Cristóbal the Couturier
The Balenciaga: Spanish Master exhibition in New York City
To see the lovely interiors of the Queen Sophia Spanish Institute alone is worth the trek uptown, but it is the elaborate gowns and accessories designed by Cristóbal Balenciaga filling this Park Avenue townhouse that has been drawing in fashionable visitors of late. Curated by Hamish Bowles (and featuring pieces from the Vogue editor’s private collection as well as the Balenciaga Archives), the exhibition includes over 70 pieces made before 1968, when Maison Balenciaga closed and
Cristóbal retired.
Balenciaga: Spanish Master explores the house’s history in the context of Spanish history and design, and through the lens of the social and art worlds. The influence of artists such as Velazquez and Miró on the design of fur-trimmed gowns and modern, sculptural sheaths is underlined in this small but comprehensive display of Balenciaga’s work.
Queen Sophia Spanish Institute, 684 Park Avenue, New York, NY. Until February 19, 2011.
