Known for its collections of design and fashion, toys and advertising, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs is the ideal place for paying tribute to that iconic doll which draws on multiple sources by placing it in its full cultural and social context within the history of toys in the 20th and 21st centuries. 700 Barbie dolls are set out over 1500 square metres, facing pieces from the museum collections (antique dolls, dresses), but also works by contemporary artists, documents, newspapers, photographs and videos, which contextualise the “lives of Barbie.”

 

Two photographs from the Mannequins series (2003) are presented in this exhibition. These “portraits” of celluloid mannequins done in the photorealist style can be considered as portraits of life-size Barbie dolls, whose image imposes the cliché of Western beauty.

 

In 2017, this exhibition will be shown at the Cave Gwangmyeong, South Korea.

 

Press release (French)

Press release (English)

 

 

View of the exhibition Barbie, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, 2017

©Luc Boegly

 

View of the exhibition Barbie, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, 2017

©Luc Boegly