- Pierre Bergé
Pierre Bergé (born
November 14 ,1930 ) is a French industrialist and patron. He is perhaps best known as the co-founder of Yves Saint Laurent Couture House and lifelong partner of Fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent.Early life
He was born at in
Oléron (Charente-Maritime). His mother Christiane was an amateursoprano and a progressist teacher who used theMontessori method . His father worked for the tax office and was a great rugby enthusiast. Bergé attended the Lycée Eugène Fromentin inLa Rochelle , and later went toParis . On the day of his arrival, as he was walking on theChamps-Élysées , French poetJacques Prévert fell on him while attemptingsuicide . [http://www.bgm.org/english/institution.html Médiathèque Musicale Mahler - insititution ] ] [http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=9860&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html Biography of Pierre Bergé - UNESCO Celebrity Advocates | UNESCO.org ] ]Yves Saint Laurent
Bergé met Yves Saint Laurent in 1958. They became romantically involved and together launched Yves Saint Laurent Couture House in 1961. The couple split romantically in 1976 but remained lifelong friends and business partners.citation |url=http://www.glbtq.com/arts/saintlaurent_y.html |last=Cole |first=Shaun |title=Saint Laurent, Yves |periodical=
glbtq.com |year=2002 |accessdate=2007-08-25 .] Bergé acted asC.E.O. of Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture until it shuttered in 2002. Highly protective and invested in the reputation and legacy of Saint Laurent Couture, Bergé was known as the "Dean of Yves Saint Laurent" [ [http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/daily/080530-pierre-berge-misses-out-on-joining-.aspx Pierre Berge loses out on joining the Immortals (Vogue.com UK) ] ]In 1992, Bergé sold shares of the fashion house just before the company released a poor economic report. In 1996, this action was deemed to be
insider trading and he was sentenced to a fine of one million Francs. [ [http://www.infomat.com/whoswho/yvessaintlaurent.html Yves Saint Laurent Biography and profiles of fashion designers ] ] After the close of the Couture House, Bergé became President of The Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent Foundation. [ [http://www.intute.ac.uk/artsandhumanities/cgi-bin/fullrecord.pl?handle=artifact8371 Intute: Arts and Humanities - Record is not live ] ]During Bergé's eulogy of Saint Laurent, he reflected on their lifetime of memories, saying;
"I remember your first collection under your name and the tears at the end. Then the years passed. Oh, how they passed quickly. The divorce was inevitable but the love never stopped."cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedishrag/2008/06/pierre-berger-b.html|title=Pierre Berge bids a tearful adieu to designer Yves Saint Laurent|last=Snead|first=Elizabeth|date=June 5, 2008|publisher=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=2008-07-28]
Philanthropic, cultural, and political interests
In 1987 Bergé launched the French magazine "
Globe ", which supported the candidacy ofFrançois Mitterrand for the presidential election. Bergé participated in all the campaign rallies of François Mitterrand (contrary to 1981, when he did not vote for Mitterrand).Fact|date=June 2008 Bergé later went on to serve as President of the association of the friends ofInstitut François-Mitterrand . In 1993, he helped to launch the magazine "Globe Hebdo ".A longtime fan and patron of Opera, Mitterrand appointed Bergé president of
Opéra Bastille onAugust 31 1988 . He retired from the post in 1994, becoming honorary President of the Paris National Opera. He currently serves as President of theMédiathèque Musicale Mahler , a non-profit organization dedicated to the public presentations of 19th and 20th century music. He is also President of theComité Jean Cocteau , and the exclusive owner of all moral rights of all ofJean Cocteau 's works. [ [http://www.jeancocteau.net/comite_en.html Jean Cocteau - Commitee ] ]A supporter of
gay rights , he supported the association againstAIDS , Act Up-Paris, and assumed ownership of the magazine "Têtu ". He was also one of the shareholders of Pink TV, before withdrawing. In 1994, he participated withLine Renaud in the creation of the AIDS associationSidaction , and he became its president in 1996, a position he still holds today. Sidaction is one of the main associations fighting AIDS in Europe.Bergé's philanthropic patronages have included
UNESCO . In July 1992, Bergé was appointed UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. [ [http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=10067&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html Pierre Bergé - UNESCO Celebrity Advocates | UNESCO.org ] ]In 2007 he supported the candidacy of
Ségolène Royal .Fact|date=June 2008Recognition
Bergé has been recognized with the
Order of Orange-Nassau , Officer of the Ordre National du Mérite,Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres , and Legion of Honor.References
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