PARIS — Hairstyles have always defined the times. That’s a key takeaway from the exhibition titled “Des cheveux et des poils,” or “Hair and Hair,” being held at Les Arts Décoratifs museum in Paris.
For the show running April 5 to Sept. 17, curator Denis Bruna analyzed hair — on the head, face and body — and perceptions thereof in the occidental world, primarily between the 15th century and modern day.
“If I could have given a subtitle, I would have made it: ‘Tame the animal that is in you,’” Bruna said.
The exhibit is organized into five areas spanning 12,915 square feet over two floors. It showcases 677 pieces encompassing paintings, sculptures, photographs, wigs, products, advertising and salon equipment.
“Hair and Hair” is the fourth part of a series of exhibits at MAD curated by Bruna over a decade. It follows “The Mechanics of Underwear” in 2013, “Appropriate Attire, Please!” in 2016 and “Walk and Gait” in 2019.
“The idea is to show that hair, human hairs, are convertible materials,” Bruna said.
The exhibit opens with two sculptures, one from the late 14th century, in wood, depicting a man covered in hair.
“He is closer to an animal than a human being,” Bruna said. That’s juxtaposed to a wooden sculpture representing Mary Magdalen dressed like a woman from the late 15th century with hair perfectly coiffed.
The first part of the exhibit is “Fashions and Extravagances.”
In the West, almost until the Middle Ages, women hid their hair under headdresses and veils.
“From the 16th century, we manage to trace the evolution of hairstyles every five years,” said Bruna, adding that they’re as important as a dress or jewels.
In one painting, from the U.K., a woman wears a long lock of hair, a “love lock,” hanging from her earring and dangling down the left side, near to her heart.
“We can trace the entire history of hairdressing in the 17th century, thanks to literature,” said Bruna, giving as an example Madame de Sévigné’s letters.
The “fontanges” hairstyle, all the rage at the end of the 17th century France, was kicked off by Louis XIV’s mistress during a hunt.
“The chronicles of the time said the next day all the ladies wore a small knot in their hair [like her],” said Bruna, explaining that court fashion lasted 30 years.
Hairstyles rose and fell — literally and figuratively — just like hemlines over the centuries.
A video shows the making of an elaborate hairstyle from 1775.
“I didn’t want it to be a gallery of portraits,” said Bruna, so he mixed in the likes of fashion magazines, photographs and vintage hair combs.
“With or Without Hair?” is the show’s second section that delves into topics such as facial hair. That was nonexistent in the Middle Ages, then beards from the 16th century became a show of noblesse, virility, strength and gallantry, and were sported by leaders such as Francis I, Henry VIII and Charles V.
Bruna said it is hard to know if in real life people’s bodies were as hairless as those idealized and depicted in most sculptures, paintings and other images from yesteryear.
Venus, goddess of beauty, has always been represented without body hair, leading to her name being used for waxing products and a Gillette razor.
Conversely, old sketches from the École des Beaux-Arts, as well as illustrations in medical books and pornography from the past showed nude figures with body hair.
“Body hair had the connotation of something dirty in our society and something very close to sexuality,” Bruna said. That was true until the end of the 18th century.
Fast-forward to the 1970s, and body hair for men was à la mode, especially in the U.S.
Baldness became more fashionable in the 1950s, due to actor Yul Brynner in “The King and I.”
The exhibit’s third section is “Intimacy, Hairpieces and Colors.”
In one area, 12 wigs are in a display, including one from the time of Louis XIV, who lost his hair very young, and another belonging to Andy Warhol.
Wigs were a sign of aristocracy in ancient Egypt. A sculpture from that time shows a woman wearing a wig, but letting her natural hair peek out from underneath.
A Givaudan perfumer reproduced the fragrance of a powder found in a wig case, which can be smelled at the exhibit.
Hair colors and their symbolism are spotlighted, including how blond has long been associated with the Virgin Mary.
Wella Professionals global creative artist Alexis Ferrer creates printed digital hairpieces.
Springing to life the “Trades and Know-How” section are archival documents and small objects, such as signs and tools.
There’s the dressing table from Jeanne Lanvin’s apartment and 11 mannequin heads made of wax with various hairstyles and colors that used to line Parisian hair salons.
Fire-, gas- and electricity-powered hairdryers are shown.
“That is a machine that revolutionized hair salons — it’s for permanents,” said Bruna, of a silver-colored model with dangling cords.
The first shampoo, from Schwarzkopf, and DOP monodose sachets are here, alongside other products, such as brillantine.
In the final section, called “A Look Back at a Century,” iconic hairstylists of the 20th and 21st centuries are evoked. Think chignons and the garçonne cut, pixie and voluminous styles, as well as color gradations and long hair.
Fashion looks integrating hair by designers including Martin Margiela, Josephus Thimister and Jeanne Vicérial are displayed. There are, as well, photos of iconic hairstylists such as the Carita sisters and Alexandre de Paris, who were part of a union called the Syndicat de la Haute Coiffure Française, begun in 1945.
Bruna selected some contemporary hairstylists, such as Marisol, Shinji Konishi, Sam McKnight, Olivier Schawalder, Jean-Baptiste Santens and Charlie Le Mindu, who were asked to recreate their most emblematic looks.
How hair relates to political protests is also explored. “Hair is more than a fashion statement,” Bruna said.
Wella Professionals as principle sponsor
Wella Professionals is the principal sponsor of the “Hair and Hair” exhibition, and to help celebrate that partnership, the brand unveiled Monday a new range of products, called Ultimate Repair.
“Hair has such an amazing history, and this exhibit captures 700 years of it,” said Annie Young-Scrivner, chief executive officer of Wella, adding the brand has 143 years of history behind it. “We’ve always felt our success is the success of the industry that we participate in.”
Wella’s first innovation was in beauty tech, a machine to create perms.
“We feel like hair is such a piece of culture, society and fashion, and we wanted to elevate it,” Young-Scrivner said.
So to help spotlight the exhibit, it Wella is bringing viewers from around the globe.
“We’re leveraging this venue to talk about the history, but also to talk about the future,” the executive said.
The Ultimate Repair line includes a patented technology used in its shampoo, conditioner, “miracle hair rescue” serum and protective leave-in conditioner spray.
“You can basically repair your hair damage in 90 seconds,” Young-Scrivner said.
The Ultimate Repair range will be on counter starting in France in two weeks.
Young-Scrivner would not discuss sales projections for the prestige line, but industry sources estimate Ultimate Repair could generate more than $100 million in wholesale sales in its first 12 months.
Wella’s care business is 25 percent the size of its color business.
“We’re going to take a much bigger piece of the care side,” said Young-Scrivner, who estimates that could easily double.
Also syncing with the exhibition, Wella unveiled the GHD Duet Style Professional 2-in-1 Hot Air Styler, which retails for 399 euros.