“I’m generally obsessed with 20th-century British art,” says Jonathan Anderson, whose insatiable curiosity is evident in his designs for both Loewe and his own brand, J.W. Anderson. Two years ago, after visiting the Hepworth Wakefield, a contemporary art museum in Yorkshire, England, he found himself drawn to the figurative sculptures of Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. “I like the questions raised when genders are mixed,” says the designer, who has curated “Disobedient Bodies: J.W. Anderson at the Hepworth Wakefield” (through June 18). The show, which explores the many ways in which artists and designers have interpreted the human form, brings together works by Moore and Hepworth, as well as by Jean Arp, Louise Bourgeois, and Sarah Lucas; clothing by Jean Paul Gaultier, Rei Kawakubo, and Helmut Lang (plus, a piece or two by Anderson); and imagery and objects from Anderson’s personal collection. The aim is to initiate dialogue between creative practices. “I want to challenge the way we compartmentalize art, fashion, and craft,” Anderson says. “To see things afresh.”
Henry Moore’s *Reclining Figure*, 1936.
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