Art/Fashion Mix Fix: Less Is More With Ellsworth Kelly & Calvin Klein

Legendary painter, sculpture and printmaker, Ellsworth Kelly, has recently teamed up with Calvin Klein Creative Director Francico Costa for a limited edition (one) dress collection.  Less really is more, therefore the minimal chic brand choose the perfect artist for it's latest collaboration specializing in one, perfect dress.  Previously, Kelly has worked with Christobal Balenciaga and Christain Dior, this latest effort created by Costa is an interpretation of the dress made by Kelly: one, simple basic sheath dress with wide horizontal panels in black, white, blue and red.  And, that's all you need for a serious statement of "artistic chic." 

Originally, two model dresses were created, with Kelly favoring a contemporary vs. a more stricter formfitting version.  The dress is a way of "getting color off the wall and having it walk around the room" says Kelly.   For Costa, it was a question of engineering, "the material had to transcend cotton and being ultra modern today in look, fit ad feel is all about "lightness," explained Costa.

Image from VOGUE magazine.

Kelly recently celebrated his ninetieth birthday this month which included the opening of a show of recent paintings and sculpture at Matthew Marks Gallery in Chelsea (images below).  Also, the debut of an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, reuniting for the first time in 40 years, Kelly's Chatham series of fourteen paintings.

The dress will be donated to both the Metropolitan Museum in NYC and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Reserve your piece of wearable art history - interested buyers can contact the Calvin Klein store on Madison Avenue at (212) 292-9000 for private orders.

You have until June 29, 2013 to see this exhibit at Matthew Marks Gallery, 522 W22nd Street. Visit: http://www.matthewmarks.com.