LISTEN
that’s “simple and I can move in. I’ve always wanted to
be more dominant than what I was wearing. I hate
being constricted by clothing. Life’s too short. My
comfort’s more important.”
Manson, though, is no less a rebel. In fact, as an icon
fearlessly following legends who have come before her
in earning the rock-won right to flip the finger to
ageism – Annie Lennox, Patti Smith, Mick Jagger – she
may be more of a rebel than she’s ever been. “Peoplewrite to me on social media and say, ‘Shut the fuck up!
Give it up! You’re too old!’ But it doesn’t mess with my
head too much. How they view my age is [their]
problem. Sure, I’ll be compared to Taylor Swift or Sky
Ferreira. I get that. But age is information. Age is
empowerment. I’m tired of being told I must infantilise
myself and pretend I’m younger than I am. I’m 50, and
I have lived an incredible life.”
For tour details, visit garbage.comSEE
A
trip to Versailles is at the top of any
traveller’s Parisian itinerary, but
for those who have yet to find
themselves up close and personal
(or simply long to be reunited with
all that gold once again), the National Gallery
of Australia’s summer exhibition might just
make your heart skip a beat.
A bust of Louis XIV, a life-
sized portrait of the Sourches
family and more than 130
paintings, tapestries, statues,
personal items and furniture
have been shipped from Paris
for Versailles: Treasures From
The Palace. One of the biggest
expenses? Sending a 1.5-tonne
marble statue of the Roman
goddess Latona (which
originally sat in the centre of
a fountain facing the palace)
17,000km to Canberra.
Another coup for the exhibition is an
18th-century portrait of Marie Antoinette,
painted as a gift for her mother back in
Austria. The story goes that Marie Antoinette
passed over a bunch of high-profile artists
before settling on Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le
Brun. While history books (and Sofia
Coppola) say she was no stranger to
controversy, it was unusual in those times
for a member of the royal family to choose
a female artist over a male one (Vigée Le
Brun would go on to become the Queen’s
favourite portraitist and a close friend).
The exclusive exhibition has been in the
works for two years, with the Australian team- led by NGA
director Gerard
Vaughan and
assistant director
of exhibitions
and collections
Adam Worrall - working
closely with
the Versailles curatorial team, including
director of the National Museum of the
Palaces of Versailles, Beatrix Saule (who’s
been a curator there since the late ’70s). A few
blessed NGA staffers travelled to Versailles
during the planning stages and were granted
access to some of the palace’s many secret
staircases and private rooms to see artworks
in their original home. While the rest of us
can only dream of being given a tour that
epic, for now we’ll settle for re-watching
Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette and
booking a weekend trip to Canberra. q
Versailles: Treasures From The Palace is on from
December 9 to April 17; nga.gov.au/versailles/
Treasures from the Palace
of Versailles decamp to our
nation’s capital this summerGOLD
STANDARD
ROYAL AFFAIR
Marie Antoinette as
depicted in a portrait
by Elisabeth Louise
Vigée Le Brun
(below); a scene from
the 2006 film starring
Kirsten Dunst (above)70 ELLE AUSTRALIA
Words: Laura Collins; Lyndsey Parker. Photography: Getty Images;
© RMN-Grand Palais (Château de Versailles)/Gérard Blot