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"His are the only clothes in which I am myself. He is far more than a couturier, he is a creator of personality," Hubert de Givenchy's muse Audrey Hepburn said of the designer.
Loved by some of the most iconic stars of the 20th Century - from Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Kennedy and Wallis Simpson, to his most famous muse Audrey Hepburn - Givenchy's name and legacy have been synonymous with Parisian chic for more than 50 years. Givenchy sold his label in 1988, and retired seven years later, only to watch his former business go from strength to strength under some of the industry's most exciting designers; from John Galliano, to Alexander McQueen, to Riccardo Tisci. Givenchy, now in his Eighties, is almost entirely absent from the fashion spotlight, only emerging to comment on momentous fashion occasions like the royal wedding.
In 1927, he was born Hubert James Taffin de Givenchy to an aristocratic family in the French city of Beauvais. The family's nobility stemmed from his father's side from the 18th Century, and artistic professions ran through his mother's hereditary line. Having lost his father in 1930, he was raised largely by his mother and maternal grandmother from whom he inherited his passion for fabrics. Inspired, Givenchy left his hometown at the age of 17 for the vibrant opportunities of Paris.
Upon moving to Paris in 1944, Givenchy enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. He began his career as an apprentice of Jacques Fath in 1945, and continued to learn the art of the couturier over the following years from Robert Piguet, Lucien Lelong and legendary Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli.
The designer's statuesque height - he was 6' 6" - made an immediate impression on Paris, where he soon made a name for himself as a talent to watch.
In 1952, he established his couture house, la Maison Givenchy, launching his debut Separates collection of light floor-length skirts and stunning blouses including the feted Bettina Blouse, named after model of the day Bettina Graziani. Two years later in 1954, Givenchy became the first couturier to present a luxury ready-to-wear line.
He inherited his design philosophy of simplicity from his friend, idol and mentor, Cristóbal Balenciaga. "Balenciaga was my religion," he told WWD in 2007. "There's Balenciaga, and the good Lord."
Givenchy first met his iconic muse, Audrey Hepburn, in 1953, in a romantic twist of fate that rivals any of her films. He had in fact been expecting Katharine as the Mademoiselle Hepburn he was to dress for the forthcoming picture Sabrina. Audrey is said to have arrived in a tied-up T-shirt, tight trousers, sandals and a gondolier's hat on the day that sparked the beginning of a 40-year friendship.
Givenchy went on to design the actress' personal ensembles, as well as those made famous by her in timeless films such as Funny Face, Sabrina, and of course Breakfast at Tiffany's."The little black dress is the hardest thing to realise," he told the Independent in an interview in 2010, "because you must keep it simple." In the words of Hepburn, Givenchy to her was more than a couturier, and indeed she to him far more than a muse. Theirs was a relationship not only of professional advantages, as they propelled one another into the royalty of their respective worlds, but one of deep and long-lasting affection, that would continue for more than forty years.
1957 saw the launch of one of Givenchy's most influential designs, the "sack" silhouette. Revolutionary for its time, the sack dress abandoned form and waistline, and in its place offered mystery surrounding the female body beneath. Givenchy also encouraged women to show more of their legs during the day with raised hemlines, and in this movement he became a predecessor of the one of the most influential decades in fashion, the Sixties.
1957 was also the year in which Givenchy launched his first perfume, L'interdit. Promoted by Hepburn, its success soared, hitting headlines as the first time the world had seen an actress as the face of a perfume.
1973 marked an additional landmark in the House of Givenchy, with the launch of the first men's collection Gentleman Givenchy.
Selling his business to Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessey in 1988, and retiring in 1995, Givenchy was succeeded by widely celebrated and innovative designers including Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Julien Macdonald, and Riccardo Tisci - who now stands at the helm of the Givenchy empire, as the creative director for the Givenchy haute couture and ready-to-wear collections.
