Valentino’s farewell takes place in Piazza Mignanelli, where 33 creations by the last emperor of fashion enter into dialogue with artist Joana Vasconcelos.
The spaces of PM23, which will host the public viewing for the designer, who died at 93, are also home to the project VENUS – Valentino Garavani through the eyes of Joana Vasconcelos.
The final farewell to designer Valentino Garavani, a giant of fashion and a leading name in international haute couture, who passed away on 19 January at 93, will take place in Piazza Mignanelli, the maison’s historic headquarters. A public viewing will be set up here, within the evocative setting of the exhibition curated by his longtime partner Giancarlo Giammetti and the Valentino Garavani Foundation, inaugurated just a few days ago.
Since 18 January, the spaces of PM23 have been hosting VENUS – Valentino Garavani through the eyes of Joana Vasconcelos, a captivating exhibition journey that offers a contemporary, poetic взгляд at the creative universe of the “last emperor”, reimagined through the vision of Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos.
Twelve works by Vasconcelos, including spectacular existing installations and site-specific pieces, enter into dialogue with 33 creations by Garavani, selected from the archives and curated by Pamela Golbin. This journey, an interweaving of fashion, art, and creative languages that connects innovation with a contemporary vision, finds its focal point in the monumental Valchiria VENUS. Conceived for the apse-like hall as an extension of eight dresses, this imposing figure offers a powerful lens on Valentino’s legacy.
VENUS, conceived and designed by the artist to be produced by her atelier in Lisbon, is further enriched by an ambitious social project that involved over 200 participants of all ages.
More than 200 kilos of crochet modules were created across Rome and sent to the artist by students from advanced training schools, patients at Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital and the Gemelli Medical Center hospice, women inmates at the Rebibbia Women’s Prison in collaboration with Fondazione Severino, as well as Differenza Donna and the international humanitarian organization INTERSOS.
Offering a behind-the-scenes look at this human and artistic project is Trame #73, a documentary by Daniele Luchetti, screened in a dedicated room within the exhibition. Through the voices of students, inmates, crochet teachers, artisans, and the artist herself, it unfolds as a choral narrative on the value of making things together, and on creativity as an experience of inclusion and shared purpose.
Other standout installations by the artist include Venus, The Painting from the Crochet Paintings series, inspired by Josef Hoffmann’s motif featured on Haute Couture looks from the A/W 1989–90 collection. There is also Strangers in the Night, which explores female archetypes projected by patriarchal culture, while resilience and metamorphosis take shape in Full Steam Ahead (Red) #1, a mechanical lotus flower made of ironing irons. Don’t miss Marilyn, where pots and lids, everyday objects, are transformed into gigantic high-heeled shoes that flip stereotypes and celebrate women’s often invisible work.
