Balenciaga and the Spanish masters
06/23/2020
In the world of haute couture, art has always played a fundamental role. This new exhibition at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid showcases haute couture designs by the Spanish fashion designer Balenciaga, alongside works by the great masters of Spanish art from the 16th to the 20th century, illustrating how the designer draws on their spirit to create his collection.
Balenciaga was born in the Basque Country in 1895 (he died in 1972) and opened his first boutique in San Sebastián in 1917. With the outbreak of the Civil War, he moved the company to Paris, where he quickly achieved the legendary status he enjoys today by dressing the world’s most beautiful women, including Ava Gardner, Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy, with his sculptural designs that defined the silhouette.
This latest retrospective features a total of 90 pieces, each artfully displayed alongside the paintings that inspired them, offering a unique opportunity to appreciate the extraordinary dialogue that emerges between the two. Regarded as the only true couturier, Coco Chanel once described all others as ‘merely fashion designers’; her great talent lay in her ability to sketch, print and sew, which gave her great freedom to recreate the architectural and voluptuous forms, colours and rich details she saw in art.
You will see echoes of this influence, for example, in the flowing tunic that is the exact shadow of the cloak in Murillo’s *Immaculate Conception*, and in a crimson evening gown reminiscent of the robes worn by Cardinal Luis María Borbón y Vallabriga in Goya’s painting. Inspired by El Greco’s virgins, angels and saints, Balenciaga created frivolous pastel-coloured evening gowns, contrasted by the portrait of the 6th Countess of Miranda in black—a colour to which the couturier returned time and again throughout his career, and which he was able to elevate with interesting textures and embellishments.
Balenciaga’s personal collection of antiques also served as an inspiration, whilst references to popular culture in the form of ruffled flamenco dresses and bullfighters’ ‘traje de luces’ also left their mark. His work as a designer was as rich and varied as the four centuries of painted history that inspired him. This exhibition is a truly magnificent spectacle.
18 June – 22 September 2019, www.museothyssen.org/en/exhibitions/balenciaga-and-spanish-painting
Nuestro Blog
Conocer cada destino, más allá de la estancia
Guías, recomendaciones y relatos que conectan nuestros hoteles con la cultura, la gastronomía y el estilo de vida de cada lugar.
También te puede interesar
Stay Informed
Subscribe to our newsletter to gain exclusive access to all the latest news, benefits, and offers on stays and dining that only Único Hotels can offer you.