Why Guo Pei, China’s ‘Queen of Couture’, is bringing her Midas touch to Sotheby’s GOLD auction
Couturier, who hit headlines with Rihanna’s golden Met Gala gown in 2015, is to work with the auction house in London and New York
Auction house Sotheby’s has announced a partnership with China’s “Queen of Couture” Guo Pei, which will include her curating its second GOLD: The Midas Touch sale in London in October.
The forthcoming auction will focus on gold, which has played a prominent role in the evolution of mankind for more than 6,000 years.
The choice of Guo as the curator is no surprise, since she is known for prominently featuring the rich colour and glamour of gold – once reserved for Chinese emperors and aristocrats – as a signature design element of her creations for the fashion world.
Working with a prestigious institution like Sotheby’s has always been a wish of mine
From her 2006 debut collection Samsara (Life cycle) during China International Fashion Week, to last year’s couture collection Palace showcased in Paris, many of her designs have featured 24-carat gold thread.
She also created the stunning golden trailing gown – made with gold thread and fox fur – that Rihanna wore to the Met Gala in New York in 2015. Her design, evoking the lavish, intricate glamour of Imperial robes worn by China’s emperors and empresses – is widely known today as the “Golden gown”.
One of her creations, the “Xiao Jin” or “Little Gold” dress – which was exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York as part of its 2015 exhibition, China: Through the Looking Glass – will be exhibited and form part of a private sale at Sotheby’s later this year.
Guo will also join hands with Sotheby’s specialists during New York Asia Week in September.
I am thrilled to make this collaboration a reality. Through Sotheby’s, passionate art lovers will have a chance to appreciate the true value of my couture creations
In its 11th year, Sotheby’s will be offering a range of pottery, bronzes, jades, ceramics, sculptures, paintings and calligraphy.