Independently of its permanent collection, the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum regularly organises temporary exhibition programmes.

Please consult the exhibition calendar for more information about the museum's latest proposals.

Balenciaga. Designing the limits, de

Balenciaga. Designing the limits

Around the museum

05|10|10 • 09|26|10

Cristóbal Balenciaga (Guetaria, Guipúzcoa, 1895–Jávea, Alicante, 1972) is one of the most outstanding creative talents in fashion history. In 1913 he opened his own workshop in San Sebastián and from 1937 to May 1968 he had a boutique in Paris, where he became a benchmark figure in haute couture, tirelessly pursuing his ideal of perfection and elegance.

The exhibition shows some forty couture pieces from the Basque regional government’s collection, the Balenciaga Foundation and two private collections in the Basque Country and Madrid. Rather than trying to give a fashion-eye overview of Balenciaga’s work and creations, the itinerary running through different areas of the Museum aims to stimulate the spectator into thinking about the role of fashion and clothing in individual and group identity: delineating physical and social limits, Balenciaga’s dresses may be said to frame the women that wear them. His creations transform their wearers into elegant females who hide their individual femininity beneath the armour of good taste and refined form. The geometric beauty of the cut and the extraordinary chromatic harmony will astound the spectator in this exceptional show that focuses on one of the best fashion designers from the golden age of haute couture.



In the image (From left to right): Cocktail dress with overskirt in blue and black printed Ikat Ottoman, 1957. The Cristóbal Balenciaga Foundation Evening gown and short cape in blue gazar, 1966.The Cristóbal Balenciaga Foundation Black crêpe evening dress with one strap over the left shoulder, 1967. Deposited by the Basque Government

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