Karl Lagerfeld's New Exhibit is Post-Nostalgia

If living an aesthetic life is a constant exercise in excavation, Karl Lagerfeld is our master archeologist. The prolific renaissance man is known for conjuring historical fantasies, from his high-concept Cruise shows to his famed 18th-century revival apartment in Paris, where Paloma Picasso and Manolo Blahnik dined among paintings by Fragonard.

In recent years, Lagerfeld has gone from collector and curator to master craftsman. Last week, at the Carpenters Workshop Gallery in Paris, Lagerfeld unveiled his first sculptural works. The exhibit, called "Architectures," turns the dial on the aesthetic time machine back to classical antiquity. An ethereal mix of marble, lighting and mirrors, "Architectures" is monochromatic yet rococo, reflecting Lagerfeld's tastes as both designer and collector. And while the chiseled proportions reflect the Golden Rule, a mathematical equation also found in the Parthenon, the collection isn't back-to-basics. The gueridons, tables, lamps, consoles, fountains and mirrors, which come in editions of only eight, were forged from rare marble like black Nero and Arabescato Fantastico—a variety that hasn't been quarried in 30 years.    

"The pieces reflect elegance and culture combined with an ethereal desirability," says Carpenters Workshop Gallery co-founder Julien Lombrail. "As a tribute to canon of beauty, this collection will remain an artistic testimony of one of the most influential creative minds of our time."

This isn't the first time that Lagerfeld has delved into antiquity; Chanel SS18 Resort took place within a reconstructed Greek ruin, recalling the time that the house's namesake, Gabrielle Chanel, designed the costumes for Jean Cocteau's 1937 production of Antigone. So with this latest production, it's fair to say Lagerfeld has both created a postmodern Versailles, and finally come full circle. 

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