ART EXHIBITION AT THE SOFITEL FRANKFURT OPERA

With Couture Transfer by Hamburg-born, New York-based fashion photographer Tim Petersen, Sofitel Frankfurt Opera is staging its third haute couture photography exhibition. Petersen’s series of Polaroid transfers of staged designs by fashion greats such as Jean Paul Gaultier at the end of the 1990s, Petersen is not only showing fashion history, but also, photography history due to the complicated production method and limited edition. From January 24 to July 24 visitors and guests can see the exhibition in the lobby of the Sofitel Frankfurt Opera.
Polaroid transfers were especially popular in photography in the late 1990s. Petersen explains his method this way: “The professional Polaroids consist of a negative and a positive with the pigments on it. I tore them apart after a few seconds and transferred the positive image to a sheet of Watercolor paper by rolling the pigments onto it. Since I used a large 8×10 camera, the Polaroids are the size of a Din A4 sheet.” This is a laborious method, and a lot can go wrong: “Only one out of four attempts worked.” The Couture Transfer Polaroids are strictly limited-edition images, especially since the production method is not only complicated, but also quite expensive due to the size of the Polaroids. Each picture is unique. In addition, since 2008 no more 8×10 Polaroids have been have been produced. The clothes depicted in the series are also part of fashion history, including haute couture highlights such as Jean Paul Gaultier’s famous chainmail shirt, Givenchy’s tulle skirt, the feather coat by Christian Lacroix or some of the first designs by Elie Saab. The photographs were taken as part of a shoot for ICON magazine.
Born and raised in Germany, Tim Petersen learned about photography in his father’s studio, who was part of the young, emerging German fashion photography of the 1960s and 1970s. During an internship with his father, he became passionate about photography. In 1994, Petersen moved to New York City to become deeply involved in the underground fashion magazine scene of the 1990s. His breakthrough came with the publication of his version of a fashionable Tamara De Lempicka in Blackbook Magazine in 1998. Since then, Petersen has worked for numerous renowned fashion magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair or designer brands such as Bottega Veneta and Tiffany’s. He still lives in his adopted home of New York. Since 2022, his work has been part of the prestigious Kelterborn Collection.
Sofitel Frankfurt Opera’s links to the world of fashion are manifold; discreet references can be found in all areas of the hotel. The interior decoration and design of the luxury hotel bear the signature of the French interior designer Nicolas Adnet and his Paris-based studio MHNA. Adnet began his professional career in the luxury fashion industry, one of his great idols being Yves Saint Laurent. As a partner of the Frankfurt Fashion Lounge, the Sofitel Frankfurt Opera regularly uses its lobby and rooms as a catwalk for up-and-coming design talents.