1512 - Mats Gustafson (b. 1951 in Mjölby; based in New York)

Mats Gustafson (b. 1951 in Mjölby; based in New York) Dior Look for *Vogue Italia*—1988 Striking fashion illustration based on a look from the Christian Dior Haute Couture collection for Fall/Winter 1988/89, presumably designed by the French designer Marc Bohan, who was the creative director of the Dior fashion house at the time and was succeeded shortly thereafter, in 1989, by Gianfranco Ferré. The illustration, which Mats Gustafson created as an editorial commission for Italian Vogue, depicts a sculptural Dior ensemble dominated by a bright red, long, fitted jacket with black buttons and a floral motif, paired with a simple, black maxi skirt and a low-sitting, asymmetrically curved hat. Characteristic of the Swedish illustrator is his minimalist, elegant line work, which captures the silhouette and movement with just a few strokes, rendering the entire look graphically and reducing it to surfaces and shapes. After studying at the Dramatiska Institutet in Stockholm, Gustafson initially worked in stage design but quickly switched to illustration in the late 1970s, publishing his work in renowned international fashion magazines such as the French and Italian editions of *Vogue*, *The New Yorker*, and *Visionaire*. This was followed by advertising commissions for Hermès, Tiffany & Co., Yohji Yamamoto, and Comme des Garçons. Early in his career, Gustafson worked primarily in pastels, but from the late 1980s onward, when he began collaborating with Romeo Gigli, watercolor became his primary medium, through which he could effectively convey his distinctive sense of form and color. Indian ink and watercolor on paper. Signed lower right; sheet approx. 50 cm x 33 cm. Framed. Dior look for *Vogue Italia* 1988. Indian ink and watercolor on paper. Signed.