A Man of Style

Courtesy Martine Franck/Magnum Photos

Saint Laurent with Bergé in 1977

Courtesy Sichov/Sipa

Pablo Picasso Mark Rothko Jackson Pollock Fernand Leger J Goya Matisse Barnett Newman YSL/Bergé Auction Fetches Double Its Estimate

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Their Paris town house on Place des États-Unis was an exceptional place. You were greeted by two extraordinary Goyas, then an amazing Picasso. The salon was furnished entirely by Jean-Michel Frank, with parchment-covered walls and a mica fireplace; an enormous Rubens hung opposite a portrait of Marie-Laure de Noailles by Balthus. All that showed respect for the past and, at the same time, audacity and understanding for contemporary art.

Was their influence on you linked to individual works or their eclectic taste?

It was about taste, not works. And one thing above all: the most exacting standards. It’s not a collection based on signatures. We bought only four Picassos, for instance, just Cubist Picassos, because they’re the only Picassos I really like. We never bought Dalí, Chagall or Balthus.

Those artists are not to your taste?

Not at all! The collection was formed in a very demanding manner, with very sure taste. To form a collection of this quality is like creating a work of art. In a way, you stop being a collector and become something of an expert. Alas, we never bought Rothko, Newman, Pollock or Bacon. I very much regret the absence of Barnett Newman, a painter for whom I have immense admiration.

Was there a link between the collection and the world of haute couture?

Yes, but the other way round. Saint Laurent’s famous Mondrian collection dates from 1965, but the first Mondrian we bought was in 1972. There were other links, but not as strong as with Mondrian. Saint Laurent was always influenced, somewhat mysteriously, by Goya, Delacroix and Géricault, with regard to his taste for the Orient and the Moroccan feel to some of his designs.

Where did your own love of art come from?

It was partly innate, then developed through people I met: Cocteau; the French writer Jean Giono; and Bernard Buffet, a painter I loved when he was 20 and loved much less later, but never mind. I never deny my past. I was 19 when I met Bernard Buffet. I liked art but didn’t know a lot about it. His knowledge was extensive. Together we went round the Louvre together 50 times, maybe 80 times. That’s when I started to love art. The young, minimalist Buffet was very different from the later one. Buffet was a great painter. Unfortunately he started to produce works on an almost industrial scale.

Was that for commercial reasons?

I don’t know. Maybe he had nothing left to say.

Do you think that’s often the case with artists? You like early Picasso but not the later work, correct? Yes, of course, it’s often the case! Take Matisse. There are admirable Fauve Matisses, like La Danse, in the Barnes Collection, but afterward you have a long tunnel, with all those odalisques on the Côte d’Azur. It’s still Matisse, but... And then suddenly, an ending like The Tempest, like Verdi’s Falstaff — his swan song: You have the cutouts, absolutely wonderful, which take us back to the Matisse of the beginning. But it takes courage to say all this!

Did Yves Saint Laurent maintain his inspiration throughout his career, or did he also have his ups and downs?

No, he never had any downs. I can honestly tell you that there was no down period when it came to Saint Laurent. There are people who say that he always did the same thing for 20 years. Yes, for 20 years he always did the same thing! Saint Laurent hated fashion. Saint Laurent respected only style. Saint Laurent thought that changing every year, introducing something new, was quite ridiculous. Saint Laurent thought his role was to be useful to women, not to make use of women. Saint Laurent created a style and was faithful to that style. At the big Pompidou Center défilés [runway shows] you can see there was the first tuxedo, then the last tuxedo, and it’s the same, only it’s not the same at all. Voilà! And it was like that for years. So when people criticize Saint Laurent for not changing, it’s just hot air. Because people who have more than just talent never change.

Did you share ideas? Did he ask for your opinion?

I never put forward ideas, saying, "You should do this or that." No, never, ever. But on the other hand, as we were living together and were very close, of course he would ask for my opinion. I remember the Mondrians. Suddenly someone burst in and said, "‘Monsieur Saint Laurent asks you to come immediately!" So I went round and saw a model with this red square. At first I was speechless, then I said, "It’s a Mondrian!" And Yves said, "Yeah, that’s right. We’re going to show it."
We exchanged a lot, but between him and me there was a Berlin Wall. He never penetrated my territory — he wouldn’t have been able to — and I never penetrated his. Especially in my role as manager. I never asked him, "Why are you doing another coat like that? We’ve already got one. We don’t need a second." He did as he pleased. I, on the other hand, always tried to be by his side and to help.