ROBERT WILSON + GIORGIO ARMANI

Giorgio Armani, with an innovative design by Robert Wilson, presents Armani's work and celebrates his legendary career. This exhibition, first seen at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, and later presented at the Guggenheim Bilbao, offers a thematic look at the designer's evolution and contribution to fashion and culture over the last 25 years.

Garments from various periods are presented in narrative clusters to express motifs that are visible throughout Armani's career.

One of the most influential fashion designers of the 20th century, Giorgio Armani has been universally recognized for both radically changing the rules of fashion in our time and creating an iconic vision of modern dress. By removing excess ornament from clothing and translating traditional sportswear looks into business- and eveningwear, Armani has developed the relaxed style that defines the contemporary wardrobe.

Through a dramatic combination of light, sound, and architectural elements, internationally acclaimed artist

and designer Robert Wilson has transformed first the Guggenheim Museum in New York, and then the Guggenheim Bilbao into a spectacular environment in which to experience Armani's creations. Wilson's work, firmly rooted in the fine arts, integrates a wide variety of media and makes use of imagery that is both aesthetically striking and emotionally charged.

On view are some 500 pieces showing the range of Armani’s creations over the decades, from high fashion to sportswear, as well as selected cinema costumes and clothes familiar from the red carpet, worn for the Academy Awards and other ceremonies that have become synonymous with the glamour and cultural power of Armani. A small group of sketches complements advertising photography and clips from films that Armani has costumed to yield a fuller picture of how the designer sees his own creations and how they are interpreted by others.

PRODUCTION DATES
New York, New York
Guggenheim Museum
20 October 2000 – 17 January 2001
Bilbao, Spain
Guggenheim Museum
24 March – 2 September 2001
Berlin, Germany, Neue National Galerie 2003
London, Royal Academy, 2003/2004
Rome, Italy, Terme di Diocleziano 2004
Tokyo, Mori Art Museum 2005
Shanghai, China, Art Museum 2006
Milan, Italy, Triennale
20 February - 1 April 2007