Pierre Yovanovitch’s set and costumes bring a contemporary edge to Korea National Opera in Seoul

French interior architect and furniture designer Pierre Yovanovitch is known for creating compelling design showcases – from the Paris showroom of his brand, Pierre Yovanovitch Mobilier, to narrative-led furniture exhibitions such as 2019's show ‘Love’ at New York’s R & Company. He has also successfully transferred his skills to costume and set design for operatic performance – his first foray being with Theater Basel’s staging of Rigoletto in 2023, for which he created a chic and slick set comprising three brightly painted curved walls – like abstract flower petals – that moved as the action unfolded and intensified.

Now, Yovanovitch has revealed the set design and costumes for a production of Le Nozze di Figaro by the Korea National Opera in Seoul.

Pierre Yovanovitch’s set and costume design for the Korea National Opera

Yovanovitch is a lifelong opera fan, and his passion for the medium resonates through his work and its attention to detail. A setting sun presides over the performance, tracking the passage of time as the ‘day of madness’ unfolds. The stage, set on a rotating platform, shifts between the Countess’s atelier and the Count’s house, offering clean-lined architectural vignettes in the round. A smooth, spiral tower and the imposing symmetry of the Count’s home draw on 1920s and 1930s modernist architecture – namely the stepped form of the ancient Mesopotamian ziggurat and the minimalist geometry of Villa Noailles - an aesthetic Yovanovitch hopes will resonate with younger, contemporary audiences.

Notably, this production marks his first creating costumes – a total of 53 – along with accessories, hairstyles, and makeup. Drawing on his eight-year tenure designing menswear for Pierre Cardin in the 1990s, he blended references to traditional Korean attire, such as traditional Korean knots and hanbok influences, with the sharp tailoring and silhouettes of 1920s–30s fashion.

'This project allowed me to expand my storytelling into new realms – beyond the set to costumes – and to reflect the witty intricacies of Le Nozze di Figaro through every visual detail,' says Yovanovitch, who meticulously tailored each look to reflect the contradictions and complexities of the characters. 'Everything seems simple in this opera, but in the end, all the characters are ambiguous. Love is everywhere, and melancholy more than meets the eye.'

The designer worked closely with director Vincent Huguet, with whom he also collaborated on Rigoletto at Theater Basel. For those curious to see where this creative partnership goes next, keep your lorgnettes at the ready: Yovanovitch and Huguet will reunite for Wagner's 'The Valkyrie', set to open later this year at the Rome Opera House. Encore!

Le Nozze di Figaro was staged by Korea National Opera at Seoul Arts Centre this March,

pierreyovanovitch.com
nationalopera.org.