September 21, 2017
Christian Dior with models in around 1955. Photo by Andre Gander, image credit: Denver Art Museum
French atelier Christian Dior will host its first United States major museum exhibition at the Denver Art Museum.
The Dior retrospective will open Nov. 18, 2018 at the Denver Art Museum’s Hamilton Building, and will survey seven decades of the atelier, beginning with its namesake founder’s beginnings in 1947. As Dior celebrates its 70th anniversary, the LVMH-owned brand has staged in-store interactions and exhibits that express its enduring legacy and contribution to high-end fashion.
Dior in Denver
The exhibit, titled “Dior: From Paris to the World,” will be the French brand’s first retrospective in the U.S. market.
The exhibit at the Denver Art Museum will explore Dior’s global influence through the display of 150 couture dresses, accessories, costume jewelry, photographs, drawings, runway videos and other archival materials. The items on display will trace Dior’s history, the life of its founder and the creative talents that have carried on the late designer’s vision well into the 21st century.
Mr. Dior is a revered couturier due to his expression of modern femininity following World War II. The Dior aesthetic shredded the masculine silhouette that had been prevalent during the war, changing women’s ready-to-wear.
Designs by Christian Dior on view at a separate retrospective at Paris' Museum of Decorative Arts. Image credit: Museum of Decorative Arts
The late couturier’s designs included soft shoulders, accentuated hips and nipped waists. Mr. Dior’s collections led his label to become one of the first couture houses to see worldwide success.
Told in a chronological presentation, the Denver Art Museum retrospective will include pivotal House of Dior themes such as how Mr. Dior established his legacy and the brand’s global reputation despite only heading the atelier for a decade.
The retrospective will also explore contributions from the creative directors since Mr. Dior’s death including Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferre, John Galliano, Raf Simons and its first female design talent, Maria Grazia Chiuri (see story).
Dior: From Paris to the World was organized by the Denver Art Museum and was curated by Florence Muller, the Denver Art Museum’s Avenir Foundation curator of textile art and fashion. The exhibition is designed by architect Shohei Shigematsu of OMA New York.
Denver Art Museum’s Dior retrospective will be on view until March 19, 2019. The museum will use the hashtag #DiorInDenver to promote the exhibition.
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