Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Marrakech pays tribute to photographer David Seidner

MARRAKECH - The Yves Saint Laurent Museum (YSLM) in Marrakech paid tribute to the late American photographer David Seidner who was best known in his lifetime for his fashion work.

The “David Seidner – Yves Saint Laurent” exhibition kicked off October 10 at the YSLM in the Moroccan ochre city.

Photography becomes a form of light and emotion. The exhibition highlights the works of Seidner who, with his visionary eye, was able to capture the very essence of the great French couturier's style.

Between fashion and memory, the photography exhibition unveils portraits of a designer magnified by the poetry of black and white and the elegance of the framing.

“I thought it was important to pay tribute to this photographer. Many of these photos date back 30 or even 40 years. And at the same time, they are very fresh,” said Madison Cox, President of the Foundation Jardin Majorelle.

“There's a vivacity, a life, a light and a very, very particular or very recognizable gaze in his work,” said Cox.

The exhibition, which is curated by Violetta Sanchez, traces an artistic collaboration that began in the early 80s, and immerses visitors in a world of shadow and transparency, where fashion becomes visual art.

Alexis Sornin, Director of the YSLM museum, said Sanchez is someone who knows Seidner’s work quite well

“I mentioned Violeta Sanchez because she was the subject of David Seidner and also a model for Yves-Saint Laurent. She is a sort of link between the fashion house and the American photographer,” said Sornin.

Sanchez said that Seidner started out photography very young …at the age of 17. “Seidner saw himself primarily as an artist, photography was his medium. He was very fascinated by other artists, particularly contemporary art dancers,” said Sanchez, who was a stage actress when she met Seidner at a Paris art opening. 

“He did a lot of portraits of other artists in absolutely magnificent black and white series,” she added.

Seidner (1957–1999) was an American photographer celebrated for his elegant fashion photography and refined portraits, which often blurred the lines between commercial and fine art. After moving to Paris as a teenager, he built a career that drew influence from art history, including classical sculpture and 19th-century portrait painters like John Singer Sargent, while also incorporating avant-garde techniques inspired by modern artists such as John Cage. 

More than 25 years after his death, Seidner continues to inspire a whole generation of artists and photographers through these timeless images. It is also the spirit of Yves-Saint Laurent that continues through an eternal beauty captured at the crossroads of fashion and art.

The exhibition will be held until August 2, 2026.