For every rule there's always an exception, and if Shanghai's Museum of Contemporary Art was going to break away from its mould and show its first-ever exhibition based solely around one designer - let alone dedicate all two floors to it - there was always going to have to be a pretty incredible name attached.
In what is a fashion and art voyeur's dream, 'Culture Chanel' delves into the world of Mademoiselle Chanel's ceative universe, pulling together Chanel designs through time, and connecting these dots to an extravaganza of the founder's artistic and literary influences in the process.
By bringing together works that span a century from some of the world's most important artists, the exhibition aims to go beyond the lines of fashion design, and looks to give visitors a taste of the artistic style and creative activities over multiple time periods that contributed to the identity and culture of Chanel today.
Curated by Jean-Louis Froment, there is a deliberate move away from the traditional chronological flow - instead things take on a methodical format through the five themes of 'Origin', 'Abstraction', 'Invisibility', 'Liberty' and 'Imaginary' in the MOCA space.
Not to be missed, is the intriguing and clever inter-locking of Chanel's designs, artworks, manuscripts and films, with a meaty backup of more than 400 painstakingly collated pieces of work, 100 of which have been borrowed from national museums and private collections for the occasion.
ADDRESS
Gate No. 7, People's Park
231 Nanjing West Road
Shanghai, 200003
China
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox