THE AVANT-GARDE PAINTING OF PABLO PICASSO FACES THE SOBER AND TIMELESS FASHION OF COCO CHANEL: THESE TWO GIANTS OF THE TWENTIETH-CENTURY DIALOGUE IN AN EXHIBITION AT THE THYSSEN-BORNEMISZA MUSEUM IN MADRID.
The “Picasso/Chanel” exhibition is part of the 50th anniversary of the artist’s passing. Born in Malaga, Spain, in 1881 and died in Mougins, France, in 1973, he has been commemorated by both countries through more than 40 retrospectives around the world.
From October 11 to January 15, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid will present some 50 pieces by the great French fashion designer, interspersed with paintings and drawings by Picasso to highlight their similarities.
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel and Picasso first met in the spring of 1917 and they became close and long-lasting friends. Chanel and Picasso engaged with their century, and their lives, were entirely devoted to creation. Interpreters of their era, they grasped the spirit of their time and implemented aesthetic revolutions that echoed the profound transformations of society.
“Still life with Pigeon” (1929) by Pablo Picasso and “Day outfit” (1928-1930) by Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel AP Photo shows Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel (L) and Pablo PicassoAP Photo
In the rooms, stimulating dialogues between the avant-garde works of Pablo Picasso and the innovative creations of Chanel follow one another. In a chronological manner, the first part alternates paintings and pieces from the haute couture house in order to show the influence that Picasso had on the creation of Chanel fashion.
A coat designed by Chanel between 1918 and 1919 seems to be inspired by the black and brown tones and serpentine lines of the Cubist painting “Tête d’homme” (1913). Further on, the fabric of a daytime ensemble from 1928 appears as a reflection of the wings of the dove resting in the center of “Naturaleza muerta con paloma” (1919).
In the paintings section Picasso made of his muse Olga, who was a regular customer of the French designer and frequently wore her clothes, he confronts the problem of Chanel’s straight lines. He works to recreate what Chanel created and envisions a dialogue from designer to designer.
In this Section, we also see a 1922 Chanel day dress, gray with white fur on the collar and cuffs, very similar to the one worn by the character in the painting Harlequin with a mirror (1923).
The last two sections of the exhibition focus on the projects Chanel and Picasso worked on together such as Antigone and Le Train Bleu.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
From 11 October 2022 to 15 January 2023
Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza– Paseo del Prado, 8
28014 Madrid
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