FOREVER VALENTINO A PERSPECTIVE

“Rome: this is where we all belong, and this is where everything starts” 

Pierpaolo Piccioli 

DOHA, QATAR - On the occasion of the year-round national cultural movement Qatar Creates, Qatar Museums and Maison Valentino will present “Forever Valentino”, a major perspective exhibition that pays homage to its founder Valentino Garavani and its still-unfolding heritage of Haute Couture excellence, at M7, the design and innovation hub located in Msheireb Downtown Doha, on view from 28 October 2022 to 1 April 2023. A stunning theatrical experience, “Forever – Valentino” is an exploration of the Haute Couture codes of the Maison and a voyage through Rome, Valentino’s home, the place where everything started and where its identity belongs to.

“Forever Valentino” is the Maison’s largest exhibition to date and its first presentation in the Middle East. Coinciding with Valentino Garavani’s 90th birthday and the unveiling of the Valentino Autumn/Winter 2022 Haute Couture collection in the heart of Rome, the exhibition is conceived as a vast panoramic view of the history of the Maison, embedded in scenography evoking the Eternal City, which has been Valentino’s home since its foundation in 1959. 

“Forever Valentino” builds a dream-like image of the city of Rome, guiding viewers in and out of palazzos, squares, and courtyards, while simultaneously allowing exclusive access to secluded, intimate spaces such as the celebrated Valentino Ateliers, the storied archives of the Maison, and the fitting salons in the fabled headquarters of Piazza Mignanelli. 

The exhibition depicts an instant city constructed as a collage of environments and experiences in which Valentino’s creations are displayed in dialogue with many of the sources of inspiration that have stirred up the creativity of both the founder Valentino Garavani and his successor Pierpaolo Piccioli. 

Through the juxtapositions of different atmospheres and narratives, the exhibition composes an emotional dramaturgy inspired by the capriccio, an 18th century art form that combined disparate views of cities and architectures, re-imagining them as fantastical landscapes of the mind. Conceived by geniuses of the Baroque such as Giovanni Antonio Canaletto and Giovanni Battista Piranesi, the art of the capriccio turned marvelous Italian vistas into enchanted mirages, creating many of the icons and myths, which still inform the perception of Italy both locally and internationally. Fashion itself is, of course, composed of capriccios—of fantasies, inspirations made material, art, music, culture translated to cloth.   

Featuring over 200 Valentino Haute Couture pieces and pret-à-porter outfits—presented on mannequins by La Rosa - accompanied by accessories and fashion objects displayed in an immersive scenography, “Forever Valentino” weaves a richly textured image of the city of Rome inlaid with private memories and precious discoveries from the Maison’s six decades-long history, including rarely seen ensembles designed for the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Jacqueline Kennedy and, more recently, Zendaya, along with stunning creations and virtuosistic examples of Valentino’s legendary cult of excellence. The exhibition will include ensembles from the private collection of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, a long-standing client of Valentino. 

The codes of Valentino and the methodologies of Haute Couture are explored throughout the spaces of this reimagined Rome. The clothes, spanning the entire life of the Maison Valentino, both echo and contradict their surroundings: like the city, they too can be simultaneously spectacular yet intimate, quotidian and exceptional. Rather than recontextualized within the walls of a museum, here Valentino’s creations evoke their own context: transporting with them the traces of the place of their creation, they are discovered within their natural habitat. Pieces are chosen instinctively, emotionally, evoking the joy of color, the dignity and grace of Romanesque architecture, the love stitched into every seam—an emotional resonance that is the raison d’etre of Haute Couture. Part of the history of fashion, of culture, and of Rome, Valentino’s creations appear embedded into both the heritage of the house and of their birthplace. 

Few brands have established a profound connection to its locale as Valentino built with Rome, cultivating a never-ending love affair with the eternal city, where Valentino Garavani had founded his Maison in 1959, at the height of the Dolce Vita, inaugurating his headquarters in the heart of the city’s historic center. In the work of Valentino Garavani’s successor, Pierpaolo Piccioli, Rome appears less as an exclusive emblem of opulence and more as a vibrant, multicultural metropolis—a polyphonic crucible of communities and voices that translate into a complex fabric of both grand spectacles and personal intimacies. 

“Forever  Valentino” stages a pop-up, dream-like vision of Rome which is even more enticing when seen in Doha, a city where the past and the future meet at vertiginous speed. 

“Forever  Valentino” is curated by Massimiliano Gioni, Artistic Director of the New Museum New York, and fashion critic and author Alexander Fury, working closely with Valentino Creative Director, Pierpaolo Piccioli. 

ABOUT THE CURATORS 

MASSIMILIANO GIONI 

Massimiliano Gioni is an Italian curator and contemporary art critic based in New York City. He is the Edlis Neeson Artistic Director at the New Museum, New York. 

At the New Museum Gioni has curated numerous exhibitions, including solo shows by, among others, John Akomfrah, Ed Atkins, Lynda Benglis, Tacita Dean, Nicole Eisenman, Urs Fischer, Hans Haacke, Camille Henrot, Carsten Höller, Kahlil Joseph, Ragnar Kjartansson, Sarah Lucas, Gustav Metzger, Marta Minujin, Chris Ofili, Raymond Pettibon, Carol Rama, Faith Ringgold, Pipilotti Rist, Anri Sala, Peter Saul, Nari Ward, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. He has organized major group shows including “After Nature” (2008); “Ostalgia” (2011); “Here and Elsewhere” (2014); “The Keeper” (2016); and “Grief and Grievance: Art and Mourning in America” (2021). 

