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Cosmogony of Desire

Cosmogony of Desire
Usage Conditions Apply
Alternate Title
Diane von Fürstenberg
Artist
Anh Duong, born 25 Oct 1960
Sitter
Diane von Fürstenberg, born 31 Dec 1946
Date
2001
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Stretcher: 243.8 × 182.9cm (96 × 72")
Topic
Diane von Fürstenberg: Female
Diane von Fürstenberg: Visual Arts\Designer\Fashion designer
Portrait
Place
United States\New York\Kings\New York\Manhattan Island
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Diane von Fürstenberg
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© 2001, Anh Duong
Object number
NPG.2015.3
Exhibition Label
Diane von Fürstenberg became a fashion icon in the 1970s as the inventor of the wrap dress, a soft jersey sheath designed to follow the natural contours of a woman’s body. Practical yet sexy, the dress had a streamlined elegance that conveyed the empowered femininity of the women’s movement. Having learned from her mother, an Auschwitz survivor, that “fear is not an option,” von Fürstenberg has begun urging women to apply that philosophy to aging.
“In my older face, I see my life,” she has observed. “My face carries all my memories. Why should I erase them?”
Artist Anh Duong finds equal significance in the eyes of her sitters, which she believes “can express the inner workings of a person.” She began this portrait with the right eye. After an hour, von Fürstenberg recalled, “There were only my eyes in this huge canvas, but she had captured all of me.”
Diane von Fürstenberg se convirtió en ícono de la moda en la década de 1970 al inventar el wrap
dress, un vestido de corte cruzado en tela de punto suave que se ajustaba al contorno natural del cuerpo
femenino. Práctico y sexy a la vez, el vestido tenía una elegancia sencilla que encarnaba a la mujer empoderada, surgida del movimiento feminista. Von Fürstenberg aprendió de su madre, sobreviviente de Auschwitz, que “el miedo no es opción posible” y ha exhortado a las mujeres a aplicar esa filosofía a la edad. “En mi cara madura veo mi vida”, ha comentado. “Mi cara encierra todos mis recuerdos. ¿Por qué voy a borrarlos?”.
La artista Anh Duong encuentra ese mismo sentido en los ojos de sus modelos, que “pueden expresar los procesos internos de la persona”. Duong comenzó este retrato pintando el ojo derecho. Al cabo de una hora, recuerda Von Fürstenberg, “en ese lienzo enorme estaban solo mis ojos, pero me había captado completa”.
Provenance
The artist; Diane von Fürstenberg
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery