Versailles Palace Photographed from a Unique Perspective

Built by Louis XIV in the late 17th century, the Palace of Versailles, with its magnificent gardens, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The exhibition "VERSAILLES A L'OMBRE DU SOLEIL Palace of the Sun, Light and Shadow of Versailles" features photographs of this special place taken by Karl Lagerfeld, a renowned fashion designer and photographer.

In 1987, he decided to step behind the lens himself to create Chanel's advertising campaigns. His photographs, imbued with a distinctive worldview, have been featured in numerous fashion magazines and showcased worldwide.


This exhibition features a curated selection of works from the highly acclaimed exhibition of the same name held at the Palace of Versailles in 2008. All works are being shown in Japan for the first time.

The works are produced using screen printing on paper that mimics parchment. At Lagerfeld's request, to allow viewers to fully appreciate the texture of the paper and the details of the images, the works are displayed directly on the walls without glass or frames, in a simple presentation.

Regarding this, Lagerfeld commented, "Paper is my preferred material. For me, it is the starting point for all creativity. And in the case of photography, it is the ultimate, final result."

Karl Lagerfeld
Born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1938. Educated in three linguistic environments, he moved to a French high school in 1952. After winning an amateur fashion competition organized by the International Wool Secretariat (now The Woolmark Company) at the end of 1954, he left school and began working as an assistant to Pierre Balmain in 1955. In parallel with his international career as a fashion designer, he began working as a professional photographer in 1987. His awards include the Lucky Strike Designer Award in 1993, the Order of Merit (German Society for Photography) in 1996, and the Special Contribution Award (International Center of Photography, New York) in 2007. In 2000, he co-founded the publishing house Edition 7L with Gerhard Steidl and opened the bookstore Librairie 7L in Paris. In 2010, he established L.S.D. (Lagerfeld, Steidl, Druckerei Verlag), a publishing house specializing in German literature and non-fiction.

VERSAILLES A L'OMBRE DU SOLEIL Palace of the Sun, Light and Shadow of Versailles
Exhibition Dates | January 18, 2017 (Wed) - February 26, 2017 (Sun) *Open daily during the exhibition period
Hours | 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Admission | Free
Venue | Chanel Nexus Hall
3-5-3 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Chanel Ginza Building 4F