So pleased to announce the opening of “Blusher: Art, Makeup, Materiality” at Leicester Gallery at De Montfort University! Expertly curated by scholar and artist (and CHMSN member) Cathy Lomax, the exhibition explores how contemporary artists approach the subject of makeup. From the official description: “Inspired by the formal transformative qualities of makeup, alongside its hapticity, role in ritual, and position in the commodification and codification of gender and race, Blusher unashamedly foregrounds this versatile medium, with work by artists that showcase makeup’s multifarious meanings in a variety of media.” Cathy adds, “The title comes from the idea that makeup is considered an unimportant feminised subject and historically, makeup has often had to be applied secretly as to be caught wearing it would be a social embarrassment. My aim is to present makeup as a thought-provoking (and joyful) subject that can inspire and offer insight into a multitude of different areas of social and visual culture. Work in the exhibition ranges from artworks made using makeup, to painterly and sculptural interpretations and comments on makeup and made-up faces, through to videos that critique the wearing of makeup to conform to beauty standards and celebrate makeup as a playful way to dress up and change identity.”
Naturally, I love Blusher because it explores one of the main concepts the Makeup Museum was meant for. After all, our tagline is “where cosmetics and art intersect”. The individual themes are fantastic too, and again, precisely what the Museum tries to tackle with its Makeup as Muse series! Cathy divided the artists’ work into several key topics: “Products” (paintings/sculptures of makeup products); “Testers” (works exploring the application of makeup), “Public Face” (how makeup impacts identity and representation of the self); and “Dreams and Nightmares” (makeup’s role in realizing the dreams of beauty and social acceptance or the nightmare of being ignored by/ostracized from society.)
The exhibition had a private opening yesterday featuring a really cool-looking performance piece by Hilde Krohn Huse. I’m so sad I couldn’t be there to see it! While I love all the artworks, I must say I’m particularly impressed by the inclusion of Stacy Greene’s iconic lipstick photos.
Images are copyright of the artists and used here with permission.
Greene was yet another on my long list of artists to cover in Makeup as Muse, but it seems now I have many more to add – there are over 40 artists in the exhibition!
I contributed a short essay to the exhibition catalog on a topic I’ve been meaning to get to for years, which is makeup designed to mimic painters’ tools and supplies. You probably know how endlessly fascinated I am by all the ways in which the cosmetics industry capitalizes on the comparison between makeup and fine art, especially painting. Since the essay was only 2,000 words I limited it to makeup packaging, not other aspects of marketing makeup as art (i.e. naming products after well-known artists, incorporating famous works of art in ads, artist collabs, etc.) It wasn’t the most academic or in-depth piece, but I think it turned out okay. And I included some of my favorite Makeup Museum objects, some of which have never been shared here, like this gorgeous ca. 1940 Volupté compact shaped like a painter’s palette.
You can buy a print copy of the catalog at the gallery, but hopefully it will be available to purchase online (either in print or as a downloadable PDF) for those of us who can’t make it in person. The exhibition is open till September 5.
Overall, Blusher is a really thoughtful, well-curated way of approaching the massive topic of the relationship between fine art and makeup, along with makeup’s social and cultural significance. But I think it needs to be expanded and also come stateside, don’t you?