Karl Lagerfeld's influences on collecting and art de vivre
Part II!
Karl Lagerfeld was seven years old when he came across a copy of Adolph Menzel’s König Friedrichs II. Tafelrunde in Sanssouci 1750 (1850) in an art gallery in Hamburg.
After much begging, Karl’s parents bought him books on Menzel, which he thoroughly studied, as well as the copy of the painting he saw in the gallery. (The original six feet tall canvas was initially stored in Berlin along with many other prominent works of Botticelli, Caravaggio, Goya, Rubens, Tintoretto, Titian, and Van Dyck, but these were all destroyed in a fire in May 1945, when Berlin had fallen.)
The discovery of this work was a pivotal moment for Lagerfeld in several ways. For one, it marked the beginning of his lifelong passion for the eighteenth century. "I didn't even know if this was French or not." he said of the work. "But Sans Souci was inspired by Versailles, as were all of the German princes of the 18th century."
Most of all, Menzel’s depiction of Frederick the Great, sat at a round table with European intellectuals and artists (including Voltaire) in the palace Frederick II himself had built, was aspirational. "The beautiful table, sumptuously set, suggested a world that was so different from the strict, 19th century, neoclassical, style that I was surrounded by," Karl later explained. “I immediately decided that this refined scene represented life as it deserved to be lived. I saw it as a sort of ideal that, ever since, I have always tried to attain." In other words, the intersections of culture, intellect, etiquette, and art de vivre represented in Menzel’s work, made this the nucleus of what would become Karl’s manner of hosting, as well as influencing his philosophy of collecting, not to mention his way of life.
Looking at Lagerfeld’s art de vivre and philosophy of collecting we are, of course, faced with eccentricity and abundance. More interestingly still, we are faced with what, at first glance, seem to be contradictory elements, that in truth reveal themselves to be balanced, complex, and complimentary. Most of all, this exploration brings us to the core of Karl Lagerfeld’s passions, intentions and the reasonings that informed his way of life.
Menzel’s work is crucial in understanding Karl’s refinement, from his art of light conversation to his respect for etiquette and the old world. The idea of intellectual conversations around a dinner table, in the setting of the home was hugely appealing, and would influence the ways in which Lagerfeld would host for the rest of his life. Lagerfeld loved hosting dinner parties for his friends, he was particular about his tablecloths, silver and tableware. Not to mention that he was loyal to his Parisian florist, Lachaume. He regularly spoiled his friends with immaculate bouquets, for occasions big or small, thoughtful to adapt bouquets to their tastes. Lagerfeld was of course also specific about his own flowers, and communicated with Lachaume, sending descriptive faxes (later text messages), sometimes sending instructional drawings of a floral arrangement. Lagerfeld’s lightness of being is reflected in his description of mood of Menzel’s work: "Elegant frivolity" (Middleton 36). And what are flowers if not a simple luxury, “elegant frivolity”, a good in itself?
Paradoxically, for all of Lagerfeld’s knowledge of history, respect for tradition, etiquette and an old-fashioned way of life, he despised nostalgia, rejecting it entirely in favor of looking forward. Indeed, Lagerfeld’s utter rejection of nostalgia could be credited for his vitality and eternal sense of wonder. His belief in the current moment in time also made him certain that there was no such thing as bad taste, or faute de gout. In fact, he believed one should embrace one’s time! This is puzzling, seeing as Lagerfeld’s collections were not only of the highest quality, but often, also widely considered as very high brow (his 18th century or Art Deco collections come to mind). And yet! His wide range of homes suggest themselves to be passion projects, and certainly unbound by convention.
The combination of Lagerfeld insatiable curiosity, and his unmatched discipline may very well account for his encyclopedic knowledge of artistic movements, history, architecture, music, fine art, decorative arts, and more. But Lagerfeld has also been described as stubborn, and could not stand not knowing. His passion project, 7L and the library it houses, is not only the fulfillment of his lifelong dream of being a book publisher; 7L is the physical manifestation of Lagerfeld’s extravagance, and represents the overwhelm any bibliophile or curious person feels towards the impossible abundance of knowledge in the world. It is almost a childish delusion, not accepting the fact that one cannot read every book that exist. Or perhaps it is the commitment to live a life according to the values of the Enlightenment!
Furthermore, character traits such as curiosity, stubbornness, discipline and a commitment to learning is what kept up Lagerfeld up to date on youth culture and the current cultural moment. Again, Lagerfeld had an immense respect for the past but was never hung up on it. This, of course, informed he manner of designing fashion, but it also informed his manner of collecting.
