Juergen Teller ICA exhibition: Vivienne Westwood launches exhibition of shocking photographs featuri
Ain't nothing like a dame! Vivienne Westwood launches exhibition of shocking photographs featuring her (and model Lily Cole) fully naked
- Dame Vivienne, 71, attended the opening of Juergen Teller's Woo exhibition
- The 49-year-old German-born photographer has worked with a host of famous faces - and is famous for shooting his subjects naked
- Vivienne's portrait was taken three years ago when she was 68
- Exhibition at The Institute of Contemporary Art shows work old and new
- Nude portraits include Vivienne Westwood, Lily Cole and Kristen McMenamy
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She is a 71-year-old Dame, a businesswoman with a fortune of millions and mother to two sons.
But just as nothing stopped Vivienne Westwood from living her life the way she chose back in the punk era when she was setting out as a fashion designer, nothing will stop her now.
And as two large-than-life nude portraits of the flame-haired designer were revealed to a well-heeled crowd at the ICA last night, it was clear that she may have been picking up her pension for 11 years now, Vivienne Westwood is anything but retiring.
Dame Vivienne was very much the star of the show - in more ways than one - as she attended the launch of close friend Juergen Teller's first major UK exhibition in 10 years, held at the Institute of Contemporary Art in London yesterday.
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Striking: The portraits of Dame Vivienne, taken three years ago, went on show in the UK for the first time today at London's Institute of Contemporary Art
Not only was her presence at the party very much felt when she arrived in her typical flamboyant style on the arm of her rugged, bearded husband Andreas, but the exhibition itself was dominated by two larger than life nudes of Dame Westwood in various states of repose.
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ShareOne colourful shot sees Dame Vivienne sitting naked on a couch, smiling cheerfully for the camera as if she cared not a jot that the world would one day see the image.
And given Dame Vivienne's notorious approach to establishment and conformity, you can be sure she really couldn't give a fig (leaf).
Teller's first exhibition in the UK in over ten years also included nude portraits of models Lily Cole (pictured here) and Kristen McMenamy
Star of the show: Dame Vivienne with her husband, Andreas Kronthaler, far left, photographer Juergen Teller, centre, and model Kristen McMenamy, who also features in the exhibition, right, dining at Ill Bottaccio after the unveiling
Flamboyant: Dame Vivienne Westwood, pictured with Stella McCartney at last night's launch, has been friends with Teller for many years and is a great admirer of his work
Impressive: 'I've worked with her a long time and I'm always amazed at how wonderful her skin is,' Teller said of the work
The portrait was taken three years ago when Vivienne was 68 years old.
Speaking to New York magazine when it was first revealed in an exhibition at the Lehmann Maupin gallery in the city, Teller said photographing Vivienne was an amazing experience - and he was blown away, as ever, by her beauty.
'It was lovely,' said Teller at the time, 'in her house, on a Sunday evening. I’ve worked with her a long time, and I’m always amazed at how wonderful her skin is.
'She looks amazing and she’s, like, 70 now [Vivienne has since turned 71]. She was 68 when I did the pictures (...) and I was just curious about how she would look naked.
'If you think of naked pictures of old people, they’re all wrinkled – and they are not! So I like it a lot.
'And then when she said, ‘Okay, let’s do it,’ and she was sitting there I was thinking, ‘Oh my f****** hell, man!’ I didn’t quite expect it. So that was great!'
Elsewhere in the exhibition, his first in the UK in over 10 years, Teller showed nude portraits of models Lily Cole and Kristen McMenamy.
The exhibition, which opens today at the The Institute of Contemporary Art, is a visual narrative of the man who has become one of the most important photographers of his generation.
The iconic images take in Teller's landmark fashion, art, personal and commercial photography from the Nineties through to the current day, as well as some landscapes and family portraits from his family collection.
VIDEO Intimate Westwood pics central to new Juergen Teller exhibition
The man of the moment: Juergen Teller at the ICA last night, where along with his portraits were ads he has shot for various big fashion brands
Special guests: Nancy Dell'Olio and model Laura Bailey at last night's unveiling
The 49-year-old German-born photographer, who has also photographed famous names from Victoria Beckham to Helena Bonham Carter and One Direction, entered the London photography scene by taking pictures for use on record covers.
It was his iconic photograph of Sinéad O’Connor for her single Nothing Compares 2 You that brought him into the commercial big time - and his career has gone from strength to strength ever since.
Teller’s photographs first appeared in fashion magazines in the late 80s, and included portraits of Kate Moss when she was just fifteen years old.
He has gone on to shoot some of Vogue, i-D and W magazines most iconic covers featuring the likes of Vivienne Westwood as well as most of Marc Jacobs' campaigns since- he even captured Victoria Beckham poking her head out of a Marc Jacobs shopping bag.
A selection of Teller's books and tear sheets from his editorial and advertising work will also be on show.
Famous faces: He has shot the likes of Helena Bonham Carter and Victoria Beckham for Marc Jacobs' campaigns
Juergen Teller: Woo! opens tomorrow and runs until 17 March 2013 at The Institute of Contemporary Art
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