Now in his Eighties, Givenchy - who lives in a country estate Le Jonchet just outside of Paris - has all but removed himself from the fashion world, emerging only occasionally for brief interviews or rare public talks, like the one he gave at the Oxford Union in July 2010. He does occasionally comment on key fashion moments, and earlier this year described Kate Middleton's choice of former Givenchy designer Alexander McQueen's label for her wedding dress as "a lovely thought, a nice tribute" following McQueen's untimely death in February 2010.
Diego Rivera was born in 1886, in Mexico; when his career began, the main focal point behind his works was the depict the lives of Mexico and its people. In 1921, working with the government, he began work on a series of murals, that were located in public buildings. Some of his work was quite controversial; in fact, the Man at the Crossroads, which went up in NYC, was destroyed by the Rockefeller Family. He is today known as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, and began working and drawing at the age of 10. He went to the San Carlos Academy of Fine Art in Mexico City, and furthered his education in Europe in 1907; while in Europe, he became friends with several famous artists, including Pablo Picasso and Marc Chagall.
Although Diego Rivera had success as a cubist painter in Europe, the work he would do in his career greatly changed. The Mexican Revolution in 1914/15 strongly influenced him, as did the Russian Revolution in 1917. During a trip to Italy, he took an interest in murals, and depicting the struggles of the people he grew up around. Upon returning to Mexico to continue his work, in 1922 he received government funding, to work on public buildings. In 1929, he married another artist, Frida Kahlo, by which time he had several children from previous relationships. In this relationship, he and fellow artist took an interest in Marxism and radical politics in genera.
During the 1930s and 40s, Diego Rivera did quite a bit of work in the US, painting murals. Much of his work was publicly debated due to the radical figures, and the radical political approach which he took in depicting these figures. Conflicts in capitalist and socialist views were widely debated, and these were some of the main focal points which he used in the works he created. In 1934, when his work was stopped by the Rockefeller Family, they received quite a bit of backlash; due to their respect and openness to all art forms, they were viewed as hypocrites for requiring the work of Diego Rivera to be taken down, simply because they did not like the fact that he used a Russian leader in one of the works he depicted. The Man at the Crossroads, which was eventually destroyed by the family, was a piece which many enjoyed, and was Rivera's way of showing the disagreement and turmoil, between the political realms.
During the 1930s, Diego Rivera did not have any work in progress working on murals, so he dedicated his time to creating personal pieces and paintings. In the 1940s, he returned to doing work on murals, for the Golden Gate Exposition which was held in San Francisco. From 1945 to 1951 he spent quite a bit of time, and lived in Mexico City; "From the pre-Hispanic civilization to the Conquest" was the work he created during this time frame, and the last mural which he completed was called the "Popular History of Mexico".
Due to the controversial nature of this, as well as the other works which Diego Rivera created during this illustrious career, he became known as one of the leading artists in the 20th century. Not only in the US, where much of his work was debated, and even destroyed, but around the world. Since he took a worldly view on art, and depicted controversial scenes which depicted different forms of politics, which were not established around the world, many of his art pieces were quite unique, and were distinct in nature from the work which other muralists had done. And, the fact that he shared an interest in certain political views, which were not widely accepted around the world, also made for a unique twist on the art he created, and a distinct style with the creation and work that he did while creating the murals which he painted during the course of his career.
In 1954, Diego Rivera lost his wife, and remarried Emma Hurtado one year later, who was his art dealer. At this point in his life, he was in declining health, and had to travel abroad to be treated for a form of cancer which he was fighting with, but the doctors were not able to find a solution or cure for him. In 1957, Diego Rivera died in his home, Mexico City, from heart failure, and hear complications, which were in part connected to the illness that he was suffering from.
After his death, Diego Rivera became one of the most popular artists, and many wanted to see the works he created during his career; in fact, to this day, he is still one of the most well known and renowned muralists, for the distinct style in which he created his pieces, the unique approach he took to public building works, and the radical approaches which he took, regardless of the art form that he was creating for the public to view. The childhood home which Diego Rivera lived in, in Mexico City, has even been turned into a museum, to showcase where he got some of his influences from, and it also depicts some of the more famous pieces that he is known for.
