The Lachaise Lounge

Gaston Lachaise would have hated Dallas. Going to a party in Dallas, or even traipsing through NorthPark, you encounter enough sculpted, anorexic women to completely turn your concept of normal body image on its head. However, Lachaise's ideal body image is the complete opposite of the ideal Dallas woman. That's why I think his works, on display as the Woman: The Art of Gaston Lachaise exhibition, will turn a few heads in this city. Lachaise was a revolutionary sculptor—inspired by a single muse—who rendered striking monuments of real women. And by real women, I mean women with curves, rounded bellies and thighs bigger than matchsticks. There are love handles and big butts and saggy boobs too. Lachaise's sculptures are a bit disproportional—the limbs are often more tapered than they would be in reality—but it lends an air of drama to the female form. The sculptures were considered quite scandalous back in the 1920s and 1930s, and I don't see it being any less challenging now. In a city where body image is a concern secondary only to the spending limit on your Neiman's card, Lachaise's work will certainly raise some eyebrows. Stop at Krispy Kreme on your way to the Nasher Sculpture Center, 2001 Flora St., and celebrate womanly curves with the bronze ladies of Lachaise. Woman runs through February 17, 2008, at the Nasher Sculpture Center, 2001 Flora St., and is open Tuesdays through Sundays. Admission is $5 to $10. Call 214-242-5100 or visit nashersculpturecenter.org.
Tuesdays-Sundays. Starts: Dec. 14. Continues through Feb. 17, 2007