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Works of: Balenciaga

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Works of: Balenciaga

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91.255.1

Balenciaga

Date: 1957

Medium: Silk and synthetic lace

Object: Cocktail dress

Object number: 91.255.1

77.27.2

Balenciaga

Date: Fall 1957

Medium: Slubbed silk

Object: Dress

Object number: 77.27.2

77.80.1

Balenciaga

Date: 1957

Medium: Wool twill

Object: Suit

Object number: 77.80.1

P91.26.2

Balenciaga

Date: Fall 1957

Medium: Silk gazar

Object: Evening dress

Object number: P91.26.2

71.265.20

Balenciaga

Date: c. 1960

Medium: Mohair

Object: Coat

Object number: 71.265.20

82.208.6

Balenciaga

Date: c. 1960

Medium: Wool

Object: Dress

Object number: 82.208.6

78.147.7

Balenciaga

Date: c. 1960

Medium: Silk

Object: Evening dress

Object number: 78.147.7

PL74.1.41

Balenciaga

Date: c. 1960

Medium: Wool

Object: Dress

Object number: PL74.1.41

75.170.1

Balenciaga

Date: 1959

Medium: Chartreuse and black chiné printed silk ottoman

Object: Dress

Object number: 75.170.1

94.67.1

Balenciaga

Date: 1959-1960

Medium: Black silk tulle

Object: Hat

Object number: 94.67.1

79.62.2

Balenciaga

Date: c. 1962

Medium: Linen

Object: Tunic

Object number: 79.62.2

78.134.31

Balenciaga

Date: c. 1962

Medium: Silk

Object: Hat

Object number: 78.134.31

Front

Balenciaga

Date: c. 1962

Medium: Silk gazar

Object: Cape

Object number: 73.37.17

78.75.1

Balenciaga

Date: 1961

Medium: Wool

Object: Coat

Object number: 78.75.1

85.187.2

Balenciaga

Date: c. 1963

Medium: Silk ottoman

Object: Evening dress

Object number: 85.187.2

83.159.1

Eisa

Date: 1961

Medium: Silk taffeta

Object: Evening dress

Object number: 83.159.1

2013.43.4

Balenciaga

Date: c. 1963

Medium: Silk lace and silk satin

Object: Cocktail set

Object number: 2013.43.4

80.261.13

Balenciaga

Date: Spring 1961

Medium: Silk faille

Object: Evening dress

Object number: 80.261.13

P80.9.4

Balenciaga

Date: c. 1963

Medium: Wool

Object: Coat

Object number: P80.9.4

76.201.6

Balenciaga

Date: 1963

Medium: Wool

Object: Dress

Object number: 76.201.6

87.1.4

Balenciaga

Date: Fall 1964

Medium: Wool and mohair bouclé

Object: Dress

Object number: 87.1.4

80.5.1

Balenciaga

Date: 1965

Medium: Silk twill

Object: Two-piece dress

Object number: 80.5.1

2007.22.7

Balenciaga

Date: Fall/Winter 1967

Medium: Black wool crepe and white mink

Object: Evening set

Object number: 2007.22.7

87.19.1

Balenciaga

Date: 1967

Medium: Silk chiffon and ostrich feathers

Object: Evening dress

Object number: 87.19.1

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Artist Info

Balenciaga

The house of Balenciaga was founded by Cristóbal Balenciaga who is widely regarded as one of the greatest fashion designers of all time. Born in the Basque country of Spain, he opened his Paris couture house in 1937. Success was immediate. Christian Dior called him "the master of us all." His tailoring was impeccable and gave the illusion of complete simplicity. A true architect of fashion, Balenciaga explored austere and elegant forms, utilizing materials such as silk gazar. A colleague recalled: "The master, like a surgeon, operated in absolute silence, surrounded by his assistants, manipulating scissors and pins with a mesmerizing sureness, transforming cloth into a dress of elegance and perfect balance." During the 1950s and 1960s, his creations became increasingly abstract and sculptural. At a time when the fashionable silhouette focused on the hourglass figure, Balenciaga produced such innovations as the sack, the baby doll, and the sheath. Many of his designs referenced his heritage with their use of black lace, jet beading, and dramatic silhouettes. Balenciaga's discriminating clientele included the Duchess of Windsor, Pauline de Rothschild, Gloria Guinness, and Mona Bismarck.

Cristóbal Balenciaga closed his couture house in 1968, believing that elegance was irrelevant in the face of a rising youth culture. Yet his explorations in volume, shape and form revolutionized fashion.

In 1986 when Jacque Bogart S.A. acquired the rights to the Balenciaga label, he revived the brand as a ready-to-wear line under designer Michael Goma. In 1992, Goma was replaced by Dutch designer Josephus Thimister who was there until 1997. Designer Nicolas Ghesquière, who was born in 1971, a year before Balenciaga died, presented his first collection for the House of Balenciaga in 1997. Ghesquière left the house in 2012. He was followed by Alexander Wang, who designed 10 collections for the house (2012-2015) and Demna Gvasalia who has served as artistic director since 2015.