The relationship which he had with his first wife, was one that brought about plenty of speculation, not only for the marriage, and difference in age, but also for their shared views in politics, and the radical art forms which they created during their careers. There were even movies that were made about Diego Rivera and Frida, to depict their marriage, their life, and the work which they made, and murals which they created, driving controversy around their work.
Whether or not you agree with his political stand points, or the relationships he engaged in during his lifetime, the creative manner and approach, and the disregard for what people thought about his art, makes Diego Rivera one of the most famous, and most renowned artists which existed during this time period.
Rivera's philosophy of art and life correspond to no specific dogma. He had an extraordinarily well developed intuitive sense that shaped his understanding of the world and his humanistic understanding of the role of the artist and the role of art in society. His ability to masterfully present universal images and ideas in his art continues to captivate the viewers today.
"So now the Admiralty wireless whispers through the ether to the tall masts of ships, and captains pace their decks absorbed in thought. It is nothing. It is less than nothing. It is too foolish, too fantastic to be thought of in the twentieth century. Or is it fire and murder leaping out of the darkness at our throats, torpedoes ripping the bellies of half-awakened ships, a sunrise on a vanished naval supremacy, and an island well-guarded hitherto, at last defenceless? No, it is nothing. No one would do such things. Civilization has climbed above such perils. The interdependence of nations in trade and traffic, the sense of public law, the Hague Convention, Liberal principles, the Labour Party, high finance, Christian charity, common sense have rendered such nightmares impossible. Are you quite sure? It would be a pity to be wrong. Such a mistake could only be made once—once for all."
—1923, recalling the possibility of war between France and Germany after the Agadir Crisis of 1911, in The World Crisis,vol. 1, 1911-1914, pp. 48-49.
"The King's Ships Were at Sea"
"We may now picture this great Fleet, with its flotillas and cruisers, steaming slowly out of Portland Harbour, squadron by squadron, scores of gigantic castles of steel wending their way across the misty, shining sea, like giants bowed in anxious thought. We may picture them again as darkness fell, eighteen miles of warships running at high speed and in absolute blackness through the narrow Straits, bearing with them into the broad waters of the North the safeguard of considerable affairs....The King’s ships were at sea."
—1923, recalling the passage of the Royal Navy to its war stations at the outbreak of World War I, in The World Crisis,vol. 1, 1911-1914, pp. 212. Churchill, as First Lord of the Admiralty, had taken it upon himself to order the fleet to its stations as war loomed between Franceand Germany.
"I'd Drink [Poison]" (Apocryphal)
Lady Astor: "If I were married to you, I'd put poison in your coffee."
Reply: "If I were married to you, I'd drink it."
—1920s. Churchill biographer Sir Martin Gilbert said this exchange was more likely to have occurred between Lady Astor and Churchill's good friend F.E. Smith, Lord Birkenhead, a notorious acerbic wit. But both ConsueloVanderbilt(The Glitter and the Gold) and ChristopherSykes(Nancy: The Life of Lady Astor) say the riposte was by Churchill. The argument was rendered moot when FredShapiro, in The Yale Book of Quotations, tracked the origins of the phrase to a joke line from a 1900 edition of The Chicago Tribune.
"Total and Unmitigated Defeat"
"I will begin by saying what everybody would like to ignore or forget but which must nevertheless be stated, namely that we have sustained a total and unmitigated defeat, and France has suffered even more than we have....the German dictator, instead of snatching the victuals from the table, has been content to have them served to him course by course."
—House of Commons, 5 October 1938, after the Munichagreement began the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia. The rest of that unhappy country was swallowed by Hitlersix months later.
"Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat"
"I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined this Government, I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many long months of toil and struggle.
"You ask what is our policy. I will say, it is to wage war with all our might, with all the strength that God can give us, to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime.
"You ask what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory. Victory at all costs. Victory in spite of all terror. Victory however long and hard the road may be. For without victory there is no survival."
