Fashion legend Martin Margiela to make comeback as artist | Fashion

After 12 years out of the public eye, the reclusive fashion designer Martin Margiela has announced his comeback – as an artist.

The Belgian, who retired from fashion design in 2009, is to exhibit at the Lafayette Anticipations gallery in Paris.

The exhibition, simply called Martin Margiela, will open on 15 April and feature a collection of his sculptures, photographs and installations, all previously unseen in public.

“This exhibition celebrates the idea that Martin Margiela has always been an artist, whose work has played out since, within and outside the art world,” the gallery said in a statement. “[He] has always made us look at things with fresh eyes. Going against the grain he cultivated an obsession for discreet people, abandoned objects and forgotten places and events, bestowing on them a new dignity.”