From the F1 Grand Prix in Monaco to the tribute exhibition to Naomi Campbell, Viktor & Rolf, or Barbie doll, there are several good reasons to discover other cities and their cultural offerings. Discover them below.
81st edition Formula 1 Grand Prix of Monaco,
May 23-26, 2024, Monte Carlo
If you have to choose an event to plan a trip in the near future, make it Monaco. Undoubtedly considered the best weekend of the year in the principality, adrenaline surges as Formula 1 enthusiasts converge on the streets of Monte Carlo, where many current and former drivers reside. The circuit is famous for its tight corners and elevations, and the “roar” of cars passing by. The tunnel, one of the circuit’s most famous sections, provides beautiful views for those watching the race from home. It is one of the most technical tracks on the calendar, and a victory here solidifies any driver as one of the best of their generation.
Lake Como Design Festival 2024
September 14-22, 2024, Lake Como, Italy
Dubbed Lightness and alongside this year’s exhibitions and installations, the 6th edition of the Lake Como Design Festival includes the open competition for the Contemporary Design Selection, curated by Giovanna Massoni.
Lightness is the theme guiding this new event, leading visitors through an extended journey to explore specific exhibitions and installations in the city of Como and around its lake. “This year’s edition will be characterized by some confirmations and, at the same time, by many significant novelties,” said Lorenzo Butti, creator and artistic director of the festival. Among the confirmations for this edition is the return of the Contemporary Design Selection, with an open invitation to independent designers. Familiar venues that have become integral parts of the festival will also be revisited, such as the Palazzo del Broletto and the ancient church of San Pietro in Atrio, located in the heart of the city of Como. The most significant innovation of this new edition will be the opening to the public of the Chilometro della Conoscenza, in collaboration with the Villa del Grumello Association and the Antonio Ratti Foundation, which will host the new exhibition route. The Lake Como Design Festival is an annual themed event that offers exhibitions, reflections, and studies addressed through a series of events in the historic center of the city of Como and around the lake that bears its name. These exhibitions, lectures, and events take place in historical, unknown, and almost forgotten locations in this area and in the city itself. The festival’s mission is to establish an original dialogue between history, architecture, design, and art.
Venice Biennale
Until November 24, 2024, Venice
Held every two years since 1895 (alternating with the Venice Architecture Biennale, which has taken place in alternating years since 1980), the Venice Biennale is the most prestigious art event on the global calendar and sees leading artists, collectors, and curators descend upon the city. Under the theme Foreigners Everywhere (Stranieri Ovunque), the 60th International Art Exhibition will be held from April 20 to November 24, 2024 (with previews on April 17, 18, and 19), curated by Adriano Pedrosa. “I feel honored and humbled by this prestigious appointment, especially as the first Latin American to curate the International Art Exhibition and, in fact, the first based in the Southern Hemisphere,” commented Pedrosa. Adriano Pedrosa (Brazil) is currently the artistic director of the São Paulo Art Museum Assis Chateaubriand – MASP, where he has curated several exhibitions. He was recently named the winner of the 2023 Audrey Irmas Award for Curatorial Excellence, presented by the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College in New York.
The exhibition will highlight artists from diverse backgrounds, giving space and visibility to previously marginalized groups, such as immigrants, expatriates, queer people, and indigenous individuals. According to Adriano Pedrosa, the title of the 2024 Art Biennale has a double meaning. “Firstly, wherever you go, you will always find foreigners – they/we are everywhere. Secondly, regardless of where we are, we are always, truly and deeply, a foreigner,” he explains.
Viktor & Rolf: Fashion Statements
Until October 6, 2024, Kunsthalle München Museum, Munich, Germany
Germany pays tribute to the Dutch design duo Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren with this exhibition, showcasing a hundred of their most eloquent creations. The exhibition also marks the first major retrospective on Viktor & Rolf. For over three decades, Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren have virtuously explored the boundaries between the worlds of haute couture and art. Reflecting the duo’s passions, obsessions, and unique vision, the spectacular scenography will present 100 of their boldest creations – many of them exhibited for the first time –, along with videos, sketches, mannequins dressed in the designers’ iconic creations, and works by renowned visual artists such as Andreas Gursky, Ellen von Unwerth, and Herb Ritts. Celebrated for their unconventional approach to design, their creations have been embraced by artists like Madonna, Tilda Swinton, Lady Gaga, Doja Cat, and Cardi B and staged in numerous ballets as well as an opera directed by Robert Wilson. More than a retrospective, the exhibition aims to be an introspection into the designers’ body of work, adopting a thematic approach to the passions and obsessions that have been woven into their work over the past thirty years.
Statement Sleeves
Until August 25, Fashion Institute of Technology Museum, New York
Statement sleeves: fashion media has been using the term regularly for less than a decade, yet many of us can evoke images of what it describes: a sleeve style that is exaggerated, embellished, elaborate, or attention-grabbing in a way that defines a garment. In recent years, statement sleeves have been seen on countless fashion runways, with no sign of slowing down. From balloon to ruffled, from slit to sheer, there’s a style for everyone.
Curated by Colleen Hill, curator of costumes and accessories, Statement Sleeves features about eighty fashion pieces from the permanent collection of The Museum at FIT – most of which are exhibited for the first time – and includes works by renowned designers such as Balenciaga, Tom Ford, Thierry Mugler, Schiaparelli, and Vivienne Westwood. The collections are organized thematically or by complementary aesthetics rather than chronologically. The exhibition highlights how sleeves serve as a vital form of self-expression, reflecting gestures and movements, showcasing their ability to indicate specific fashion eras and the trends associated with them, and proclaiming their role as signifiers of status, taste, and personality.
