Balenciaga and Spain
By: Hamish Bowles
Contributors: de Young Museum (Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco)
Publisher: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; Skira Rizzoli
Published: 2011
Place of publication: San Francisco; New York
Language: eng
ISBN-13: 9780847836468; 9780884011323
Copyright date: 2011
Subjects: Fashion and art; Exhibitions; DESIGN / Fashion
Description: 'This unprecedented volume accompanies the first exhibition to consider the impact of Spain's culture, history, and art on one of its greatest designers of the twentieth century, the legendary Balenciaga. Hailed as "Fashion's Picasso" by Cecil Beaton, Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895-1972) created an innovative oeuvre that transformed the way women dressed. From the opening of his Paris fashion house in 1937 until his retirement in 1968, Balenciaga's visionary, ever-evolving designs and impeccable standards seduced generations of the most iconic, best-dressed women in the world, including the Duchess of Windsor, Gloria Guinness, Pauline de Rothschild, Mona Bismarck, Princess Grace of Monaco, Doris Duke, Diana Vreeland, and Queen Fabiola of Belgium. For Diana Vreeland, the designer's "inspiration came from the bullrings, the flamenco dancers, the loose blouses the fishermen wear, the cool of the cloisters." Exploring the profound and enduring influence of Balenciaga's native country on his work, this book considers the influences of Spain's greatest artists, from Zurbarán, Velázquez, and Goya to Picasso and Miró. It also investigates the impact of Spain's religious dress and ceremony, its royal history, its rich regional costume, its dance traditions, and the power and splendor of the bullfight on the protean Balenciaga's designs. This illuminating and lavishly illustrated volume will be a must-have for art and fashion connoisseurs'--
Notes: "Published by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and Skira Rizzoli Publications,   Inc., on the occasion of the exhibition Balenciaga and Spain, on view at the de Young Museum from March 26 through July 4, 2011."

Includes bibliographical references and index.