Qatar Museums presents the “Forever Valentino” exhibition

The Peninsula
Doha: 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, the design and innovation hub located in Msheireb Downtown Doha.

The exhibition is on view from October 28 to April 1, 2023. A stunning theatrical experience, “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.

“Forever Valentino” is the Maison’s largest exhibition to date and its first presentation in the Middle East. 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, which has been Valentino’s home since its foundation in 1959.

It 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.

The exhibition depicts 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.

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. This includes 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 H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, a long-standing client of Valentino.

“Forever Valentino” stages a pop-up, dream-like vision of Rome which is even more enticing when seen in Doha, a city where the past and the future meet at vertiginous speed. It is curated by Massimiliano Gioni, Artistic Director of the New Museum New York, and fashion critic and author Alexander Fury, working closely with Valentino Creative Director, Pierpaolo Piccioli.

الشرق

الدوحة: في إطار مبادرة “قطر تُبدع”، الحركة الثقافية الوطنية على مدار العام، تقدم متاحف قطر ودار فالنتينو معرض “فالنتينو إلى الأبد”، الذي يأتي تكريمًا لمؤسس الدار فالنتينو جارافاني، مقدمًا نظرة شاملة حول إبداعاته وإرثه الذي لا يزال يتكشف في مجال تصميم الأزياء الراقية، وذلك من 28 أكتوبر إلى 1 أبريل القادمين، في M7، مركز التصميم والابتكار المتواجد في مشيرب قلب الدوحة.

ويقدم “فالنتينو إلى الأبد”، تجربة فريدة، يستكشف فيها الزوار أسرار تصميم الدار للأزياء الراقية، ويطوفون عبر روما، باعتبارها موطن فالنتينو، والمكان الذي أسس فيه مسيرته الإبداعية، وحيث تنتمي هويته.