In the Frame: Simon Porte Jacquemus

What artists are you watching right now? 

Simon Porte Jacquemus: ‘I’ve been recently really into the work of Leon Golub, and always Tarsila do Amaral, Louis Fratino and Peter Schlesinger.’ 

Your favourite view anywhere in the world? 

SPJ: ‘My bedroom view in Mallemort, the town where I was born, in the South of France.’ 

The last gift you gave? And last gift you received? 

SPJ: ‘I gifted an Apple baby bodysuit that I bought when I visited the Apple HQ in Palo Alto. I received a knitted plaid blanket with a fish pattern.’ 

What inspired you in creating the exhibition for François-Xavier Lalanne, Sculpteur | Collection Dorothée Lalanne? 

SPJ: ‘Returning to Lalanne’s house, I wanted to create stories that blend poetry with unexpected twists — an art sale in the heart of Manhattan with a wheat field, or a child’s bed draped in a silver leather blanket — combining elements that wouldn’t usually go together.’ 

What do you want visitors to experience while visiting the exhibition? 

SPJ: ‘I want them to smile, like I did when I had the chance to unpack François-Xavier’s pieces. I felt like a child again. There’s a unique emotion when you encounter an artwork you’ve known forever but only through images. It’s similar to the feeling I had when I first visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art and saw paintings by Cézanne and Van Gogh — I felt like I personally knew all of them.’

‘My favourite piece is L’Oiseleur II (2003). It reminds me of a Cocteau character. My other favourite is Âne Bâté (2005) — I passed my childhood with donkeys. It makes me feel at home.’

Your fashion creations have a poetic and playful dimension, much like François-Xavier Lalanne’s work. How does this sense of joy manifest in your work?

SPJ: ‘I’ve always been drawn to lightness and joy. That sense of light, almost like a solar energy or tone of voice, is very important in my work. It feels very French to me, and it reminds me of Lalanne’s house and pieces.’