Rick Owens Art: My Two Cents on Figuring it Out
Alright, so this whole Rick Owens art thing. Is it art? Is it just super pricey clothes and weird furniture? I used to scratch my head a lot about this. Honestly, a lot of it just looked like stuff designed for a very specific, very gloomy kind of person. Not really my scene, you know?
But then, I ended up at this friend’s place. Super modern, minimalist, the whole shebang. And there, in the corner, was this chair. Looked like it was carved out of a dark rock, or maybe a giant bone. Wildly uncomfortable looking, but also… strangely compelling. My friend, bless his heart, proudly says, “It’s a Rick Owens.” And the price he mentioned? Let’s just say it could’ve paid my rent for a good few months.
That chair kinda stuck with me. Why would anyone pay that much for something that looked like it belonged in a caveman’s chic penthouse? So, I started to dig. Not like, academic research, mind you. More like, I just started paying attention when his name popped up. I went down a few internet rabbit holes, looked at pictures from his shows, zoomed in on the details of his clothes online, even watched some interviews with the guy.
Here’s what I sort of noticed during my little “investigation”:
- The Shapes are Everything: With his clothes, it’s not always about pretty patterns. It’s about how the fabric hangs, the weird silhouettes, the exaggerated proportions. Sometimes it looks like people are wearing sculptures, not just outfits.
- Materials Matter, A Lot: He uses some seriously interesting stuff. Leathers that look ancient, fabrics that seem to flow like water or stand stiff like armor. You can tell a lot of thought goes into how it feels and looks up close, not just from a distance.
- It’s a Whole Vibe: It’s not just one piece. It’s the clothes, the furniture, the way his shows are staged. It all creates this consistent world. Dark, a bit raw, maybe a little bit ancient and futuristic at the same time. You either get into that world or you don’t.
- Furniture as Sculpture: That chair I saw? Yeah, a lot of his furniture is like that. More like functional art pieces than just things to sit on or put stuff on. Brutal, heavy, often made from things like concrete, bronze, or even antlers. Definitely makes a statement.
So, did I figure out if it’s “art” in the way a painting in a museum is art? I dunno. It’s not like I became an expert overnight. What I did realize is that he’s definitely doing more than just making clothes to sell. He’s crafting an entire aesthetic, a point of view. It’s very deliberate, very thought out. You can see a clear signature in everything he touches.
I even tried to see if I could bring a tiny bit of that “Rick Owens feeling” into my own space, not by buying his expensive stuff, obviously. Maybe a specific kind of texture, or a very stark, simple arrangement. It’s harder than it looks to get that balance of raw and refined. My attempts mostly just looked… messy.
So, yeah. My practical journey into Rick Owens art wasn’t about becoming a collector or anything. It was more about trying to understand the “why” behind it all, starting from that one crazy-looking chair. And I guess I respect the commitment to his vision, even if I still wouldn’t want to sit on most of his furniture for too long. It definitely made me think about what art can be, beyond just a canvas on a wall.
