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Is Fashion Illustration a Dying Art?

A lavish new monograph from artist François Berthoud is a spectacular reminder of what we’ve been missing, writes Tim Blanks.

Untitled, Mixed media (Commes des Garçons), AD (France), 2006 — Untitled, Mixed media (Commes des Garçons), AD (France), 2006 (François Berthoud)

By

Tim Blanks

30 June 2023

François Berthoud may be one of the best artists you’ve never heard of. His work has been shown countless times all over the world. He has a provocative style and peerless technique. But his reputation rests on four decades of work as a fashion illustrator, and it’s a sad truth that, unlike photography, illustration has been relegated to the margins of the cultural conversation.

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About the author

Tim Blanks

Tim Blanks is Editor-at-Large at The Business of Fashion. He is based in London and covers designers, fashion weeks and fashion’s creative class.

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