Horst: Photographs — Fashion and Surrealism
$24. Through Sept. 6. The Dalí Museum, One Dalí Blvd., St. Pete. 727-823-2767. thedali.org.
Left up to me, all clothes would come with Garanimals tags — you remember them from childhood, right? If the shirt had a hippo tag and the pants had a hippo tag, the outfit matched. If the shirt had a hippo tag but the pants had a shark tag, they didn’t match, because hippos eat sharks, I guess. I don’t really understand fashion (clearly). When I look at fashion magazines, though, they make me want to be a better dresser, to paraphrase Jack Nicholson. The truly fine fashion spreads don’t sell an outfit — they’re surreal depictions of the life you could have, if only you could have those clothes. Horst P. Horst mastered this with light and the way he created an atmopshere in every photo. His fashion photography intrigues me — I want to live in his color fashion work. The Dalí probably won’t let me live there while they have the Horst: Photographs — Fashion and Surrealism exhibit, but I’m a member, so I can go back as often as I’d like. The exhibit opens to everyone July 2, but members get two days of previews On June 30 and July 1.
This article appears in Jun 30 – Jul 7, 2016.