Paris museum set to honour Iris van Herpen in upcoming exhibition

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs has announced its roster of upcoming exhibitions to take place over the course of 2023 and 2024, including a retrospective of Iris van Herpen.

Scheduled from November 29, 2023, to April 28, 2024, the Paris museum will pay tribute to the Dutch designer through an immersive exhibition revolving around eight themes that it said identified van Herpen’s work.

In a release, the organisation added that the display “questions the place of the body in space, its relationship to clothing and its environment as well as its future in a rapidly changing world”.

A selection of contemporary works of art, installations, video, photographs and works from natural history will be located next to a hundred dresses by the designer, with an evocation of her Amsterdam studio and a space dedicated to her fashion shows to round out the exhibition.

Prior to the retrospective, the museum has also announced a further two exhibitions, the first of which will take place between April 5 and September 17, 2023.

‘Cheveux & Poils’ will look into how hairstyles and grooming have contributed to appearances over the centuries, and will have an in depth look at notable hairstyle eras and their cultural impact.

Amid the exploration of hair-related professions, the museum will also touch on contemporary creations, with works by the likes of Jean-Paul Gaultier, Alexander McQueen and Martin Margiela.

Additionally, an exhibition entitled ‘Mode et sport’, to be hosted from September 20, 2023, to April 7, 2024, and sponsored by Lacoste, will look into the links between fashion and sport through a selection of clothing, accessories and memorabilia.

The display will trace the history of sportswear and will highlight designers of the Inter-War Period, such as Gabrielle Chanel, Jeanne Lanvin and Elsa Schiaparelli.