The Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris dedicates an exhibition to one of the most forward-thinking fashion designers Iris van Herpen. Titled “Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses,” the retrospective will run from November 29, 2023 to April 28, 2024 and it questions the place of the body in space, its relationship to clothing and its environment, and its future in a rapidly changing world. A selection of over one hundred hautecouture pieces made by Iris van Herpen dialogue with works of contemporary art, by artists like the Collectif Mé, Wim Delvoye, Kate MccGwire, Damien Jalet, Kohei Nawa, Casey Curran, Rogan Borwn, Jacques Rougerie and design pieces by Neri Oxman, Ren Ri, Ferruccio Laviani, and Tomáš Libertíny, in addition to items from the spheres of the natural sciences, such as skeletons and fossils, thereby instilling a unique resonance with historical pieces. The exhibition will be presented in the Christine & Stephen A. Schwarzman Galleries, and curated by Cloé Pitiot and assistant curator Louise Curtis, with the scenography entrusted to the Studio Nathalie Crinière.

Celebrating the unique approach of Iris van Herpen, this retrospective, organized around nine themes, identifies the essence of her work, merging fashion, contemporary art, design, and science. The theme of the skeleton is inaugurated by the Skeleton dress echoing the hybrid skeleton of a work by Japanese artist Heishiro Ishino.

Three spaces bring the exhibition to a close: an evocation of Iris van Herpen’s studio, in which vistors are immersed into the atelier process through hundreds of material samples, a cabinet of curiosities presenting her accessories (shoes, masks, and hairstyling items), alongside elements from the natural sciences and videos, and a room celebrating the living and moving body through videos of the designer’s catwalk shows.

The exhibition is accompanied by a sound composition created by Salvador Breed, which challenges the senses and further immerses the visitor in this journey around the body and the themes close to the designer.

Much more than an exhibition devoted to Haute Couture, Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses takes visitors on an immersive journey through this singular and hybrid universe, punctuated by the designer’s research and experiments.


Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses
from November 29, 2023 to April 28, 2024.
Musée des Arts Décoratifs
107 Rue de Rivoli
75001 Paris
madparis.fr

Photo: Luigi and Iago x Iris van Herpen Skeleton Dress. Courtesy Mad Paris