Poster, Issey Miyake 1995

OK HERE OR SHOULD BE CONNECTED TO 1996-130-1? This poster, one in a series created from 1987 to 1999, demonstrates artistic collaboration and the attendant questions of authorship inherent in many designed objects. Three well-known designers were involved with its production, each highly influential in the second half of the twentieth century: avant-garde Japanese fashion designer Issey Mikaye, photographer Irving Penn, and graphic designer Ikko Tanaka. All three artists practice a minimalist design aesthetic resulting in a seamless blend of fashion, photography, and graphic design. Miyake, whose work explores materials, textures, and shapes with a sense of playfulness, granted Penn complete autonomy in photographing his designs, never appearing for a single session or discussing what he wanted from the images. For Miyake, the collaboration was to be about inspiring one another. The sense of play and theater is highlighted through Penn's styling of the models, with help from makeup artist Tyen. Graphic designer Tanaka, praised for balancing a traditional Japanese aesthetic with Western modernism, invoked a minimalist touch to the images, emphasizing the clothing’s and photograph's existing drama.

Poster, Issey Miyake 1995; Featuring artwork by Issey Miyake (Japanese, b. 1935); Photographed by Irving Penn (American, 1917 - 2009); Japan; lithograph on wove paper; 103.8 x 72.7 cm (40 7/8 x 28 5/8 in. ); Gift of Unknown Donor; 1996-130-1