Gioni’s international exhibitions include “The Warmth of Other Suns” at the Phillips Collection (Washington DC, 2019); “The Restless Earth” (Milan, Triennale, 2017) and “The Great Mother” (Milan Expo at Palazzo Reale, 2015), both with the Nicola Trussardi Foundation; the 10th Gwangju Biennale (2010); New Museum Triennial (2009); Berlin Biennale (2006); and Manifesta 5 (2004). He was the artistic director of the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013, and in 2022 curated the major solo exhibition “Jeff Koons: Lost in America” in Doha at Qatar Museums Gallery – Al Riwaq. 

ALEXANDER FURY 

Alexander Fury is a fashion journalist, author and critic. He is the fashion director of AnOther Magazine and the men’s critic of the Financial Times. 

From 2013 to 2016 Fury was fashion editor of the Independent, i and the Independent on Sunday newspapers, and chief fashion correspondent of T: The New York Times Style magazine (2016-2018). In 2018, Fury received the Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco. He has contributed to numerous publications, including international editions of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, System and Document Journal. 

Fury has published monographs charting the work of fashion designers and houses including Christian Dior, Vivienne Westwood and Chanel. He has also contributed to exhibition catalogues for Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams at the Museé Arts Décoratifs, Paris; Savage Beauty at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore! at Somerset House, London; and the exhibitions Claude Parent: Dessiner la Mode and Richard Wentworth à la Maison Alaïa at the Galerie Azzedine Alaïa, Paris. In 2018, Alexander Fury was the writer for the exhibition Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier at the Design Museum, London, the first UK retrospective of the designer's work. “Forever – Valentino” is his first exhibition as curator. 

ABOUT MAISON VALENTINO  

Maison Valentino is synonymous with inclusiveness, uniqueness and creativity; a leading Italian institution in the fashion and luxury sector. The company, with its signature DNA, is a landmark of Made in Italy on the international scene, the most established Italian Maison de Couture with presence in Prêt-à-Porter sectors including Women’s, Men’s, Couture collections, and in activities with licensed partners in Valentino Eyewear and Valentino Beauty. Jacopo Venturini, CEO from June 2020, and Pierpaolo Piccioli, sole Creative Director from 2016 are re-signifying the iconic codes leveraging Valentino’s unrivalled brand heritage in the contemporary world. Together they are developing and implementing a client-centricity project based on brand’s identity, being the most established Italian Maison de Couture. Couture is synonymous with obsessive attention to detail, to quality, to the importance of creativity and to the personal relationship between the customer and the company. The result is a strategic vision that puts people at its core, both internal and in terms of organizational structure, and external, shifting the focus on environmental responsibility.  

The new people-centric company culture certainly cannot be separated from the green transition started by the company years ago, which Venturini has decisively accelerated. Maison Valentino is present in over 145 locations through a strategic distribution network enhanced to date, which involves more than 213 directly operated boutiques located in key shopping locations around the world and over 1,100 points of sale. Founded in 1960 by Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti, Valentino S.p.A. is controlled by Mayhoola for Investments LLC since 2012. The acquisition allowed for a rapid development of the brand’s potential, which still continues today. 

ABOUT QATAR MUSEUMS   

Qatar Museums (QM), the nation's preeminent institution for art and culture, provides authentic and inspiring cultural experiences through a growing network of museums, heritage sites, festivals, public art installations, and programmes. QM preserves, restores, and expands the nation's cultural offerings and historical sites, sharing art and culture from Qatar, the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia (MENASA) region with the world and enriching the lives of citizens, residents, and visitors.   

Under the patronage of His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and led by its Chairperson, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, QM has made Qatar a vibrant centre for the arts, culture, and education in the Middle East and beyond. QM is integral to the goal of developing an innovative, diverse, and progressive nation, bringing people together to ignite new thinking, spark critical cultural conversations, educate and encourage environmental stewardship and sustainable practices, and amplify the voices of Qatar's people. Since its founding in 2005, QM has overseen the Museum of Islamic Art and MIA Park, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, the National Museum of Qatar, QM Gallery Al Riwaq, QM Gallery Katara, 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, and Dadu, Children's Museum of Qatar, which is currently under development.   

Through its newly created Creative Hub, QM also initiates and supports projects—such as the Fire Station Artist in Residence, the Tasweer Qatar Photo Festival and the creative hub for innovation, fashion and design M7—that nurture artistic talent and create opportunities to build a strong and sustainable cultural infrastructure.   

Animating everything that Qatar Museums does is an authentic connection to Qatar and its heritage, a steadfast commitment to inclusivity and accessibility, and a belief in creating value through invention.

ABOUT M7   

M7 is Qatar’s epicentre for innovation and entrepreneurship in fashion and design. Established by Qatar Museums under the leadership of Her Excellency Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, M7 is committed to accelerating the growth of Qatar’s creative economy by providing mentorship and opportunities for designers to build a successful business both locally and internationally, while encouraging the fashion and design industry to play their part in the growth of Qatar’s creative circular ecosystem. M7’s platforms include comprehensive incubation and mentorship programmes, world-class exhibitions and pop-ups, and public discussions. Located at the heart of Msheireb Downtown Doha, M7 serves to create a space for creatives by working closely with its Resident Partners, Cutting Studio, Studio 7, Scale 7, Fromm, Workinton and Profiles.  

ABOUT QATAR CREATES 

Qatar Creates curates, celebrates, and promotes cultural activities within Qatar.  

Working with partners in museums, film, fashion, hospitality, cultural heritage, performing arts, and the private sector in Qatar, the Qatar Creates platform amplifies the voice of Qatar’s creative industries, directly connecting audiences to events.