 1990 and 1994, before becoming Artistic Director at Ghislain and Vicaire. Passionate about corsets, he launched his first collection in 1995 and was awarded the Grand Prix de la Mode de la Ville de Paris. As Artistic Director of the embroiderer Hurel from 1997 to 2011, he collaborated with the biggest Houses, including CHANEL, Givenchy and Valentino. His renown has made a particular impression on China, where he has been invited to hold a runway show during several Fashion Weeks since 2003. In 2008, he was the first man to become president of the Fashion Group Paris, and in the same year he won the Talent de l’Audace prize, awarded by the Centre du luxe et de la création. In 2011 he became Artistic Director of the
House of Lesage, succeeding François Lesage. He is also the co-author of the book Le Corset published in 2011. He collaborated with
the artist Claudine Drai in 2015, creating costumes for a dance performance at the Fondation Maeght, and again in 2017 for an exhibition at the 57th Venice Biennale. In 2018, Nicolas Le Riche asked him to design the costumes for his ballet “B comme…”.

The House of Lesage
Since 1924, the House of Lesage has been making embroideries
for Haute Couture, Ready-to- Wear and accessories, that require hundreds of hours of work and an exceptional savoir- faire. Their embroidery school was established in 1992. The House of Lesage joined CHANEL’s Métiers d’art in 2002.

Photography : Luc Bertrand

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