Inside the new Fondazione Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti in Rome, which opens with an ode to ‘Valentino Red’

It was in 1959 that Valentino Garavani revealed his first collection to instant acclaim in Rome – including a dress, ‘La Fiesta’, in a bold shade of red. Some 66 years later, the singular, Pantone-recognised colour that has defined his prolific body of work ever since is being celebrated mere metres from where his career started.

‘Valentino Red’, the distinct shade of crimson owned and immortalised by Garavani, plays protagonist in the inaugural exhibition ‘Horizons/Red’ at PM23, the new cultural hub founded by the Fondazione Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti in Piazza Mignanelli, the original headquarters of the Valentino fashion brand.

Staged across six rooms in the newly restored venue, five themes – defining beauty, identity, emotional landscapes, surface treatment and, lastly, dreamlike surfaces – are explored through the presentation of 50 of Valentino’s most iconic creations, spanning his career from 1959 to 2008, when he retired, alongside 30 works by artists, also dominated by the colour red.

Fondazione Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti opens in Rome

Among the selected pieces, a tulle haute couture dress from Valentino’s groundbreaking 1959 collection looks out towards Cy Twombly’s Untitled, 2008; a backless crepe gown from S/S 2008 gazes at Clyfford Still’s 1955-D, PH-387 oil on canvas; a taffeta bubble-hem gown contemplates Francis Bacon’s 1983 Sand Dune painting; while haute couture column gowns take in Louise Bourgeois 20-frame compilation, 10am Is When You Come To Me (2006). They are joined by dozens more dialogues.

‘Seeing the dresses and artworks together sparked emotions we didn’t anticipate,’ Giancarlo Giammetti, Valentino’s life and business partner, told Wallpaper* ahead of the exhibition opening on 25 May. ‘It reminded us how timeless beauty can be, and how creativity speaks across decades. It was both a professional and personal journey.’

The pair looked to former collaborator Pamela Golbin, who curated the definitive ‘Valentino: Themes and Variations’ exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in 2008 when Valentino retired, to curate once again.

Given free rein, Golbin selected each of the 50 gowns from the archive and had them meticulously restored to be ready for their new close-up. Faced with the challenge to celebrate Valentino’s legacy as one of the fashion world’s most important couturiers, Golbin wanted to take an approach that matches the originality of Valentino’s designs.

‘There have been so many art and fashion exhibitions in the past when you put a definition onto the dress that the designer never intended to have – so we really wanted to keep as authentic as possible,’ Golbin told Wallpaper*. ‘So while we explored red through art and fashion, it was not fashion and art dialoguing, because Mr Valentino did not dialogue with these works of art and these artists – many of whom died some years back – obviously didn’t know Mr Valentino’s work, so we didn’t want to set up an artificial dialogue.’

The alchemy that happened as a result was a happy coincidence.

‘What was stunning about having them both reply to the same themes is that something did happen between them, perhaps because all of them define one theme, and that is beauty. At the centre of this foundation is that beauty creates beauty.’

Valentino, who recently celebrated his 93rd birthday, was heavily involved in the realisation of the exhibition, said Golbin. He had paid a visit to the space the day before Wallpaper’s private tour, creating a moment for himself and Giammetti to pause for reflection.

‘It’s emotional,’ said Giammetti. ‘You don’t realise what you’ve built until you take a step back. Curating this exhibition has been a way to look at our past, not with nostalgia, but as inspiration for what comes next.’

The exhibition is the first of many at the PM23 space that will serve as a ‘centre of cultural exchange’ moving forward, said Giammetti, adding that the realisation of the space was especially significant for him and Valentino.

‘This space, in the heart of Rome, represents the culmination of a dream – to create a lasting, tangible home for the cultural mission and the activities supported by the Fondazione. It’s about opening the door to the future, offering a space for creativity, for new voices, and for a community built around culture and inspiration.’

It also embodies the pair’s hope for future generations of aspiring creatives, just like they were back when they met in 1960.

‘I hope they stay curious, authentic, and fearless. The world has changed, but the need for vision and courage remains the same. Art and fashion are not only industries. they are ways of telling stories. I hope the next generation feels empowered to tell theirs. If we can inspire even one young person to pursue a path of beauty and purpose, our efforts will have been worthwhile.’

Horizons/Red opens at PM23 on Piazza Mignanelli on 25 May 2025, with free admission until June 11, 2025.

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