—First speech as Prime Minister, House of Commons, 13 May 1940. Churchillfirst used the phrase “blood and sweat” in 1900; “Blood, sweat and tears” came together in his 1939 article, “Can FrancoRestore Unity and Strength to Spain.”
"Be Ye Men of Valour"
"Today is Trinity Sunday. Centuries ago words were written to be a call and a spur to the faithful servants of Truth and Justice: 'Arm yourselves, and be ye men of valour, and be in readiness for the conflict; for it is better for us to perish in battle than to look upon the outrage of our nation and our altar. As the will of God is in Heaven, even so let it be.'"
—First broadcast as Prime Minister, 19 May 1940. Churchill adopted the quotation from 1 Maccabees 3:58-60. The four Books of the Maccabees, also spelled "Machabbes," are not in the Hebrew Bible but the first two books are part of canonical scripture in the Septuagint and the Vulgate and are in in the Protestant Apocrypha. But Churchill somewhat edited the text. For the original wording click here.
"Never Surrender"
"We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing-grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender!"
—House of Commons, 4 June 1940, following the evacuation of British and French armies from Dunkirk as the German tide swept through France.
"Their Finest Hour"
What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over. I expect that the battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilisation. Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their Finest Hour.'
—House of Commons, 18 June 1940, following the collapse of France. Many thought Britainwould follow.
"War of the Unknown Warriors"
This is no war of chieftains or of princes, of dynasties or national ambition; it is a war of peoples and of causes. There are vast numbers, not only in this island but in every land, who will render faithful service in this war but whose names will never be known, whose deeds will never be recorded. This is a war of the Unknown Warriors; but let all strive without failing in faith or in duty, and the dark curse of Hitler will be lifted from our age."
—BBC Broadcast, London, 14 July 1940
"The Few"
"The gratitude of every home in our island, in our Empire, and indeed throughout the world, except in the abodes of the guilty, goes out to the British airmen who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of the world war by their prowess and by their devotion. Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. "
—Tribute to the Royal Air Force, House of Commons, 20 August 1940. The Battleof Britainpeaked a month later. Because of German bombing raids, Churchillsaid, Britainwas "a whole nation fighting and suffering together." He had worked out the phrase about "The Few" in his mind as he visited the Fighter Command airfields in Southern England.
"A Dark and Deadly Valley"
"Far be it from me to paint a rosy picture of the future. Indeed, I do not think we should be justified in using any but the most sombre tones and colours while our people, our Empire and indeed the whole English-speaking world are passing through a dark and deadly valley. But I should be failing in my duty if, on the other wise, I were not to convey the true impression, that a great nation is getting into its war stride."
—House of Commons, 22 January 1941
"Linchpin of the English-Speaking World"
"Canada is the linchpin of the English-speaking world. Canada, with those relations of friendly, affectionate intimacy with the United States on the one hand and with her unswerving fidelity to the British Commonwealth and the Motherland on the other, is the link which joins together these great branches of the human family, a link which, spanning the oceans, brings the continents into their true relation and will prevent in future generations any growth of division between the proud and the happy nations of Europe and the great countries which have come into existence in the New World."
—Mansion House, London, 4 September 1941, at a luncheon in honour of MackenzieKing, Prime Minister of Canada.
"Captain of Our Souls"
"The mood of Britain is wisely and rightly averse from every form of shallow or premature exultation. This is no time for boasts or glowing prophecies, but there is this—a year ago our position looked forlorn, and well nigh desperate, to all eyes but our own. Today we may say aloud before an awe-struck world, 'We are still masters of our fate. We still are captain of our souls.'"
—House of Commons, 9 September 1941
"Never Give In"
"This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."
—HarrowSchool, 29 October 1941. It is commonly believed that Churchillstood up, gave the three-word speech, "Never give in!," and sat down. This is incorrect, as is the suggestion, variously reported, that the speech occurred at Oxfordor Cambridge. It was on his first visit to his old school, Harrow, where he would continue to return for the annual "Songs," making his last appearance in 1961.
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