When asked about collecting, buying Jean Prouvé before anyone else, and whether he had always been ahead of the curve, Lagerfeld answered:
The biggest most beautiful classic paintings – by Impressionists, by Surrealists (whom I hate), by Expressionists (whom I have) and even modern art, like Pollock – were not expensive when they were made. Now you buy them for a fortune, and you have only a few excuses, or no excuse [for waiting]: you didn’t have the money to buy them cheaply even 30 years ago, or you are an idiot and you are blind. Or you like the idea of putting something on the wall and everybody knows how much you paid for it. Its up to you to adjust to the period. You can fight for the past, or like me you can be a healthy opportunist and go the next step. You can move on quickly. I hope so. I’m a fashion person. I change clothes, furniture, houses, collections. Life is about change. There is a moment when things cannot become any better; then you change. There is no feeling of home in my house. I don’t have those feeling. I am utterly free, European, free-minded, and I have no sense of possession. But to have no sense of possession is easier if you have owned a lot (Art + Auction – September 2008).
“No sense of possession.” Indeed, he pivoted like no one else, and had a wide range of interests and styles, as demonstrated by his wide range of homes. Lagerfeld had no issue spontaneously selling an entire art or furniture collection. In 2000, he sold the vast majority of his 18th century collection at Christie’s, and three years later, his Art Deco collection at Sotheby’s. (The reason for choosing Sotheby’s over Christies the second time, was because Lagerfeld was feuding with his former friend who was working at Christie’s, and what is more emblematic of “elegant frivolity” than auctions, pettiness and revenge??)
For all his love of art and collecting, Lagerfeld was relatively unattached to it all, and had an equally ability to compartmentalize. As you may have seen last week, Lagerfeld’s houses each had their own distinctive styles, and he went about decorating them with the precision of expertise, and the low-stakes lightness, optimism and wonder of a child, dressing up his houses like dolls. He adored the Memphis style upon discovering it, and immediately bought its entire showroom collection, with the intention of putting it in his Monte-Carlo apartment, he said “the furniture resembles nothing else. It is very colorful, belongs to no particular context, and looks wonderful in Monte-Carlo – just the right place for it” (Middleton 186).
Lagerfeld had houses to entertain and have people over, day homes, utilitarian homes to eat and sleep or to be by himself, homes that could fill an entire spectrum from extravagance to minimalism. His respect for tradition, while remaining unbound, by it is incredibly inspiring! Lagerfeld knew just what kind of life he wanted, one that was surrounded by beauty, art and intellect.
The only influence that would rival Frederick the Great at Sanssouci would be the elegant German diplomat, Count Harry Kessler. Harry Kessler was a great observer, who through his published diaires (the entries of my copy are dated 1918-1937, but other editions go further) managed to capture with astonishing precision European society, its great minds and ideas, as well as the lethal ones. Lagerfeld expressed, "I have been a huge fan of Harry Kessler since my early youth because of my mother" and "If I identify with anyone, it would be Harry Kessler." William Middleton writes that “Kessler was intellectually rigorous, international, and urbane. Kessler never missed the opening of a major cultural event, whether it was the premiere of Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin or Brecht and Weill's Threepenny Opera. One week, at his apartment in Berlin, he had Albert Einstein over for dinner, followed, the next week, by Josephine Baker, who improvised a dance around his sculpture of a crouching nude woman by Aristide Maillo” (Middleton 21). It is said that Lagerfeld had a copy of Count Harry Kessler’s diaries on the nightstand of each of his homes.
Another favorite of Lagerfeld was La Princesse Palatine, whose collection of letters are drama-filled, self-deprecating (she self-describes as fat and ugly, and knew everything that happened at court), and simply great fun to read.
Lagerfeld once declared that he wanted to write her biography, not even to publish but just for himself. Lagerfeld also cites Goethe as an influence. His mother forced him to read all of Goethe (!!), and while Lagerfeld found some of it tedious (no kidding), Goethe's Elective Affinities was apparently Lagerfeld’s favorite German novel. He was also inspired by Goethe’s vast range of interests, from literature, to theater, philosophy, science, aesthetic criticism, and politics. According to Middleton “there was an expansiveness about Goethe's intellectual life, an ambition that inspired Karl from an early age” (Middleton 21).
All in all, much about Karl Lagerfeld tends to get lost behind his striking appearance, his provocative quotes, his cat, or his iconic career as a fashion designer. Looking at his homes, and learning about his influences, the values on which he modeled his life on, give us readers a satisfying insight into a mysterious figure, whose taste was considered to be of the highest quality, if not unattainable to most. Still, his extravagant way of life, was motivated by passion and curiosity, and his tastes dictated by nobody but himself!
To me, looking at Lagerfeld’s art de vivre, his philosophy on collecting, and what we know of his influences, he strikes me as someone who refused to let themselves be unhappy or bath in their misery. Lagerfeld was proactive and quick to pivot as soon as something was no longer working for him, whether that be aesthetically or personally. His respect for the past and commitment to learning is admirable, while his rejection of nostalgia seems like healthy behavior, and made for freshness in his personal collections and his professional life as a designer!
Until next time!
Franny x