El Mundo de Balenciaga (The World of Balenciaga): Reconstructing the Spanish Contribution to the 1974 Exhibition

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Fashion Theory

Abstract

In 1972, the Metropolitan Museum appointed Diana Vreeland as special consultant to the Costume Institute. Just a few months later, the former Vogue editor-in-chief organized The World of Balenciaga, which opened on March 23, 1973, showcasing the work of the couturier in a spectacular exhibition. In 1974, that exhibition was restaged in Madrid at the Palacio de Bibliotecas y Museos, one of the Dirección General de Bellas Artes most hallowed venues. The success of the New York show had prompted the Spanish authorities to restage it in compliance with the policies of the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia: significantly, Carmen Polo de Franco was president of the Ladies’ Committee, overseeing all social events in support of the exhibition. A selection of paintings was also displayed alongside Balenciaga’s dresses, the aim being to offer a multifaceted idea of hispanidad, reflecting a trend that, in the course of the desarrollo years, sought to use the nation’s splendid art heritage as a prop to bolster Spain’s new-found modernity. Analyzing El mundo de Balenciaga and its impact through unpublished materials from several international institutions, the essay will explore how an event devised for an American audience was revisited for the Spanish public with a view to transforming the couturier in a national “monument.”

First Page

1

Last Page

30

DOI

10.1080/1362704X.2026.2646511

Publication Date

4-2026

Language

es

Rights

open access

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