“In one way, you have to be a curator, to work with the heritage of Dior. But at the same time, I have tried to introduce my personal style, and my personal point of view about the brand and about women. I think we have to reflect women now.” – Maria Grazia Chiuri
The history of Dior
Dior is one of the world’s greatest and most alluring couture houses, established at a time when Paris was recovering from the Second World War. The reserved but ambitious Christian Dior (1905-1957) presented his first, ultra-feminine collection in 1947. It was interpreted as an audacious revolution in fashion. He dispensed with the strong, square shoulder lines that had dominated the wartime look, introducing the full skirts, tiny waists and sloping shoulders of the Corolle line and sophistication and precision tailoring in his figure-hugging En Huit line.
The name Dior was soon widely known, his creations worn around the world. Although Christian Dior he stood at the helm of the House of Dior for only ten years, his work has great impact to this day. His successors – Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons and Maria Grazia Chiuri – have continuously perpetuated his visionary boldness. Their talent and boundless creativity have left an indelible mark on the unique history of the House of Dior. “The ideas of the founding couturier are still very much alive, and this will be showcased this autumn at Kunstmuseum Den Haag,” says curator Madelief Hohé. “His designs will be shown in dialogue with those of Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior’s current – and first female – Creative Director.”
Dior Women
The title of this exhibition not only refers to the iconic, feminine New Look, but also to the present, where the founding couturier’s ideas live on. Maria Grazia Chiuri has thoroughly explored Christian Dior’s vision and the DNA of the House, but she designs for today’s women. Her first ready-to-wear collection in 2016 was highly significant, based on the New Look, but combined with a simple T-shirt bearing the slogans ‘(Dio)Revolution’ and ‘We should all be feminists’. The Creative Director likes to work with female artists; for instance, she worked with Isabella Ducrot for the staging of the Dior spring-summer 2024 haute couture show, and with Shakuntala Kulkarni who conceived a unique scenography for the Dior autumn-winter 2024-2025 ready-to-wear défilé. To tie in with this, Kunstmuseum Den Haag invited Dutch photographer and artist Viviane Sassen to produce a series of photographs specially for the exhibition.
Only in The Hague
DIOR – A New Look was initiated and conceived by Kunstmuseum Den Haag and has not been shown elsewhere. Designs from the museum’s own collection will be joined by loans from Dior Héritage, as well as items from the Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris, Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris, ModeMuseum Antwerpen and other collections in Belgium, Germany, Monaco and the United States. One unique aspect will be the addition of Dior costume jewellery from one of the largest private collections in the world. A selection of drawings, sketches and iconic photographs will complete the show.
DIOR – A New Look will take a fresh look at the House, featuring designs by Christian Dior and his successors. The central narrative will be the dialogue between the work of founding couturier Christian Dior and that of Maria Grazia Chiuri. The bold, unique and progressive style of both designers has great impact, and both perfectly reflect the spirit of their age. With their statements, they’ve both given the House a fresh ‘New Look’.
21 September 2024 – 26 January 2025
www.kunstmuseum.nl