Barbie: The Exhibition
From July 5, 2024, Design Museum, London
After the success and frenzy with Barbie in the cinema, now comes an exhibition – “Barbiemania” seems to have no end… The Design Museum will showcase a 65-year evolution of the iconic doll. Barbie’s legacy began in 1959 when Ruth Handler wanted to create a different story for her daughter Barbara. A doll that could serve as a toy but also as a role model for young Barbara, giving her a narrative different from what was available to children at the time.
Curated by the museum’s curator, Danielle Thom, the exhibition explores the evolution of one of the world’s most famous dolls through design, including fashion, architecture, furniture, and automotive design.
To mark the 65th anniversary of Mattel’s famous doll, the museum has partnered with the toy manufacturer to delve into the evolution of Barbie’s fashion design, homes, furniture, and vehicles using objects from the company’s archives. Prepared over three years, the Design Museum team had access to Barbie’s archives in California to trace the legacy of this cultural icon. The exhibition will include rare and unique pieces, as well as museum acquisitions and private loans that, together, will trace the history of the iconic insignia. “Barbie is one of the most recognized brands on the planet, and as we have seen recently, its history evolves with each new generation,” said Tim Marlow, director and CEO of the Design Museum. “We hope to present a full range of compelling objects, some familiar but many never seen before, to show the evolution of design over Barbie’s decades,” he added.
Paolo Roversi
Until July 14, 2024, Palais Galliera Musée de la Mode, Paris
Curated by Sylvie Lécallier, the Paolo Roversi exhibition presents 140 works of unpublished images, polaroids, and archives that immerse visitors in the extensive career of the Italian fashion photographer. Roversi has worked with the world’s leading fashion designers and top models. The exhibition’s scenography aims to lead visitors on a poetic journey from shadow to light. A master of photographic arts, Roversi’s show is not just about photography but rather a journey through five decades of fashion, emotion, and artistic evolution.
The photographer has woven a tapestry of images that speak volumes about the fascination of the ever-changing but timeless world of fashion. His lens has captured the essence of haute couture through the pages of the most prestigious magazines – Vogue France and Italy, Egoïste, Luncheon – and his collaborations with design legends like Yohji Yamamoto, Romeo Gigli, and Rei Kawakubo are now iconic.
Each of Roversi’s photographs is more than just a fashion snapshot; it is a portrait, a story, a moment frozen in time forever. His ability to extract the natural and intense presence of the world’s top models and to bring fabrics and shapes to life is unparalleled. This exhibition, featuring 140 of his works, including unpublished polaroids and archival treasures, is a journey, a poetic immersion that takes us from shadows to light, into Roversi’s world. The exhibition is not just about fashion photography; it is about the pursuit of beauty, the creation of a universe that defies time and trends.
Naomi
From June 22, 2024, Victoria & Albert Museum, South Kensington, London
Simply titled Naomi, the exhibition will be “revealing” and “will celebrate her career” with visitors, according to the famous London museum. It will examine the entire trajectory of Naomi Campbell, starting from the beginning when she was discovered in Covent Garden at just 15 years old.
To commemorate the 40-year career of this original supermodel from the 90s, the exhibition will feature about a hundred looks from the extensive haute couture wardrobe of the British top model, as well as designer archives. The fashion exhibition was created in collaboration with Campbell, so perhaps we shouldn’t expect the most critical looks on the star’s theme, but for many people, the most important aspect of the exhibition will be the clothing pieces on display. “We’re telling the story of a career through clothes – clothes that are extraordinary,” said Sonnet Stanfill, senior fashion curator at the V&A. “As a fashion historian, what’s so fascinating is how her 40-year career intersects with the best of haute couture,” she added. Naomi Campbell, for her part, said she feels honored to be able to “share my life in clothes with the world.” Iconic designs by Alexander McQueen, Azzedine Alaïa, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier, John Galliano, Karl Lagerfeld, Valentino, Virgil Abloh, Vivienne Westwood, and Yves Saint Laurent will be displayed. An installation curated by outgoing British Vogue editor Edward Enninful, which will also honor famous images of Campbell, including the work of important fashion photographers such as Nick Knight, Steven Meisel, and Tim Walker. The exhibition will also commend Campbell’s activism, particularly her Diversity Coalition campaign, which advocates for diversity on the runways.
Icons of British Fashion
Until June 30, 2024, Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire
The highly anticipated Icons of British Fashion exhibition, taking place from March 23 to June 30, 2024, at Blenheim Palace in London, features a lineup of world-class designers and brands, with each maison occupying one of the palace’s most important rooms. Each space, along the visitor’s route through the 300-year-old building, will pay tribute to a British fashion icon, starting in the Great Hall, with designs exhibited by the late Dame Vivienne Westwood and creative partner Andreas Kronthaler.
“We have a very rich history in British fashion. We have hosted many fashion shows, photo shoots, and shows with the presence of high society and royalty. Our palace is the perfect setting to showcase the lasting impact of British fashion on the world scene over the years,” reads the press release. In addition to the impressive array of legendary designers, the exhibition also celebrates British fashion icon Sir Winston Churchill himself. This year marks the 150th anniversary of Sir Winston Churchill’s birth, which is why, during this important exhibition, visitors can see one of Churchill’s original suits, Siren Suits, kindly loaned by Turnbull & Asser, as well as a new version of the iconic boiler suit and a smoking cap designed by Steven Jones. The upcoming exhibition will celebrate fashion from the past to the present and will feature bespoke designs and loans from some big names in the fashion world. Confirmed names include: Barbour, Bruce Oldfield, Jean Muir, Lulu Guinness, Stella McCartney, Stephen Jones Millinery for Christian Dior, Temperley London, Terry de Havilland, Turnbull & Asser, Vivienne Westwood, and Zandra Rhodes.