After a successful residency at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, the Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition has arrived in the Middle East with an exclusive exhibition at the Saudi National Museum in Riyadh.
Running until April 2nd, 2025, as part of the 2024 Riyadh Season, this fabulous retrospective brings to life over seventy-five years of creative audacity initiated by the pioneering vision of Christian Dior.
The exhibition was conceived by curator Florence Müller and scenographer Nathalie Crinièr and highlights the incredible vision of Christian Dior from 1947 to the present day.
The exhibition opens with an immersion in the heart of 30 Montaigne, that “realm of dreams” where the House’s haute couture collections come alive. he second space pursues this journey over time, notably through the love of art cultivated by Monsieur Dior, who was a gallery owner before becoming a couturier.
The influence of the brand’s various Artistic Directors is highlighted by portraits signed by the painter Yan Pei-Ming. These poetic images are superimposed on the emblematic silhouettes of Christian Dior’s successors.
The launch of the house’s first ready-to-wear line, Miss Dior, is also featured in a unique space, retracing the freshness and energy of fashion in the sixties. Dedicated to the savoir-faire of the ateliers, the unmissable salle des toiles celebrates the virtuoso excellence of the petites mains.
From one Dior code to another, the multiple themes dear to the Maison are revealed in turn – from Miss Dior to J’adore, from the passion for Versailles to that for balls and dazzling parties – while the Colorama, a bewitching cabinet of curiosities, reaffirms the essential role of Dior accessories. The Lady Dior bag, a timeless icon of the House, metamorphoses according to the works that have travelled the globe for the nine editions of the Dior Lady Art project.
Reflecting the fascination shared by Dior and Saudi Arabia for the wonders of nature, an enchanted setting and ode to the authentic, preserved beauty of the Al-’Ula oasis – an ancestral treasure of the province of Medina – hosts a series of dresses in hypnotic shades, evoking those of the sun embracing the desert.
