Exhibition Research: 'Dior Illustrated'

 'Dior Illustrated' was shown at The Somerset House, London, curated to showcase work by illustrator Rene Gruau who worked for Dior during much of the 20th century.

Dior approached the somerset house to exhibit graua’s prints, invited to look at the archive and selected work to help show a narrative.

The exhibition was curated by Gritta Gschwendtner which opened with a large-scale collage of posters by Gruau encased in an 8 metre box of gauze.

The curator aimed to make a spatially stunning environment for the predominantly two dimensional work. 

The exhibition showcased groundbreaking artworks including original illustrations for Christian Dior Parfums, vintage perfume bottles, sketches and magazines, as well as a selection of Dior Haute Couture dresses personally chosen by John Galliano including a special dress designed by Galliano himself, in homage to Gruau.

'Dior Illustrated' drew my attention because of it's creative presentation of 2D collage, particularly the way the curator chose to showcase the posters among the entry, transforming the 2D pieces into a 3D installation. This is relatable to FOH because we are looking at inserting elements of collage into the exhibition and will have 2D elements that we must be careful not to lose against the exciting garments.

I think what is interesting is that Gruau continued to illustrate for Dior throughout the 60’s and 70’s, right up to the 80’s when fashion photography was taking over. I think this goes to show how powerful his images were and is testament to the strength of his style.