Kim Jones on Curating for Sotheby’s, Collecting, and Christian Dior
It’s a good thing that a picture is worth a thousand words, because Kim Jones would prefer to let his work, and taste, speak for itself. “I guess I seem quite outgoing, but actually I’m quite a shy person,” said the designer in a recent call. Reticence is but one point of commonality Jones has discovered with Monsieur Dior; a love of nature and art are two more.
Before Christian Dior became a couturier, he was a gallerist. Now Jones is following in his footsteps, having been chosen to participate in Sotheby’s Contemporary Curated sale in New York by making a selection of his favorite pieces from among all of the lots. Think of it as a capsule exhibition within a larger one—and a chance to look at art through the discerning designer’s eyes. Vogue is the first to reveal the pieces Jones settled on, which range from an Alexander Calder brooch from 1938 to Nick Cave’s Hustle Coat of 2017.
Though this is a treasure-filled auction, Jones didn’t agonize over his picks. “I was quite focused,“ he explains. “I’m quite fast when I make decisions about things like that. It’s the same as when I’m working doing a collection, I guess. I pulled out things I loved, and the things that spoke to me, and the things that related to what I do with my job at Dior.” Asked which are the “most Dior” of his selects, Jones singles out pieces by Raymond Pettibon and KAWS, artist he’s worked with. They share space with work by other artists the designer admires, as well as new discoveries. “I’m very instinctive the way I choose stuff,” says Jones. “I purely choose things because I love them, not because it’d be cool or anything. It’s just things that speak to me.”
