The first comprehensive exhibition of the queer designer Wolfgang Joop drew more than 25,000 visitors in his hometown, Potsdam, Germany, according to the city and the Potsdam Art Space. The show opened on October 4 and concluded on Tuesday — Joop’s 81st birthday.
“I thank the Joop team and the Potsdam Art Space from the bottom of my heart for this extraordinary exhibition in Potsdam,” said Mayor Noosha Aubel, according to the release. “It has allowed us to rediscover Wolfgang Joop — one of the city’s most famous sons — in the depth of his artistic work, and at the same time to see how closely his output is tied to Potsdam, and how lovingly his view of our city is.” Aubel also wished the designer a happy birthday.
Joop showcased for the first time the full range of his artistic work — in addition to fashion, he presented drawings, paintings, and sculptures. “As a true Potsdam native, I am ready to pursue my own visions — and those of others — with unvarnished optimism,” Joop is quoted as saying. He lives in Potsdam, the state capital, with his life partner Edwin Lemberg, who planned the exhibition, in the capital city.
