The International Center of Photography (ICP) is currently hosting “Yves Saint Laurent and Photography,” an exhibition that explores the interplay between the legendary fashion designer and the photographers who helped shape his public image. Running through September 28, the show marks the ICP’s first fashion-focused exhibition in 15 years and follows a broader cultural trend of prominent museums showcasing fashion as a serious art form.

Organized in partnership with the Yves Saint Laurent Foundation and supported financially by the Saint Laurent fashion house, now under the ownership of the conglomerate Kering, the exhibit originally debuted as part of the 2025 Arles photography festival. At ICP, it is presented in two parts: the main gallery displays iconic photographs taken by more than 50 renowned photographers, including Helmut Newton, Richard Avedon, and David Bailey, while a second gallery features advertising materials, magazine spreads, and personal Polaroids. Both sections trace Saint Laurent’s career chronologically, from his early days working under Christian Dior to the rise of his own brand as a global fashion powerhouse.

Saint Laurent’s personal transformation is a central theme, illustrated through images of him evolving from a young, bespectacled figure backstage at shows to a flamboyant icon of the 1970s and later a successful businessman with muses like Catherine Deneuve and Betty Catroux by his side. Notably, nearly half of the exhibition’s portraits focus on the designer himself, reflecting how tightly intertwined his identity was with his label. Among the imagery on display are milestone pieces such as the haute couture safari jacket worn by model Veruschka and captured for French Vogue, along with photographs that highlight Saint Laurent’s innovative use of pop art motifs.

The exhibition also emphasizes the important role photography played in disseminating Saint Laurent’s vision worldwide. It includes video clips underscoring his ties to New York, from the opening of his retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1983 to promotional events like the 1994 launch of his Champagne perfume on Liberty Island and a 1998 fashion show at the FIFA World Cup in France. These moments illustrate Saint Laurent’s savvy in using media and imagery to build his brand and influence culture.

While the show offers an engaging visual experience and a chance to identify notable figures who appeared as models before gaining wider fame, it stops short of providing deeper analysis of Saint Laurent’s complex relationships with his photographers or the broader social and cultural impact of the photographs themselves. Curators Nastasia Alberti and Clémentine Cuinet present the material primarily as an archive of iconic images and ephemera, without extensive contextualization.

A striking photograph by Horst P. Horst from 1939, showing a woman in a Mainbocher corset, opens the exhibition. This image, from Saint Laurent’s personal collection, is positioned as an inspiration for his artistic approach to the relationship between clothing and the body, hinting at why fashion photography became so integral to his creative process. The influence of this intersection of art and commerce is evident in how Saint Laurent helped shape the modern fashion industry’s identity and its use of photography as a tool for both storytelling and brand-building.

Ultimately, the exhibition underscores the pivotal role Saint Laurent played in elevating fashion to a cultural and artistic arena, though it leaves room for greater critical dialogue about how these images engaged with their contemporary social contexts.