Jean Paul Gaultier Marks Three Decades of “Le Male” With an Exhibition

Jean Paul Gaultier seduces, provokes, and reinvents! And for the 30th anniversary of his cult fragrance Le Male, he’s doing all three, turning his historic headquarters at 325 Rue Saint-Martin into a full-body, full-scent, full-fantasy exhibition. Titled “And Gaultier Created Man. Le Male: Past, Present, Future”, the exhibition celebrates an icon in a theatrical, skin-close experience that smells like rebellion and feels like desire.. Because Le Male, launched in 1995 and crafted by the then-young genius Francis Kurkdjian, was a punch to the chest of toxic masculinity in a sailor-striped bottle.

Chapter One: The Body Politic

Walk in, and the message is loud: this is not just about perfume. This is about gender, power, and eroticism as Jean Paul Gaultier sees it. Corsets for men. Homoerotic codes. Cocteau and Genet references. The scent of rebellion wafts through a space that unapologetically queers masculinity.

He doesn’t tone it down. Why would he? Gaultier has always been more interested in bodies than boxes. His man is vulnerable and hyper-sexual. Tender and brazen. Part fantasy, part real. Always untouchable. Always unforgettable.

Chapter Two: The Smell of Memory

The second act belongs to Kurkdjian—now Head of Parfums Christian Dior, but forever the nose behind Le Male. Here, you’re inside the fragrance. Literally.
Oversized bottles tower around you. Pedestals sweat. Interactive installations breathe with you. Silhouettes of flankers drift in and out like ghosts from club nights past. It’s intoxicating, unhinged, and absurdly sexy.

Chapter Three: The Future Is Fluid

And then comes the finale. The base note. A tribute to today’s generation of artists and agitators.
From Spanish provocateur Pepo Moreno to Palestinian pop visionary Bashar Murad, and rising talents from Lausanne’s ECAL, the exhibition bursts into a vibrant, living mix of music, art, identity, and raw, untamed expression.

“Et Gaultier créa l’Homme. Le Male: Passé, Présent, Futur“ Exhibition