Celebrated Utopia artist, Gloria Petyarr has become the first Australian artist commissioned by Hermes, the swanky international fashion house based in Paris.
Gloria’s Leaf design was selected by Hermes for their 2009 collection, and has just been released internationally. The design features on Hermes’ desirable silk scarves as one of its
Spring/Summer 2009 collection with the theme “Invitation to travel”. Gloria’s particular carrè design is titled “Le Rêve de Gloria”.
This commission came about as a result of Lauraine Diggins Fine Art from Melbourne exhibiting Gloria’s work at ArtParis in 2006, where she caught the eye of artistic director of Hermes, Pierre Alexis Dumas.
Gloria is perhaps our most exhibited, travelled and diverse living Indigenous artist. Her works have been acquired by major public institutions and countless private collections both within Australia and internationally. She is regarded as being an integral part of the history of painting in Utopia; an artist whose originality and diversity exemplifies the evolution, particularly of women’s art, from the eastern region of Central Australia.
Gloria’s Bush Medicine Leaf Dreaming is perhaps her most successful stylistic development. Through the use of abstraction and repetition, she paints a multiplicity of bush leaves collected by women, creating a design with a dynamic sense of swirling movement. In the Desert, the leaves are boiled to extract resin, which is then mixed with kangaroo fat to create a healing paste used for skin complaints.
Perhaps Hermes could develop that as a swanky face cream?
Both Hermes and Lauraine Diggins Fine Art are hopeful that Gloria will be the first of a number of Australian artists to be commissioned by Hermes.
