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1 of 17Fantasy on the Dance Floor, Barbara Mullen, dress by Christian Dior, Paris, 1949Estate of Lillian Bassman -
2 of 17Chrystal Girl N. 89, 2010Noé Sendas -
3 of 17Rita, 1953René Groebli -
4 of 17Swimming Cap Profile, New York, 1991Len Prince—Courtesy Staley-Wise Gallery, New York -
5 of 17Sophie Rois, Österreich, 1998Esther Haase -
6 of 17Harper‘s Bazaar, ca. 1960Saul Leiter Foundation—Courtesy Howard Greenberg Gallery -
7 of 17Grace Jones with hat, 1991Greg Gorman -
8 of 17Fantesse, 2013Linder—Courtesy Stuart Shave, Modern Art, London -
9 of 17Mode à Longchamp, Givenchy hat, Paris, 1958Frank Horvat -
10 of 17untiteld (Aulde#9), 2013Tina Lechner—Courtesy Galerie Hubert Winter, Wien -
11 of 17Kate Moss, London, 1995Juergen Teller -
12 of 17neg. india_01, 2014Thomas Ruff—VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2016/Courtesy Konrad Fischer Galerie, Düsseldorf -
13 of 17The Meteorologist, 2014Julie Cockburn -
14 of 17IT, 2000John Waters / Courtesy Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York -
15 of 17Kate Moss in the mirror, Sir John Sloan Museum, London, 2001Nan Goldin -
16 of 17Grace Kelly, New York City, January 1956Elliott Erwitt—Magnum Photos -
17 of 17Rita #516,1953 from the series "Das Auge der Liebe"René Groebli
In 1989, Swiss interior designer-turned-photography collector Susanne von Meiss stumbled upon two photographs taken by Richard Avedon: In one, a smiling blond woman emerges from a cab, flaunting her sweeping satin gown. In another, a woman laughs, hand on hip, framed by the decadent doors of a small french cafe. There was something about their demeanor, their poise and their address that created a kind of magnetic draw—something von Meiss could only describe as “Allure.”
“It’s a special aura, which has no age and no social boundaries,” says Switzerland based art historian Birgit Filzmaier. “It’s a fleeting moment or a certain pose, an elegant turn of the head or the silk folds of a dress. And if you walk along the street with open eyes you can spot it still today.”
Since he met von Meiss in 1997, Filzmaier has helped her build up this collection, becoming its curator and supervisor. “It is a truly personal collection,” she says. “In the past years Ms. von Meiss developed an interest in sharing her passion and pleasure with a wider audience.”
The photographs—part of an upcoming exhibition in Berlin, titled Allure [Fr. style, elegance]—were the first of more than 200 photographs von Meiss collected over the course of 25 years. Divided into three chapters—“pose”, “experiment” and “staging the situative”—the collection transcends genres, styles and artists to explore one common element: allure.
From unknown treasures to iconic classics, the works capture the “who is who” in the 20th Century History of Photograph up to the present, including photographers such as Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon and Henri Cartier-Bresson through Horst P. Horst and August Sander to contemporary artists including Tracey Emin and Juergen Teller.
Allure is best captured through a broad array of images that go beyond defined measurements, says former Elle magazine art director and photographer Peter Knapp, whose work is in the exhibit. “I was told by Hélène Lazareff, editor in chief, that the behavior and visual aspect of the woman was just as important as the clothes themselves.”
Allure [Fr. style, elegance] will be on view at C/O Berlin from May 27 to September 4. A publication will be issued by Kehrer Verlag to accompany the exhibition.
Rachel Lowry is a writer and contributor for TIME LightBox. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
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