Forever Valentino to Stun Doha
Forever Valentino, Maison Valentino’s largest exhibition to date and its first presentation in the Middle East, expected to be a stunning theatrical experience will be on view at M7 from October 28, 2022 to April 1, 2023.
Valentino – Fiesta Gowns Courtesy of Valentino, photographer Agostino Osio, Alto Piano
On the occasion of the year-round national cultural movement Qatar Creates, Qatar Museums and Maison Valentino will present “Forever Valentino”, a major perspective exhibition that pays homage to its founder Valentino Garavani and its still-unfolding heritage of Haute Couture excellence, at M7, on view from October 28, 2022 to April 1, 2023.
Pierpaolo Piccioli – Valentino Creative Director – Portrait by ph. Michael Bailey Gates – Courtesy of Valentino Spa
“Forever – Valentino” is an exploration of the Haute Couture codes of the Maison and a voyage through Rome, Valentino’s home, the place where everything started and where its identity belongs to, is coming to M7, which had earlier shown a visual brilliance of the history of fashion Maison Dior.
Coinciding with Valentino Garavani’s 90th birthday and the unveiling of the Valentino Autumn/Winter 2022 Haute Couture collection in the heart of Rome, the exhibition is conceived as a vast panoramic view of the history of the Maison, embedded in scenography evoking the Eternal City, Rome, which has been Valentino’s home since its foundation in 1959.
Photographer Agostino Osio_Alto Piano
“Forever Valentino” builds a dream-like image of the city of Rome, guiding viewers in and out of palazzos, squares, and courtyards, while simultaneously allowing exclusive access to secluded, intimate spaces such as the celebrated Valentino Ateliers, the storied archives of the Maison, and the fitting salons in the fabled headquarters of Piazza Mignanelli.
Valentino Garavani in his first Roman atelier, Via dei condotti 11, Roma 1959
The exhibition will depict an instant city constructed as a collage of environments and experiences in which Valentino’s creations are displayed in dialogue with many of the sources of inspiration that have stirred up the creativity of both the founder Valentino Garavani and his successor Pierpaolo Piccioli.
Valentino Garavani in his atelier, Via dei condotti 11, Rome 1959 copia 3
Through the juxtapositions of different atmospheres and narratives, the exhibition composes an emotional dramaturgy inspired by the capriccio, an 18th century art form that combined disparate views of cities and architectures, re-imagining them as fantastical landscapes of the mind. Conceived by geniuses of the Baroque such as Giovanni Antonio Canaletto and Giovanni Battista Piranesi, the art of the capriccio turned marvellous Italian vistas into enchanted mirages, creating many of the icons and myths, which still inform the perception of Italy both locally and internationally. Fashion itself is, of course, composed of capriccios—of fantasies, inspirations made material, art, music, culture translated to cloth.
Featuring over 200 Valentino Haute Couture pieces and pret-à-porter outfits—presented on mannequins by La Rosa – accompanied by accessories and fashion objects displayed in an immersive scenography, “Forever Valentino” weaves a richly textured image of the city of Rome inlaid with private memories and precious discoveries from the Maison’s six decades-long history, including rarely seen ensembles designed for the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Jacqueline Kennedy and, more recently, Zendaya, along with stunning creations and virtuosistic examples of Valentino’s legendary cult of excellence. The exhibition will include ensembles from the private collection of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, a long-standing client of Valentino.
