Monique Baumann, LeLabo

NOWNESS

Private View: Monique Baumann

The high fashion collage artist creates a new body of work to mark the tenth anniversary of Another 13—the fragrance collaboration between Le Labo and AnOther Magazine

Zürich's geometric medieval quarter, boomerang-shaped lake and rolling mountain range is the perfect base for illustrator and collage artist Monique Baumann. Known for her masterful appropriation of silhouettes and color, her work has been featured in international publications, such as Condé Nast Italia, Vogue Hong Kong and Harper’s Bazaar Czech Republic.

“Provocative glances and sultry lips—all reimagined and ceaselessly reinvented—typify her work,” says London-based artist and director Catherine Hyland who had the privilege of stepping into Bauman’s studio in Zürich; a treasure trove of paintings, collages, assemblages and photography. “She boldly defends beauty and reframes familiar pop culture images with sharply contrasting layers of color and texture.”

“Provocative glances and sultry lips typify her work”

In this episode of Private View, Hyland shares a behind-the-scenes look at Baumann’s latest project. The Swiss artist has created thirteen new collages to mark the tenth anniversary of Another 13—the limited edition fragrance conceived by fashion, art and culture publication AnOther Magazine and boutique perfume brand Le Labo.

“Her work is truly multifaceted,” says Hyland of Baumann’s latest project, which was created from AnOther Magazine’s archive of iconic front covers. “Shunning neither new techniques nor material barriers her art remains tangible and accessible.” Working mostly with analog materials, Baumann has an aesthetic instinct that presents itself in the way she combines image fragments of high fashion models with swatches of Kandinsky-style color. 

The artist continually explores the boundaries of elusive abstraction while maintaining a boldness and beauty in her work that proves the whole is worth more than the sum of its parts. “Interweaving materials and creating a democratic space where all materials are equal,” Hyland continues, “Baumann’s work gives rise to fascination and transitional moments that generate new ways of seeing and interpreting society.”